Author: May S Ruiz

‘The Royals of Pasadena’ Exhibit at the Pasadena Museum of History

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 17 August 2017 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

Not many cities in the United States have what they call their royalty but Pasadena is one of the few that could rightfully claim to have its own crowned heads. On January 1st every year,  millions along the parade route and watching on TV around the world marvel as the Tournament of Roses Queen and her Royal Court smile and wave to their well-wishers.

The history of the Rose Parade began on January 1, 1890 when members of the Valley Hunt Club reimagined the American version of the festival of roses in Nice, France. They staged a procession of flower-decked horse and buggies and an afternoon of public games on the town lot east of Los Robles between Colorado Blvd. and what was then Santa Fe Street. The story of the Rose Queen and Royal Court, however, did not begin until 15 years since the parade first traveled the streets of Pasadena.

By 1895 the parade had become a massive undertaking for the Valley Hunt Club to fund and manage on its own. The Tournament of Roses (TofR) was formed during a public hearing and a community subscription campaign raised $595.00 to underwrite the expenses of the 1896 Rose Parade.

Tournament of Roses 2020 Rose Parade | Photo by Terry Miller / Beacon Media News

The first Rose Queen was Hallie Woods who, in 1905, was chosen by her classmates at Pasadena High School. She sewed her own gown and helped decorate the float on which she rode. But those days of class voting and self-made garments are long gone. Today, selection of the Queen to preside over the parade takes on an immense process involving thousands of young women and hundreds of volunteers.

This annual Pasadena tradition and rite-of-passage-of-sorts among high school seniors (mostly, but not exclusively, females) who are enrolled in Pasadena-area schools is a spectacular event that begins as soon as that New Year’s Rose Bowl Game is in the history books. The TofR staff rolls out the next year’s schedule of events without breaking stride.

The 100th Rose Queen in 2018 will be crowned in October. In honor of this milestone, the Pasadena Museum of History (PMH) will present an exhibition celebrating TofR’s Royal Court from September 2, 2017 through February 11, 2018. This colorful and historical display will feature previous Rose Queens’ and Princesses’ gowns, daywear, accessories, and jewelry lent for the exhibit by former members of the Royal Court. It will also highlight Queen’s crowns from the last hundred years, on loan from TofR.

Laura Verlaque, PMH’s Director of Collections, reveals, “We’ve had a long partnership with TofR – we’ve collaborated with them in the past and we carry TofR souvenirs in our gift shop.   In 2013 we put on an exhibit about Pasadena anniversaries which included the Tournament of Roses because it was commemorating an important landmark.” 

“I worked with TofR’s marketing department and their wonderful marketing associate, Heather Sharpe, who gave me access to their collection,” Verlaque continues. “PMH borrowed several things for that exhibition including the crowns, and a silver saddle. She remarked to me then, ‘You know in 2018 we will be crowning the 100th Rose Queen. Would you like to do an exhibit about the Royal Court?’ to which I gave a resounding ‘Of course!’. So you can say that we’ve been thinking of and planning this since.”

Because TofR didn’t have in its collection the garments the Queens and Princesses wore PMH reached out to the alumni list. 

“It was nerve-wracking for us because we usually know going in what we have for the exhibit, but for this one we were dependent largely on loans,” reveals Verlaque. “However, it turned out we didn’t have cause for worry; we received so many responses from our initial request before we had a chance to send out a mailing to the entire alumni registry. We were offered more than we can show – there was an outpouring from the royal court who were interested in participating.”

“We got this plaid pantsuit from the 1970s; and yesterday someone came in to lend us an ensemble that has a Diana Rigg look from ‘The Avengers’. They’re such marvelous period clothing that I simply had to make room for them in the exhibit. It’s an absolutely delightful problem to have!,” Verlaque enthuses.

1968 Rose Queen Crown and Royal Court tiaras | Courtesy Photo

The show features about 30 queens and princesses coronation gowns from every decade starting with 1940, along with outfits from the Royal Court wardrobe, accessories and ephemera.

An exhibition highlight is the spectacular 1940 gown, made of ecru velvet with gold lace trim, designed and sewn by Pasadena dressmaker Margie Mudgett. Known as the ‘Camelot’ gown, it belongs to Margaret Huntley Main, the oldest living Rose Queen.

From the 1967 Rose Court wardrobe is an orange suit, duster and hat loaned by Princess Barbara Beckley. An I. Magnin & Company label 1976 Rose Princess gown made of sky blue chiffon over taffeta, a sequined bodice, and a chiffon capelet is on loan from Christina Nurches Pfleider.  A 2004 Rose Queen white gown with diagonal pleating designed by Tadashi Shoji was lent by Megan Chinen Oakes. The Pasadena TofR loaned three Rose Queen crowns for display.

“As part of the exhibit, we’ll have a pull-out section on how the Royal Court selection has changed over the years,” Verlaque states. “In the early days, the queen and princesses were friends of the people responsible for putting on the Rose Parade. Then there was a time when prominent society ladies were chosen for the court. There was a period when every female student at Pasadena City College (PCC) was required to try out; today it is voluntary.” 

Verlaque continues, “The notification system has likewise kept pace with prevailing practice and technology. Previous princesses have told me they used to sit by the mailbox waiting for the letters telling them if they’ve made it to the final 25. Later it was a phone call, and now it’s by email. It has such a fun history.”

Photo by Aaron Gil | Pasadena Museum of History

“The exhibition reveals shifting fashion styles,” explains Verlaque. “The very first gown evoked the medieval epoch – a lot of these early courts had that theme. The entire show makes for a fabulous historical display, really. Then we arrive at the Tadashi Shoji era (the official provider of the Rose Queen gowns since 2006, according to Heidi Hoff, Senior Director for Marketing and Communications. It’s so fascinating to see how his designs have evolved; in that sense this is also a retrospective of his work.”

It is a show that is beautiful, vibrant, and very visual according to Verlaque. “I hope that the ‘Royals of Pasadena’ manifests the pageantry and lavishness associated with the Royal Court. But the Rose Parade is so much more than a beauty pageant. In the course of my research and conversations with the rose queens and princesses, I have learned that the experience they had on the royal court changed their life. And this is the only city in the country that offers that kind of life-altering event for young women. I think it’s a wonderful tradition to be celebrated … examined, even – to see how it has adapted to reflect current affairs and sensitivities.”   

The Rose Parade is a renowned annual Pasadena tradition that has endured world wars and all manner of political strife. The Queen and her Court continue to gracefully perform their numerous community service functions through them all.        

For young women in the area, being part of the Royal Court is a transformative opportunity they hope to experience. A hundred years since the first Rose Queen was crowned, it is still an institution that remains relevant to the times we live in.                                     

CSArts-SGV Welcomes its First Group of Incoming Students

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 19 August 2017 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

August 14, 2017 marks a milestone for the Duarte Unified School District (DUSD) when CSArts-SGV officially opens its doors to admit the first group of incoming students to the Art School. A welcome festival on August18 will celebrate this much anticipated event.  

An off-shoot of the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA), CSArts-SGV offers high caliber academic and arts education for students in grade seven through eleven for the 2017-2018 school year, and will expand to twelfth grade the following school year. It was established in 2016 by the California School of the Arts Foundation, a non-profit organization modeled after the nationally recognized OCSA.

CSArts-SGV students have ten arts conservatories to choose from including acting, classical & contemporary dance, classical voice, commercial dance, creative writing, instrumental music, integrated arts, musical theatre, production & design, and visual arts.  

“For years I’ve dreamed of serving more students who have a passion for the arts,” declares     Dr. Ralph Opacic, founder and executive director of the OCSA and chief executive officer of California School of the Arts. “Our partnership with DUSD has created an opportunity to provide the San Gabriel Valley and surrounding communities with the same quality academic and arts instruction, unique school culture, and unparalleled value that we have established at OCSA over the past 30 years. We not only train talented students in their respective art forms, we also produce highly engaged, creative students who succeed in top-ranking colleges and in careers of their choice. Our students go on to become Broadway stars, musicians and artists, as well as engineers, doctors, and entrepreneurs.”           

Image taken from CSArts-SGV website

According to Janelle Kruly, director of public relations and communications, approximately 695 students have enrolled but they are still accepting applications on a rolling basis. An estimated 66 percent of incoming students are from San Gabriel Valley, with the rest from Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Fresno counties.  

There is much in store for the upcoming school year including: the all-school musical – the Tony award-winning ‘Pippin’ to be held at Azusa Pacific University in November; a cross-disciplinary Master Artist Series which brings nationally renowned guest artists and master teachers to provide extraordinary learning opportunities for students; through a partnership with Descanso Gardens, students will have performance opportunities at the lauded ‘Enchanted: Forest of Light.’     

Three students – Asia Aragon, Victoria Camacho, and Braden Maniago – share their thoughts about their desire to be attending the new arts school.  

Fifteen-year-old Aragon, who will be attending the commercial dance conservatory, is transferring from La Salle High School in Pasadena where she was a sophomore. She had been involved in La Salle’s Arts program. At the same time, she was a junior varsity golfer and swimmer.

Aragon heard about CSArts-SGV from a friend, went to the open house, and decided to apply.  She relates, “I liked seeing the different types of arts and how all the students were excited to be having a school dedicated to the various art fields. I’ve been dancing since I was six years old – I go to the Pasadena Civic Ballet. I’ve been in many performances for them.”

Image of Asia Aragon as ‘Binibining Pilipinas’ taken from Facebook

In fact, Aragon’s resume reads like a professional’s. She has appeared in national commercials, music videos, short films and theatre productions, and has recorded voiceovers. She played the lead role of Kim in ‘Stealth’, an award-winning short play from the American Film Institute.  Her film credits include: ‘Willy Wonka: The Musical (as Violet Beauregarde); ‘Aladdin Jr’ (as Princess Jasmine); ‘Annie’ (once as Annie and twice as Pepper); ‘White Christmas’ (as Susan Waverly); ‘South Pacific’ (as Ngana); ‘The Big Bad Musical’ (as Sidney Grimm); and ‘The Doll’ (as Monica). 

An alumna of the Broadway Artists Alliance in New York City, Aragon was nominated for the 2015-2016 National Youth Arts (Junior Division) Lead Actress Award for her portrayal of Jasmine in ‘Aladdin Jr’.

Aragon has modeled as the American Girl doll Ivy Ling for the American Girl/Flintridge Guild Fashion Shows for five years. She also holds the title of Miss Century City Teen USA 2017 and will compete in the Miss California Teen USA Pageant.

Says Aragon, “I hope CSArts-SGV helps me thrive and challenge me in my dance career and journey as well as prepare me for college. I plan on pursuing a degree in the Arts and am looking forward to possibly attending Juilliard, NYU, UCLA or USC.”

Victoria Camacho is a twelve-year-old and rising eighth grader. Coming from Northview Intermediate in Duarte, she was aware that her former school was going to be replaced by CSArts-SGV. 

“I have always been interested in visual art but I don’t currently get any formal training – I just teach myself by constantly drawing on my sketchbook,” Camacho discloses. “I would really love to be doing this as a future career so I went online to learn more about the OCSA and CSArts-SGV and decided to audition.”

Braden Maniago and Victoria Camacho | Courtesy Photo

The audition for the visual art involved drawing three different things. Camacho relates, “There were about 20 girls who auditioned with me; we were seated at two large tables with several objects on them.  Our first task was to draw our hand. The second was to pick one of the articles on the table to draw; I chose a seashell. The third took the longest because we were asked to select three items, place them together, and draw them. The first two tasks took about 20 minutes each while the last one took between 30 to 40 minutes.”

“I found out at the end of February/early March that I had been accepted and I was so excited!,” Camacho enthuses. “This is a huge opportunity. For the next five years I get to attend a regular school during the day and go to the visual arts conservatory in the afternoon. After high school I am thinking of going to college to get a Bachelor of Arts degree.”

Camacho adds, “I enjoy sketching because I get to express my feelings through art. I would really like to be an animator in the future.”  

An avid reader, Camacho prefers mysteries and thrillers. She frequents bookstores where she picks up New York Times bestsellers. One of her favorite reads was Marieke Nijkamp’s YA fiction, ‘This is Where it Ends’.                   

Braden Maniago is a home-schooled 14-year-old from Arcadia, a rising ninth-grader. He states, “I have been acting for several years so I’m home-schooled through K-12 to give me more time for acting and dancing classes. However, it could also be boring studying alone at home so I’m happy to be going to CSArts-SGV. I can practice reading scripts and interact with another actor.  This gives me the structure that I don’t have right now.”

“I’m passionate about acting and I’ve always thought I’m meant for it, which is why I want to go to CSArts-SGV ” adds Maniago. “My parents are very supportive of what I do. My mom was actually the one who told me about the new school. Both my mom and dad went with me to the Open House.”

It was meeting Robin Williams while working as a background actor on a show that inspired Maniago to pursue acting and studying for it. He relates, “I didn’t know who he was at the time but I remember him telling me that it’s hard for aspiring actors to break into Hollywood. I also realize that the challenge increases exponentially for Asians. I want to be the first Asian to be cast in a role that’s not particularly for an Asian; I really want to change the industry.”

For Aragon, Camacho, and Maniago, being recognized for their talent without qualifying their specific ethnicity – to be acknowledged despite being of a different race, not because of it –  would be a giant leap in the right direction for the Arts. For them, CSArts-SGV will pave the way for that future.                           

Pasadena Master Chorale Ends Season with ‘Looking to the Future’

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 22 June 2017 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

The last concert in the 2016-2017 season of the Pasadena Master Chorale is a momentous event for its Executive Director, Jeffrey Bernstein – their rendition of original compositions in a show called ‘Looking to the Future’ brings to a close another successful year.  

Proclaims Bernstein, “Since we started we have always been involved with young people singing with us.  It’s at the heart of what we’re trying to do – to create opportunities for young people who love choir music to learn about it and perform it.”  

“The most exciting student program, by far, is ‘Listening to the Future’, the mentoring initiative we began last year,” explains Bernstein. “Through an application process, we select composers from local private and public schools. We team them up with a composer mentor who meets with them every week from November through June. They write music for us and we perform their work. PMC’s final concert of the year is entirely composed by high school students and it’s quite stirring.” 

Bernstein adds, “It’s a very interesting process for these young students to experience. They spend months alone in a room in front of their computer or with a piece of staff paper writing their composition. Their faces light up when they hear a roomful of 60 people transform that music off the page. It’s utterly thrilling when that happens!”

This year’s young composers Katherine Beggs, Elise Logan, Sean Segal, Tiffany Shi, and Olivia Shue will prove their musical talent when PMC presents their original work on June 25 at the Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church in Pasadena. These young composers were mentored by Nilo Alcala, who came on board last November.

Although only a rising senior at Westridge School, Katherine Beggs is already looking forward to college to pursue music and meet new people from different places to expand her worldview. But she thinks her high school life is something she will always cherish for the friends she made and the amazing people she has met. She is particularly glad to be part of PMC’s ‘Looking to the Future’ concert.

Beggs chose to arrange ‘O Waly Waly’. She states, “It is a traditional English folk song which I first heard as an arrangement by Benjamin Britten. It had a beautiful melodic structure and made me want to write my own. The visual imagery and figurative language in this song is very vivid which I tried to enhance with the music I wrote. It took me about three months, working one to two hour-sessions a few times a week.  Nilo and I exchanged many drafts before I finally felt like the piece was complete.”

“My original composition is called ‘Yo No Tengo Soledad’ (I Do Not Have Loneliness), a Spanish poem by Gabriela Mistral,” continues Beggs. “The poem’s message is that one is not alone when they are with the people they love. It reminded me of a lullaby that a mother would sing to a child and that is what I wanted to convey with my song. For the greater part of the piece, I have the basses and tenors sing a repetitive melody to emphasize an element of constancy and comfort.”

“This was surprisingly much easier to write because with the folk song I had to add on to a pre-existing melody and structure and I didn’t want my piece to sound similar,” discloses Beggs. “With my original composition I was able to create something completely new without fear of copying someone else’s.  Without that restriction I had a lot more artistic freedom to write as I pleased.”

Beggs declares, “Hearing something that was just in my head being performed by real musicians for the first time was completely surreal and extremely gratifying at once. It is really wonderful to hear a choir singing what I wrote because I can definitely feel the emotion – it’s vastly better than listening to a computer automated playback.”

Image taken from Pasadena Master Chorale website

Recent Pasadena High School grad, Elise Logan, plans to engage in music throughout her life. She reveals, “My AP Music Theory class was so much fun and introduced me to the world of composition. I enjoyed being around smart, young, driven, and talented musicians. I had a lot of collaborative and individual musical experiences through that class and grew a great deal as a musician and as a student.”

In the fall, Logan is heading to Barnard College, in the heart of New York City, to take further studies in this field. She says, “The newfound independence that comes along with being an out-of-state college student excites me.”

For her folk song arrangement, Logan did ‘Wade in the Water.’ She elaborates, “It is an African-American Spiritual which is very familiar and common in my family and my culture. This piece manifests themes such as faith, patience, resilience, and trust in the face of hardship – all of which are relatable and relevant. The idea solidified in three weeks but it took the entire duration of the program (November 2016 to June 2017) for me to completely revise the piece and get it ready to be performed.”

Logan’s original composition is titled, ‘The One that Could Repeat the Summer Day’. “I wanted to create a piece that contrasted the gloomy ‘Wade in the Water’. Reading Emily Dickinson’s poem about the beauty and celebration of sunrises, sunsets, and summer days inspired me to musically illustrate simple joys,” she explains.

Contrary to Beggs’s experience, Logan thinks this was more difficult to write, “The folk song already came with a melody; I only had the text upon starting my original composition so that meant I had to write the melody, rhythm, and harmony myself.”

“This was my first time writing music to be performed by other people; having the opportunity to have a professional choir sing my original work was a blessing,” Logan expounds. “This experience has been extremely educational and artistically rewarding. It’s an incredible feeling to hear professional musicians bring my compositions to life within minutes.”                

Pictured left to right: Sean Segal, Olivia Shue, Jeffrey Bernstein, Nilo Alcala, Tiffany Shi, Katherine Beggs, and Elise Logan | Courtesy Photo

Sean Segal, who graduated this month from La Canada HS, says his favorite high school experience was his choir tour to Seattle, Hawaii, Spain, and Italy. He will be attending the University of Michigan in the Fall, where he will be pursuing a double major in jazz and multidisciplinary studies in music. His long-term goal is to score a film.

“For my folk song, I chose to do an arrangement for ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’”, says Segal. “I thought it would only be an exercise so I did something I could have fun with. It was the first thing that came to mind when I heard ‘folk song’ – it was meant to be fun and light. It only took me several hours to write; not too long, but it went through a few changes.”

Continues Segal, “My original composition is called ‘At That Hour When All Things Have Repose’, a poem by James Joyce. I knew I wanted to do it when I read it – it had the right length and had powerful images, which would be perfect with great music. It proved to be harder for me since I had to start from scratch; I had no existing melody to base it off of. It took me weeks to write – making sure each part worked and made sense.”

“People really bring your work to life when they sing it,” Segal says. “When you hear it for the first time it jumps off the page. Some moments are gratifying and some make you recognize when an idea doesn’t work so well. Sometimes you can tell something was good just from the choir’s reaction. It was the ultimate learning experience.”

A recent graduate of La Canada HS, Olivia Shue, will be attending California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Valencia to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Composition. It’s a small arts college that offers courses in music, theatre, art, film & video, dance, and critical studies. Students can take classes in classes besides their chosen major. She’s excited to be a part of  a community of artists.   

Shue’s folk song arrangement is called ‘Ondokusan’. She explains, “It’s a song I sing at my Buddhist temple and the Japanese text is a few words by Shinran Shonin. I chose to arrange it because it is my late grandfather’s favorite piece out of all the other songs we sing at Buddhist services. I procrastinate a lot so it’s hard to say how long it took me to compose it, but I would say probably just a week. When I finally got down to it, I was very motivated to arrange it.”

“I actually wrote two original compositions,” Shue says. “The first original song was called ‘Fire & Ice’ and it was based off a Robert Frost poem of the same name, which was about the beauty and horror of the destruction of the world. But I ended up submitting ‘Song of the Open Road’, a poem by Walt Whitman.  It’s actually kind of funny because last year I composed an original Walt Whitman piece in the same key.  What’s strange, too, is that writing ‘Fire & Ice’ had been a struggle but ‘Song of the Open Road’ practically wrote itself. I finished it in two days sans review or correction.”

This year marks the second time Shue is writing for PMC’s ‘Listening to the Future’ program. She discloses, “Now it feels natural to have them sing my work. I recently had my first string composition premiered on June 2nd, so I’m getting used to having my piece performed. The first time, however, was surreal.”

Rising senior at San Marino HS, Tiffany Shi, is a young woman whose interests lie in both music and math. She participates in her high school’s local division of Girls Who Code and loves the idea behind the club and its inclusive atmosphere. Mentors from JPL and Caltech work with them every Friday.

“I decided to arrange a folk song titled ‘Lavender’s Blue’ after my friend introduced it to me. I just loved the simple melody,” Shi relates. “My original composition is titled ‘Live Not in Vain’, which is set to the words of Emily Dickinson’s poem, ‘If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking’. I love Dickinson’s writing, and after a few weeks of searching through different poetry archives, this poem’s uplifting tone and words really resonated with me and inspired me to write this piece.”

Shi shares a little of Beggs’s, Logan’s and Segal’s experience when she says, “Writing the original composition was a bit harder than arranging a folk song if only because we had to start from scratch and interpret our own poems. At the same time, however, it was really nice to have the freedom to create without the constraint of a given melody. It was a lot of fun.”

“It’s such an amazing feeling to have your piece read for the first time – it’s the culmination of all your effort and it’s a revelation when you see your work as something real. There’s so much going on – from recognizing what you need to change, to finding your favorite part of your own composition – but underneath it all is just a sincerely deep gratitude to the amazing choir, director, and mentor(s) who made it happen,” Shi concludes.

Image taken from Pasadena Neighborhood Unitarian Church website

An important figure for all these young composers is Nilo Alcala, who shepherded them this year to the project’s successful finish. He describes his part, “My role as mentor is to equip them with the compositional tools they need to bring out from within them their own compositional voice. I guide them through the creative process and help them craft and polish their works into its optimal form. It is also my job to constantly inspire them to be an ever improving version of their composer selves. When they get stuck at a certain point in their writing, it’s up to me to nudge them forward or steer them in the right direction.”

Alcala continues, “For those who will pursue composing as a career, it is also the mentor’s responsibility to prepare them for a possible career as a choral composer – not stopping at the skills and technical aspects but going into character. It is sometimes said that talent is overrated but work ethic is timeless. I would like to think that I’ve somehow imparted in them the necessary work ethic for success – being well prepared, punctual, positive, humble, teachable, courteous. And, above all, I want them to be passionate about their art.”

All these qualities are present in Alcala himself. An immigrant from the Philippines, he arrived in the United States armed only with his innate ability and his passion for music. And that relocation happened in a roundabout way. 

Alcala had earned a degree in Communications and was working for a non-profit in Manila when he decided to go back to school to earn a degree in music composition at the University of the Philippines.  That proved to be a pivotal move for Alcala as he got the opportunity to showcase his music internationally when he won several music competitions. He also joined the Philippine Madrigal Singers and sang in concert tours in several countries. 

In 2007 Alcala received the Billy Joel Fellowship that enabled him to get a master’s degree at Syracuse University in New York. In 2009 he earned the Young Composer Award from Seattle-based ‘The Esoterics’ and an ‘Ani ng Dangal’ (Reap of Honor) Award from the Philippine president. 

After being granted an EB-1(Extraordinary Ability) status, Alcala moved to Los Angeles. On December 15, 2015, his project commissioned by the Los Angeles Master Chorale premiered at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Alcala creates orchestral music for the Metro Manila Concert Orchestra and is currently writing a piece commissioned by the Manila Symphony Orchestra to be premiered this August. He composes for visual media and has scored a number of Filipino feature films. He recently scored ‘Candlestick Park: The Beatles’ Last Concert’ – a promotional short for Ron Howard’s Grammy-award winning film ‘The Beatles: Eight Days a Week’. He is music director/in-house-composer of Club Six Studios, a Silicon Valley-based mobile video game company.

The young composers PMC has chosen for this year’s student program have much going for them. The inspiration they draw from Alcala’s personal journey, fueled by Bernstein’s mission to give students the opportunity to hone their skills and follow their dreams, will most undoubtedly culminate in a triumphant concert.    

‘Listening to the Future’ is likewise a fulfillment of sorts for Bernstein, champion of young people and music-making. Through this concert, he is assured that the art form continues to flourish.                                                                   

Institute for Educational Advancement: Serving the Needs of Gifted Children

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 15 June 2017 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

Each child is different. All parents know that and treat every child for the individual that he or she is. But when children fall outside the spectrum, parents are at a loss about what to do.

Elizabeth Jones saw firsthand how gifted children could fall through the cracks because their needs aren’t being met. She relates, “While completing my Masters at USC, I was working in a special day classroom at a residential facility for students with learning and behavioral problems. I found a child who had been placed there when he was actually profoundly gifted; he was basically misdiagnosed. That got me thinking that clearly he wasn’t the only child who has been put in the wrong place because people didn’t recognize what made him different.”

“That led me to conduct more research and start looking into how children learn differently,”  continues Jones. “I then worked at Johns Hopkins University as Associate Director of the Western Region of the Center for Talented Youth. There I focused on identifying gifted students from underserved backgrounds; providing emotional and social support for them; and educating teachers and parents on these children’s needs.

In 1998, I left Johns Hopkins and established the Institute for Educational Advancement (IEA), a non-profit organization dedicated to the intellectual, creative, and personal growth among gifted and high-potential youth. We are committed to the development of the whole child by providing engaging learning experiences that promote optimal challenge, mentorship, exploration of ideas, and recognition of personal potential.”

Image taken from Institute for Educational Advancement website

Based in Pasadena, IEA offers four different programs that directly address the needs of the gifted child. Jones explains, “Our ACADEMY is for children from kindergarten to 8th grade, an after-school and weekend, and during-the-day program for home-schooled children. We match grad students from Caltech who are professionals in their field and take them to the classrooms where they bring their work into a new arena. It’s delightful to see a Caltech graduate student working on microbiology with a seven-year old – the grad student remembers why he’s so thrilled and the seven-year old is equally enamored with the idea that she could be a real scientist and do this cool thing. It’s a very exciting and neat way to motivate.”

Adds Jones, “So many of these bright minds are so different from their peers they don’t really have a social network. They don’t feel accepted because they have a unique vocabulary; they look at the world differently; they ask more questions; they’re more curious. It’s hard for them to find that group of friends or a network of folks that they feel comfortable with. So here they are, talking to a grad student who understands why they’re passionate about an interesting topic and are around other kids who are equally enthusiastic about that. It’s a very, very exhilarating dynamic and it helps get that child develop a positive yet not overly exaggerated sense of self.”

ACADEMY classes are based on what IEA administrators gather from talking to kids; they find the right instructor and create the curriculum around that. They’re semester-long enrichment courses, genius days, mini lectures, and workshops available at two locations – San Marino and Sierra Madre. Offerings vary by semester: fall, winter, spring, and winter.”

Summer session is ongoing at San Marino High School and courses include: Algorithms for beginners with Nathalie Blume. Algorithms are widely used in computer science and bioinformatics, they frame research in psychology and in zoology, and they are what allows robots to move, search engines to search, and AIs to be autonomous. An Ancient Egypt course taught by Alessandra Santucci takes students on an experiential journey across 3,000 years of history and explores how it developed and why it came to an end. 

ACADEMY students learn Chemistry in the kitchen | Courtesy Photo

In ‘Dissolving Boundaries: The Intersection of Art & Poetry’ Meg Shevenock and her class study artists and writers who seamlessly merge their classified genres. Toby Jacobrown and his students take a survey of the most encouraging and cutting-edge developments in biology, ecology and medicine in a class called ‘How to Save the World’. He also teaches a course on ‘How to Write Scripts Like the Greats’ where he demonstrates how emulation of the greats was how writers learned their craft before the 20th century. He also discusses with his students how to pitch their work to a producer.

IEA offers YUNASA, which is the Indian Lakota word for balance. Describes Jones, “It’s a  camp where we take children for a traditional camp experience – archery, campfires, water activities. But we also do a lot of work on how to calm the mind through visualizations and mindfulness, which help the child focus energies in positive ways.  For so many of these young people, their brains work so quickly that they have trouble sitting, focusing, or even completing a specific task. Their anxieties get in the way. What makes this program unique is that we have the most eminent folks in the field of education who come together as facilitators for a particular program.”

“Our EXPLORE is an apprenticeship program where we partner high-potential and gifted high school students with distinguished professionals in the field with whom they work side-by-side for six weeks during the summer to accomplish real world tasks. We have 17-year-olds who’ve completed research paper working with somebody on a specific project or in a lab in a children’s hospital researching diseases,” Jones says.

A program Jones is extremely proud of is the CAROLINE D. BRADLEY SCHOLARSHIP. She states, “It is the only merit-based scholarship in the country. We provide 30 students per year with a high school experience where we match individuals with the best learning environment for them – it could very well be an independent or a public school. It really depends on what that child needs in the moment to actualize his or her intellectual potential.  We sponsor students for four years throughout their entire high school career. It is our most unique and, perhaps, most impactful initiative in terms of long-term support of young people.

Image taken from Institute for Educational Advancement website

It has been a really successful initiative. We started this program in 2002 with five students; now we’re identifying between 25 and 30 a year. We have about 120 scholars in high schools all over the country who get free tuition. The funding follows the student, we don’t fund the school directly. It keeps us and the school nimble because we have to research what’s really best for that child every time we have a new youngster who comes into the program. Those schools who have enjoyed having these bright young minds on their campus have to keep up their standards. In addition, it means those independent school’s funding can go farther too; it’s a great way of spreading scholarship money.”

Jones explains, “It is funded by Sarah Barder, the niece of Caroline Bradley and a long-time supporter and mentor of mine when I was at Johns Hopkins University. She supported us when we started IEA. She appreciated my passion for recognizing the unique needs of gifted youth and advocating for an educational system that provides opportunity for children to learn something new every day. We share a common commitment to ensuring that young people avail of the most appropriate learning environment for them to grow and become happy, successful citizens.

We’ve had over 100 alumni and one student from our original class has joined our Board. We have a very large networking program that’s national in scope.  While these students have different backgrounds, there’s one thing they have in common – they tend to give back to their communities. They experience something remarkable and they act on it by contributing back wherever they happen to be; these are the kids who will help solve problems in society in the future.  We’re so grateful to have stewardship of this particular opportunity.”

“IEA has a singular imperative – to advocate for the gifted child,” asserts Jones. “We educate the public that gifted children are underserved and there is a need to pay attention to them. Not only because they’re amazing little people – everyone deserves our attention – but because they’re being taught things 30 percent of which they already knew before coming to class. They don’t have access to challenging content on a daily basis; they spend their days in a state of boredom. Yet schools don’t have the resources or knowledge base to serve them. It’s important that we recognize that there’s a need.”

For gifted children and their parents, it’s a godsend to have someone champion for them. Jones and her organization will see to it that these young people’s minds are developed to their fullest potential.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Afoot at The Arboretum

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 8 June 2017 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

Anyone familiar with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle expects nothing short of the impossible from his legendary creation. Fans will not be disappointed when Unbound Productions’ Mystery Lit staging of ‘Holmes, Sherlock and the Consulting Detective’ comes to the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia. It will run for 19 performances between June 2 and July 1 in and around the Santa Anita Train Depot.

Sponsored by the L.A. Arboretum Foundation, this immersive theatre event is a mash-up of three Sherlock Holmes cases, ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’, ‘The Red-Headed League’ and ‘The Adventure of the Copper Beaches’. The 105-minute, two-act play is the first Mystery Lit event from Unbound Productions, which creates the popular Wicked Lit series.

Unbound Productions, comprised of Jonathan Josephson (Executive Director), Paul Millet (Artistic Director), and Jeff G. Rack (Producing Artistic Director), was founded in 2008 with a mission to reimagine timeless stories for new audiences.

Josephson notes, “ In 2007 Paul, Jeff, and I began talking about establishing a theatre company that will put on plays inspired by classic literature. We had worked together in various capacities on different productions all over Southern California and we all had an idea to create dynamic new adaptations of classic literature of the horror genre.”

Image of Wicked Lit Production taken from Wicket Lit website

“In 2008 we mounted our first Wicked Lit production at the Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills which went from downstairs to the courtyard. Up until that time we hadn’t really considered to be immersive but since that first play we’ve done only immersive style specific theatre. We’ve produced over 40 plays almost all of them world premieres. We’re working in really cool and exciting venues and it’s been fun so far,” Josephson states with obvious delight.

From 2010 to 2016 Wicked Lit has been staged at Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery in Altadena where audiences walk through the hallways of the mausoleum and among the headstones.

“Soon we thought about bringing new life to great literature that reflects history in creative ways,” recalls Josephson. “In 2011, we produced the inaugural reading series with the Pasadena Museum of History (PMH) featuring works by distinguished women writers of the 19th and 20th centuries: Harriet Beecher Stowe’s ‘Two Pictures in One’, Katherine Mansfield’s ‘The Garden Party’, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s ‘The Yellow Wallpaper.’ Performances took place at the Museum and private readings at Los Angeles-area schools.”

Josephson continues, “We create site-responsive theatre, crafting performances around a setting that already exists.  We found a Frank L. Baum story called ‘The Girl Who Owned a Bear” which we staged last year within PMH’s exhibit called ‘Flying Horses & Mythical Beasts: The Magical World of Carousel Animals’. We remounted  ‘Two Pictures’ and ‘Garden Party’ and held them inside and on the grounds of Fenyes Mansion as part of History Lit 2016.”

Unbound Productions expanded yet again in 2014 with Mystery Lit when it began a reading of ‘Holmes, Sherlock and the Consulting Detective’ at The Huntington, the Pasadena Central Library, and the Arboretum. This summer’s staging of the play is its world premiere and, as usual, the producers face challenges.

Photo courtesy of The Huntington

“As in all our immersive plays, we’re dealing with old buildings and historic settings. At the Arboretum, we have a beautiful venue but there’s no electrical power so we’re bringing in generators,” Josephson states.  “It’s also open to the public, with adults and children coming through, so we have a dual mindset about the structure. We have to think of it from The Arboretum’s perspective and the general public’s.”

Reveals Josephson, “When we started immersive theatre, we didn’t realize it was actually a movement. It presents so many opportunities and are impossible to replicate digitally. There’s a reality about a play that takes place at The Arboretum, with the actors right there, that’s irreplaceable. It’s enhanced storytelling, not gimmicking for a reason to buy a ticket. We’re intrigued by that and we try to heighten that experience for our audience.”

“Unbound Productions is a year-round company,” reports Josephson. “We’re in pre-production right now with Wicked Lit. We’ve selected the plays and are talking to playwrights and directors. We’ve developed twelve new plays with as many new writers; we’re stage-reading at the end of July; and we’ll be promoting our Fall show by the end of August.”

Continues Josephson, “We’re on a three-year planning cycle on projects, venues, and collaborators. Our partners are our number one priority. And while we’ve had multiple productions all at once, we’re also a three-person part-time staff. We employ about 50 people who are contractors on individual shows – we have a cast of 12, a running crew of five, a design team, skilled technicians, photographers, and assistants.”

Joe Camareno, who portrays Watson in Mystery Lit’s ‘Holmes, Sherlock and the Consulting Detective’ has worked with Unbound Productions in the past. He relates, “I played the devil in 2014 for Wicked Lit at Mountain View Cemetery. I had red eyes and I spoke with a Castilian dialect which was very cool. I was a sophisticated bad guy like Mr. Roark but very evil.”

“They have a huge fan base and are highly successful; they have also recently been awarded for their costume and sound design. I’ve worked with Paul Millet twice – he directed me in a show in 2003 and again in 2014. I did mostly film in the intervening 11 years. But it’s exciting to go back to theatre and I was happy when they asked if I was interested to take part in this play. They’re extremely professional; they take good care of their actors. We actually get paid and that’s rare in L.A.,” Camareno laughingly pronounces.

Image of the Santa Anita train depot taken from the L.A. County Arboretum website

During a tour of the Santa Anita Train Depot, Camareno describes,“The first act, which lays out the cases, starts with the actors on the balcony of the train station while the audience watches from their seats down below. People will hear the train whistle and see steam rise from the locomotive to establish the ambience. We’re mic-ed so they won’t have trouble hearing what’s being said.”

“In the second act, when the cases unfold, performers head from the balcony to the ground level,” continues Camareno. “As a member of the audience it will be so cool to be part of the story with actors interacting so close to you.”

Camareno says further, “In Act Three, when the cases get solved, the play moves to the open field at the back of the train station where they have built a western setting. The actors will be able to go inside these structures and the audience will see all of it like it’s real.”

“For actors it’s fun because some of us will play multiple roles and we’ll do that through slight changes in our costume – like donning a hat or a coat, or putting on a mustache to change one’s appearance to reflect the character. We’ll be doing all that in front of the audience but it’s at night so it’s subtle,” Camareno adds.

This role is a departure from what Camareno has previously done. He explains, “It’s physical comedy and it’s exciting for me as an actor because recently I’ve been doing heavy drama. The show is family-friendly and a lot of fun which I think kids will really enjoy. I imagine parents taking their children to The Arboretum in the afternoon to stroll around the lovely garden, having a light dinner at the café there, then coming to see our show in the evening.” 

Doyle’s cerebral detective, while having enjoyed a loyal following over the years among readers of mystery stories, has seen his fan base broaden to a much younger audience. Robert Downey, Jr. became an unlikely teenage idol overnight when the cinematic iteration of Sherlock came out in movie theaters.  The BBC’s version with Shakespeare-trained heartthrob, Benedict Cumberbatch, further extended the world’s fascination with everything Sherlock Holmes. 

This summer, at The Arboretum, Holmes will again dazzle you with his uncanny prowess at deduction. But this time you’ll be in on the cases as if you were unraveling the mystery with the great detective himself, proving once more that ‘when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth’.                              

It’s Blooming Roses at The Huntington

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 18 May 2017 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

No single flower has moved more bards – from Robert Burns to William Butler Yeats – to  wax poetic than the magnificent rose.  And nowhere are the roses more cared for and celebrated than at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino where they are displayed in stunning splendor.                          

Tom Carruth, who became the E.L. and Ruth B. Shannon Curator of the Rose Collection in 2012, presides over The Huntington’s vast assortment of 2,500 plants and 1,250 varieties. 

Prior to his arrival here, he spent 25 years as a hybridizer for Weeks Roses, the country’s leading wholesale grower, where he led the company’s hybridizing efforts.  In his long career he has won more awards from the All-America Rose Selections (AARS) organization than any other living hybridizer.   

“My hybridizing career ended when I took this position,” reveals Carruth.  “As curator of the rose collection I’m responsible for ensuring the plants are vibrant and alive, and for bringing in new parts to the collection.”

In the five years he’s been at The Huntington, Carruth has organized all the labels and  systematized the collection records.  He has expanded some of the beds, added arbors, rebuilt trellises, repaved pathways, re-landscaped, modified irrigation, tested the soil, and even established a dramatic new entrance to the rose garden.  He has also taken on a mission to identify older cultivars that were ‘collectible’ quality and custom propagating them to replace the weaker shrubs in the garden.  

   

The Rose Garden at The Huntington | Photo courtesy of The Huntington

But Carruth gets the most fun studying the plants, “As a horticulturist I just observe – plants talk to you and you listen.  This is an old garden so the soil is impacted and we started amending with gypsum.  I noticed the roses were getting too much shade so we pruned out some trees.  Some of the old plants which were struggling to live responded to the care and started to turn around.  We had agapanthus going down on both sides of the trellis which were so overgrown they were in the rose roots and were strangling the roses.  We divided up the agapanthus and for two years we just let the roots get some air.”

Originally a cutting garden for Mrs. Huntington, the flowers were grown for production with 50 shrubs of each variety – she was fairly nearsighted and she loved having big bouquets in the mansion.  According to Carruth records from that time showed that one year 9,000 roses were cut to bring to her house.  Today it is a vast collection with just one or two of each kind to show the history of the rose.

The Huntington’s Rose Garden is a veritable history lesson that traces the story of the rose from ancient times to the present day.  Growing on the south side of the pergola leading from the Shakespeare Garden to the Tea Room are roses that represent the early history of the flower dating back to the pre-Christian era. 

On the north side of the pergola are Tea and China roses, introduced into Europe from Asia around 1800.  Says Carruth, “The Chinese were known to have been working with this flower for over 2,000 years.  The whole collection behind the trellis were roses that came here in the tea ships and were the ones that gave us repeat flowering; up to that point roses bloomed only once a year.”

The central part of the garden is dedicated to roses of the modern period when the first hybrid tea rose, called ‘La France’ was introduced.  The hybrid tea went on to become the most popular class of rose of the 20th century, with thousands of known varieties.   According to Carruth, ‘Ophelia’ dating to that period was crossbred in the garden and is in The Huntington’s collection.         

Carruth explains, “The roses are classed by color but not planted by color.  We want to keep the integrity of each variety – the China Teas are all in one location, the older hybrid has its devoted area, and the fragrant roses are in two beds closest to the Rose Garden Tea Room.  That makes it easy for us to direct the public when they ask.”

“Roses have several natural fragrances like fresh cut apples, spice, lemon blossom, myrrh, damask, honey, violets, and all sorts of combinations of those,” adds Carruth.  “It’s fun to watch people get a whiff of the fragrant flowers while they wait for their table in the Tea Room (for information and reservations, call 626/405-2236 or huntington.org/dining).  We have a variety out there that smells like Lemon Pledge and over here we’ve got one that reminds you of Ponds Cold Cream.  Down there we have something that’s white licorice and smells strongly like licorice candy.”

Photo courtesy of The Huntington

“Everyone loves walking around, reading names, and looking at the dates,” observes Carruth. “Many visitors, who don’t’ necessarily know much about growing roses look for classics like ‘Mr. Lincoln’, ‘Peace’, or ‘Sterling Silver’ – bed number 17 in the collection – which is a silvery lavender and is a repeat bloomer.  ‘Sterling Silver’ is interesting because that was the first hybrid from a female hybridizer, in a male-dominated field. We also have the everyday version, ‘Stainless Steel’, which is a much easier plant to grow and has bigger flowers, that’s similar in color and fragrance.”  What he failed to mention, however, is the fact that ‘Stainless Steel’ is a rose he developed in the 1990s as a more robust version of the fussier ‘Sterling Silver’.

The roses at The Huntington bloom from mid-April to November.  Explains Carruth, “This year, because of the rain, we had an elongated pruning season resulting in an extended spring bloom. We’ll have color throughout because we manipulate the plant in the beginning so they don’t blossom all at once. People will see roses every time; we even have a smattering of them in time for the Rose Parade.”

It would surprise people to know that The Huntington does not have a large staff tending to the garden. Carruth discloses, “I have two gardeners who work three acres of roses so we depend heavily on our volunteers.  Right now I have 52 rose garden volunteers deadheading, weeding, watering, and anything they’re willing to do. Some people love to deadhead and prune so I see them in winter and I may not see them during the summer. We’ll take whatever level of interest they have. They get prime time – they come in early in the morning before visitors arrive – when it’s beautiful and calm, and not hot.”

You’ll know that Carruth, and his staff and volunteers, take painstaking care of The Huntington’s roses when you see the glorious flowers in bloom. The next time you visit, go for a stroll on the grounds to take in the breathtaking beauty and heady fragrance laid out before you. When you do, you undoubtedly wouldn’t be able to help stopping to smell the roses.               

Online Schooling Helps Teen Pursue her Dream to Play Golf

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 18 May 2017 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

Isabelle Olivas-Lowell is a 13-year-old middle-schooler who plays a mean game of golf and is an outstanding volleyball server. Lest you think she’s all sports, Isabelle is also an avid  photographer and an imaginative poet. And, by the way, her favorite subject is math and she’s gotten all A’s in her science course. She’s a smart, friendly and outgoing Brainiac – she’s all these contradictions – defying all manner of stereotype.

So how does someone like Isabelle balance the rigors of schoolwork and active engagement in the myriad of activities she enjoys without getting exhausted and stressed-out? For the Lowells, the answer is online home-schooling.

Mark Lowell, Isabelle’s dad and learning coach says, “Isabelle is deep into the volleyball season now. In fact, we’re traveling to Minneapolis next month for the finals. She’s also been getting ready for the summer set of tournament golf. She’s older now to advance to the AJGA (American Junior Golf Association), the larger realm of the golf world, where kids start to get recognized when they play larger tournaments. The problem is they’re played all over the country.”

“This is why online schooling makes so much sense for Isabelle,” Lowell explains. “It gives us the ability to be connected to the school anywhere we go as long as there’s an Internet connection.”

Playing golf is a constant in Isabelle’s life and becoming a professional golfer a singular dream.    She has been on the golf course since she was five years old; she won her first tournament when she was seven. Her family moved from West Covina to Monrovia when she was in 5th grade and she attended Mayflower Elementary School. That was when athletic events clashed with class attendance. 

Relates Lowell, “I would take Isabelle to golf tournaments so I always sent a note to school letting them know she’d miss a day or two and we’d need to get whatever schoolwork had to be completed. But I would receive letters in the mail; the last one that really got me upset was when they notified me that she had missed nine school days from August through May. But so what? She hadn’t been lagging academically; she had perfect grades.”

“From the golf tournaments Isabelle had been competing in, we met a couple of girls who were being home-schooled,” Lowell continues. “We thought that was an option down the road as she got busier with sports activities. Then one day I came home and she said, ‘I have two phone numbers of on-line schools for you’. One was in Newport Beach, but it was a school for students who got behind due to an illness, and so forth. It offers tutoring for kids to make up for missed classes so they could be mainstreamed to regular school instead of being held back a grade. The other was iQ Academy Los Angeles (iQLA) in Simi Valley, which was the right fit for a GATE (Gifted And Talented Education) student like her.”

Essentially Isabelle herself found the school and her dad was happy to make the phone call. The same week Lowell called iQLA they were able to finish all the required paperwork. The following week, all the books were delivered, and the computer was set up; she was enrolled. He took her out of Mayflower immediately after the first semester of fifth grade and started at iQLA.  She’s now a seventh grader and quite happy where she’s at.

“I can download the curriculum and am able to see what I have to accomplish the entire semester so I can plan ahead,” Isabelle states. “I can schedule practices and figure out which tournaments I can attend. For instance, this morning I am reading about Nixon and the Watergate scandal and there will be a test on it later. This Friday I have to turn in my Science PowerPoint presentation on the California condor. In between those and daily classes I have to attend online, I can practice my golf swings at Santa Anita golf course.”

Just like regular school, Isabelle has seven graded classes – science, math, history, language arts, music, art, and P.E. – all in which she has earned A’s. She is also on the 13 Elite Team at the San Gabriel Elite Volleyball Club and is heading to Minneapolis in a month for the championship.  Sometime before the end of the school year she will be taking the CAASPP (California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress) in Glendora. 

One of the pitfalls of online schooling is the lack of social interaction among one’s peers. But this isn’t the case with Isabelle. She says, “I don’t feel like I’m missing out on some events because we have field trips just like regular school.  In fact, we were just at the Aquarium of the Pacific with some other students from all over the L.A. area. I had the greatest time! That inspired my dad to get me an aquarium and now I have some fish in an aquarium in my bedroom.”

“If anything, I miss assisting my teachers,” Isabelle reveals. “When I was in kindergarten, while my classmates played outside I helped staple class packets. In 2nd grade I was the teacher’s aide – I got to answer the phone when my teacher was busy. The dances I don’t miss; I’ve never been a girly-girl.”          

The youngest of four siblings, Isabelle grew up in a family where almost everyone enjoys a sport. She says, “My maternal and paternal grandparents, my dad, and my uncles, are enthusiastic golfers. My older brother who’s built like a footballer played baseball, but he wasn’t that great – he had one hit in his entire career. But he’s very smart – he invented an alarm system and he can fix anything. If you tell him there’s something wrong with your computer he’ll be able to figure out how to make it work again. My eldest sister didn’t do sports, instead she was a color guard in band; she went to Le Cordon Bleu and is now a chef. My other sister played water polo in high school but she’s now into dance and attends Cal State Channel Islands.”

The Old Course at St Andrews, Scotland (UK)

For all her kin’s affinity for athletics, Isabelle is the only one in her family who has shown a lively interest in professional sports. She continues, “All my brother and sisters went to private Catholic schools and pursued a college degree. I know that nowadays you have to go to college or you wouldn’t be able to find a job. But if I keep playing golf and become professional I might take the opportunity while it’s there, then go to college later.”

Lowell says, “Everyone’s different as my family proves. That’s why I’m an advocate of virtual schooling in spite of the stigma attached to it because it isn’t mainstream. But my daughter isn’t mainstream. Everyone’s unique and the problem is now we’re told we’re all the same – which isn’t true. She has two half-sisters and a half-brother, but not one of them is like the other.  Online schooling is what works for us; you only have to look at the enviable feats Isabelle is able to accomplish, especially in golf, to appreciate that.”

Isabelle envisions herself in Scotland one day, on the iconic Old Course in St Andrews where the celebrated sport was first played. There she is at Road Hole, number 17, reputedly the toughest par 5 for women championship golf – her ball sailing over Road Hole Bunker.It bounces on the front of the green and takes a serpentine route, ending on its last roll into the center of the cup.  Perfection itself.

‘Memory 5D+’ Captures Essence of Chinese Culture in Spectacular Fashion

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 11 May 2017 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

Vivian (Ulan) Xuerong, a film and television producer based in Beijing with a local office in Los Angeles, grew up in Ordos in Inner Mongolia. She was raised in a culturally rich and diverse environment. This vibrant childhood had given her a wealth of ideas which she nurtured throughout her life.                

Three years ago, Xuerong decided to transform these imaginations from dream to reality in a spectacular show called ‘Memory 5D+’. She is sharing this once in a lifetime event for the first time outside of China on Friday, May 26, and Saturday, May 27, at 8 pm on both days at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.  

Billed as an immersive musical odyssey to a distant past, ‘Memory 5D+’ is an innovative show of epic proportions, featuring 17 of China’s most revered musical performers – national treasures in their native country – playing rare traditional instruments largely unknown in the western world. 

The $4 million production puts together a cast of 43 musicians, singers and dancers who will perform against a backdrop of real, virtual and projected images and action that evokes China’s unique cultural heritage.  

Collaborating with Xuerong on this massive event are two of Hollywood’s respected visionaries. Creative designer Tom E. Marzullo – who has created, designed and directed international tours for Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Prince, KISS, Luther Van Dross, among others – will create new imagery to provide the setting for the artists performing classical works of Chinese music.

Marzullo and his team are designing a multi-dimensional immersive journey for ‘Memory 5D+’ using state-of-the art concert production techniques, including high definition digital video and lighting, 7.1 surround sound, lasers, and aromatic sensory technology.        

The scenario for ‘Memory 5D+’ was written by filmmaker John Hughes, who is known for visual effects he generated in feature films such as ‘Frozen’, ‘Kung Fu Panda 2’, ‘Shrek Forever After’, ‘Spider-Man 3’, ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’, among others.   

“In ‘Memory 5D+’, the elusive nature of Chinese spirit becomes tangible and poignant,” declares Hughes. “Philosophies, characterized in the music, are those most Westerners know from Taoist thought including concepts of Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, Chinese Medicine, Astronomy, and Tai Chi. These have long guided millions of people and through performance, music can bring about a communication of the soul in a joyful and harmonious way.”

Image of Pasadena Civic Auditorium taken from Pasadena Civic Auditorium website

Against the background of the creation of the universe, ‘Memory 5D+’ frames a story of how the forces of darkness and light became one. Yin (darkness) and Yang (light) have travelled through time and space, flying across mountains and rivers to arrive at an ancient and mysterious Orient. They abound in the forest, and later encounter a variety of magical birds. Symbolic bamboo leaves and birds’ feathers dance in the wind and fall to the ground. Everything strikes the world as new and beautiful, and they are innocent of what is ahead of them.

Hughes dramatized a dance scenario backed by celebrated traditional Chinese music. The story captures the vital essence of Taoist thought: Tao is a oneness that contains two component forces known as Yin and Yang which have starkly contrasting qualities. Taoism describes the perfect symmetry of light and dark as so powerful it causes everything we know to come into existence and that they eventually intertwine seamlessly to establish a balance.

This equilibrium is depicted in ‘Memory 5D+’ through music and dance. Hughes describes, “A drama of contrasting responses leads to an imbalance, and the conflict carries the power for the universe to become unstable. Eventually the differences are resolved, and they once more fuse with each other in harmony. They again reach a state of interdependence and counterbalance. At the end, everything is peaceful and glorious.”

“Most importantly, ‘Memory 5D+’ reflects the significance of love, faith, and spirit, as well as people’s yearning for – and tireless pursuit of – love and all things of beauty,” expounds Hughes. “For when all matters cease to exist in the universe, the only things that are truly immortal are spirit and love. I hope that, one day, mankind will really understand that love is the universe’s biggest mystery and that finding energies in others that most perfectly complement oneself are the foundation for amicable coexistence.”   

‘Memory 5D+’ features many of China’s most important musical instruments with defining influence on its culture. These include: the cowboy flute, gijak, guqin (Chinese zither), guzheng (zither), konghou (Chinese harp), morin khuur (horsehead fiddle), pipa (Chinese flute), shamanic drum (tuva drum), topshur, and yekele.    

Chinese theatrical productions are replete with a rich tradition of stage techniques. ‘Memory 5D+’ employs Chinese acrobatics, one of the oldest traditional performing arts that emerged during the Warring States Period; dolan muqam, a comprehensive classical performance art developed by the Uygur ethnic group that features free and unrestrained style, coupled with simple yet powerful dance rhythms; khoomei (throat singing), a magical singing art created by the Mongolian people; urtin duu (Mongolian long tune), which represents the highest achievement of Mongolian singing art and reputed as the ‘living fossil of prairie music’; shadow play, which integrates shadow, art, paper cutting, sculpture, dance, music, talking, and singing; Suzhou Pingtan (storytelling and ballad singing in Suzhou dialect); and Tibetan folk songs. 

‘Memory 5D+’ showcases the diversity of Chinese culture which many Westerners aren’t aware of.  As Hughes says, “America is strong because it’s made of up of different groups and cultures, thus is called a ‘melting pot’. China, with its 56 ethnic groups, is just that – a ‘melting pot’. The show will acquaint its audience with some of these groups that have their own distinctive art forms and characteristics.”   

Xuerong adds, “This 90-minute production will introduce ten instruments which are almost obsolete that not many people know how to play them. They are also not known in the western world. Through the musical interpretations in ‘Memory 5D+’, I want to show that China is so advanced – these instruments existed over a thousand years ago, long before other nations’  history began.”

“The show itself is based on an ancient philosophy that the Chinese have been imbued with since birth and which they handed down through the ages,” Xuerong continues. “Through ‘Memory 5D+’ I would also like to pass along China’s ancient beliefs and culture to the next generation, many of whom are not familiar with it.”

After finding the artists, performers, and various technical personnel to help her realize her ambitious undertaking, Xuerong traveled with them to Ordos where they rehearsed the show. She discloses, “Audiences from several towns away previewed ‘Memory 5D+’. It was an unprecedented immersive experience for them – together with the performers, the audience travelled through space and time in their search for the key to a happy life. The show gained a brilliant reputation and met with much success.”       

Of all the cities in the U.S. in which to inaugurate ‘Memory 5D+’, Xuerong chose Pasadena. “Culture and heritage are deeply important to me, and I think Pasadena has much of both,” she reasons. “It is the perfect venue from which to debut its worldwide tour. The Pasadena Civic Auditorium has hosted many awards shows, musical performances, and theatrical events. It has so many happy memories; it will bring good luck to us.”

From its American premiere, ‘Memory 5D+’ will travel to several Chinese cities, with a performance in Guangdong scheduled in June, according to Xuerong. She also says discussions with promoters from French and Italian professional institutions are underway.

Following its international tour ‘Memory 5D+’ will go back to Ordos. Reveals Xuerong, “After the rehearsal and preview, the local government decided to invite ‘Memory 5D+’ to be a resident show. And although it has won much praise, we are still making improvements to the program. We are chasing perfection and even greater breakthroughs in stage technology; we are endeavoring to give our audience the very best in technological magic.”

Xuerong has come far from her humble youth in Ordos. She has successfully established the China Film HuaTeng Movie & TV Culture Co., Ltd. in Beijing and L.A., and has produced several shows. But her most spectacular creation yet – ‘Memory 5D+’ – which originated from her early childhood musings may be the one to bring her the greatest acclaim.

Ordos, which Xuerong asserts is the final resting place of the immortal Genghis Khan, is a land rich in cashmere as well as rare natural resources. It is referred to as the ‘Ocean of folk songs and hometown of dance’ to honor the natural artistic talent of the Mongolian people who inhabit it. It will be here that ‘Memory 5D+’ will ultimately reside – a fitting tribute to Xuerong’s beloved homeland and Chinese heritage.                               

Little Free Library Takes Us Back to a Kinder, Gentler America

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 4 May 2017 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

Whoever pronounces no one reads books anymore – the kind that’s not on an electronic device – has probably not heard of or seen a little free library (LFL). It looks a bit like a birdhouse, except it isn’t sitting in a tree but propped up on a stand in front of people’s yards and contains books for people to borrow and take home to read.  It has of late become a worldwide phenomenon and has been known to start conversations among neighbors who might never have had occasion to chat until now.    

The LFL was an idea concocted by Todd Bol in 2009 in Hudson, Wisconsin, who built a wooden container to resemble a one-room schoolhouse. He then mounted this on a post which he installed on his lawn then filled with books as a tribute to his mother – a book lover and school teacher.

Relates Bol, “We had a garage sale one day, and people who saw our little free library hugged it, kissed it, took selfies, and talked to it like it was little puppy. There was this little sparkle of energy and kinship that brought people together. So I started to make them and I gave way 30; then the media began covering us.”        

In 2012, LFL became a non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire a love of reading, build community, and spark creativity by fostering neighborhood book exchanges around the world.    

Today Bol’s simple brainchild can be found in all 50 U.S. states where there are more than 50,000 registered LFL book exchanges and in over 70 countries around the globe. People in even the remotest and farthest-flung nations, including Ghana, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Vietnam now have access to free books.          

California was a little late in joining the movement, according to Bol, but has been the fastest growing in the past two years. In the Los Angeles area, it was a brief article in the newspaper about the LFL that ignited the fire that’s now ablaze and spreading in earnest.     

Karen Hovanitz is the steward of the Florecita Farm Little Free Library in Altadena, charter number 3727.  She says, “It was built by my then 94-year-old dad from a 1920s-era window from the Habitat for Humanity Restore and scraps of pine from his garage. The handle is made from vintage wooden thread spools.  It sits by the street in front of our home which was originally the store for Florecita Farm. It was installed in 2012, the very first LFL in Altadena.”

“This neighborhood encompasses 144 households in a self-contained region that was developed from a dairy, chicken, and citrus farm in the 1950s,” Hovanitz describes. “When we moved to Florecita Farm in 1987, it was a fairly geriatric area. It has since dramatically changed and today there are many young families with children living here. Books for young children, from less than a year old to seven, are taken most quickly and are seldom returned. There are several middle readers so I try to have a supply of YA novels for them; recent fiction is popular among adults. Adult and YA books always come back. The LFL is largely self-sustaining through donations. Occasionally I purchase children’s books from the Salvation Army to replenish stock.”

Continues Hovanitz, “Residents love the LFL; they enjoy donating books. Even if they don’t use it, they like knowing it’s there. It’s part of what makes our community special. I met Todd Bol recently and learned that one of his highest priorities, in addition to getting books into the hands of readers, is fostering community. Having a LFL promotes pride and ownership of community.”

“Because our neighborhood is somewhat isolated, I think almost all LFL patrons are from Florecita Farm.  Hikers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders do pass through and may use the library. Although a homeless gentleman frequents our neighborhood; I have seen him on the chair by the library to read and I’m glad he feels comfortable. I love surreptitiously watching from my kitchen window as elementary-age kids ride up on bikes and skateboards to use the LFL,” concludes Hovanitz.   

                           

In Pasadena, there are 31 charter LFLs scattered throughout the city’s 23.13 square miles. Sue Feldmeth, who lives on Oakdale Street, had noticed some of the little libraries but didn’t know about the organization. She says, “I had seen them and heard about them. I thought there were just individuals who came up with designs and built their own library or book nook. I wanted to do something like that and when I went online I found out there was an official organization that did exactly that. It also offered for purchase kits to make the little houses or little libraries already made. Although it wasn’t cheap, I bought one; I figured it was one less project to give to my husband.”

Feldmeth explains, “About a year ago I did some spring cleaning and cleared out my children’s books to make room on the shelf.  I had a few boxes of these perfectly good books that someone else could read so I thought it was time to get my little free library going. I felt it would be a good way to get rid of my books and share them with others who would enjoy them.”

 “What’s funny, though, is that we’ve been getting book donations. Now I have thrice as many  as when I started out. I had been trying to get rid of them but ended up having to make room for more books in my home … so that backfired a little bit,” chuckles Feldmeth.

“I know people would return the books they borrow but now I’m really glad when they don’t,” Feldmeth adds. “I realize some feel uncomfortable not leaving a book in return; I put up a sign saying they can take a book and leave one, or pass the book along to someone, or keep it if they love it.”

“When we first moved here in 1999, when my now college freshman son was a year old, we were one of a few families with young kids,” discloses Feldmeth. “Now there are several school-age children in our area, so I decided to have a small box on the ground filled with children’s books to make it easier for small kids who can’t reach into the little library.”

“There’s a lot of foot traffic on our street – little kids on their way to school, neighbors walking their dog – so our library gets used a lot. Our LFL has space for two rows of books and when I see it down to one row, that’s when I put in a new group. I attach circle stickers to categorize them – adults, teens, YA, and children’s books. That’s also how I keep track of what’s going out and what’s coming in,” Feldmeth says.

“Our little library sits in the shade outside our house and I’ve been putting out a basket of lemons from my tree to share with people who come by. We have so many that we can’t possibly eat or use them all,” discloses Feldmeth. “It’s like killing two birds with one stone, really – encouraging book reading and building neighborliness.”  

       

Another Pasadenan, Robin Trickett, reports she learned about the LFL by happenstance, “I stumbled across it one day while I was driving around town. Then I kept seeing one or two of these tiny houses with books when I would take my kids to school. So I thought, ‘Okay, I need to stop and find out what this is all about!’ Once I started to read up on it I had to join the book movement – both my husband and I are big readers and I wanted to encourage our kids to be the same. What a wonderful way to give back and encourage reading in the community!”

“About six months ago we put up our LFL. I find there is a lot of interest in the free library on our lane, not just from the 20 families that live here but also from delivery people and folks working at the houses on our street,” adds Trickett. “We are the stewards of our library and we select new books to put in weekly.  Right now there are more children’s books than anything else but I mix it up with novels, cookbooks and bestsellers as well. My goal is to share my love of reading and I cover a variety of choices to appeal to everyone.”

Sean Moriarty, on Rose Villa, first saw the LFL in Chico, in Northern California. He says, “My sister-in-law has one. It piqued my interest so I did a little research online and learned more about it. What a fantastic idea! Then for Christmas last year she and her partner gave me a little library as a present.”

“Our LFL has been up for a few months and we’ve seen a pretty lively response. In fact my kids just informed me our supply is low so I would have to fill it back up again,” Moriarty states. “I’m not terribly scientific about what I stock it with. I have young kids so I make sure there are children’s books in the little library. And I read pretty widely – fiction, biography, history, you name it; we have books of general interest.”

Sums up Moriarty, “I see some books coming back and a few new titles showing up. It’s still early but over time we hope we see more books that we’d need a bigger library! I hope that people who respond to it appreciate it, are excited about it, and care. If we had a million of these across America we’d be a better country.”                           

A similar sentiment was expressed to Bol one day at a recent conference he attended. He recounts, “The former governor of Wisconsin came up to me and said, ‘Todd, what’s going on in America right now – this divisiveness and polarization – that’s not us. The Little Free Library is more representative of who we are and what we are. We reach across the aisle and across the street. We pick each other up and make one another’s life better – we don’t care who they are or where they’re from.’” 

For all of Bol’s good intentions, however, there are naysayers out there. He is very much aware of them and offers this analogy, “I believe a community is like a beehive: if everything’s done right it will produce honey. But oftentimes it’s beaten with a stick and yelled at. I don’t subscribe to all the negativity out there. I’m proud of LFL and how we’re making it a better world. I sound old-fashioned and corny but reality is before us every single day – we see it.”    

The scope of the LFL’s outreach has widened since 2012. Through its Impact Fund, Bol intends to put LFL in communities where it would make the greatest difference – trailer parks, apartment buildings, high-need neighborhoods.        

Bol launched an initiative to put a little library in every police department across the country – over 14,000 of them, according to him. There are currently four dozen LFL in police departments in Detroit, Cleveland, Raleigh, Chattanooga, and New Orleans, among other cities. He says the L.A. Police Department has a LFL in every precinct.       

“We also recently unveiled the Action Book Club which identifies authors and publishers who demonstrate community engagement,” adds Bol. “We ask people to sign up with us, read one of the books, go out and fix things in their neighborhood, then report back to us. One of my favorite stories is about this group of fourth-graders in Lafayette, Louisiana, who collected 100 pair of new socks and gave them to the homeless. We’re gathering tales of people doing good around the world, one neighborhood at a time.”

“There’s a saying ‘it takes a village to raise a child,’” Bol expounds. “That’s a statement of observation. The statement really should be ‘how can I be a part of the village?’ What we want is for the LFL to be the spark for people to make things better through literacy, books, conversation, dialogue, and action.”                                                      

Lofty objectives and noble aspirations aside, at core the little free library simply takes us back to a time when we would walk up to our neighbor’s house to share a plate of freshly made cookies, or to borrow a cup of sugar to bake some. For most of us that outcome alone makes it a better world already.     

Monrovia High School Students Perform on A Noise Within’s Stage

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 27 April 2017 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

This past Tuesday night, April 25th, 23 drama students from Monrovia High School (MHS) put on a production of Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’ at A Noise Within (ANW) in Pasadena. The partnership was a first for both the high school and the classical theatre company.

Nathanael Overby, MHS drama teacher who came on board in 2012 and was responsible for expanding the school’s drama department, advanced the partnership with ANW. He states, “A Noise Within clearly takes a unique approach to theatre – they have a quality and creativity unequaled by other professional groups. That was something I wanted my students to emulate.”

“We have been performing on our stage, which is quite impressive, but being on a professional stage would be an exciting experience for my students,” continues Overby. “ I wrote a proposal to partner with ANW and discussed it with Patrick Garcia, the director of performing arts for the Monrovia Unified School District, who reached out to ANW. When ANW’s artistic directors agreed to it, I began working with Alicia Green, the director of Education and Community Outreach at ANW.”

Concurs Green, “The director, Patrick, and I came together to discuss the proposed partnership and we decided to do ‘Lear’ as it worked best for the school and us. From the outset Nate and I worked to ensure students had a great experience and understood what it takes to do a show in a professional space.”

Overby adds, “This partnership is so much more than the students being able to perform ‘King Lear.’  We were able to join ANW’s cast for their table read of ‘Lear’ and we watched ANW actors perform it on stage. This gave my students the opportunity to join a professional cast on their journey on a production – to experience what it’s like to put on a professional show by observing ANW’s cast at several different points in their process. Furthermore, I want to develop a connection with ANW to inspire my students to pursue work with them after they graduate.”                     

“All students attended first rehearsal, some attended opening night, and all students came to a student matinee in mid-March,” Green said the week before their performance. “We wanted to immerse them fully in every step of the way – what it takes to make a full production a reality!  Nate worked with the students at Monrovia on the show and I am looking forward to having them come for the first time on Monday, the 24th, to rehearse on our stage, and then perform it the following night.”

Monrovia High School | Photo by Alicia Valdez / Monrovia High School website

While the show was put on at ANW, it was truly a student production as Green relates, “Other than providing one tech person to help set up the lights/sound they need, their technical director and students will be running all of the technical elements and stage managing the show. We are here to support them, but this is their show and we encourage them to make the space their own!”

“We are constantly looking for ways to engage students in the world of classical theatre,” Green says about ANW’s outreach. “Equitable access is of key importance, and we continue to grow and develop our education program through attendance at student matinees and evening/weekend performances, in-school residencies and workshops, full-school partnership programs, pre-show engagement activities, post-show conversations with the artists and our free study guides. Ideally, every student would have the opportunity to participate in some way with our programing to enhance their education!”

A Noise Within has its ‘Summer with Shakespeare’ camp and Saturday conservatory classes where students perform on its stage and in the building. This past Tuesday’s performance of ‘King Lear’ by Monrovia High School students, however, was a first for this kind of project.

According to Overby, MHS had two drama classes back in 2012 when he came to teach at the school. He says, “Now we have a full-time department offering five different periods of drama, including a Stagecraft class and an Honors drama course. We also started out with one performance a year; we are currently producing three a year which includes at least one musical and one play. This year we produced ‘Dracula’ in October, ‘Urinetown the Musical’ in March, and now ‘Lear’.”

‘King Lear’ was the capstone to a great year for the school’s drama students. And what better venue to fully realize the essence of one of Shakespeare’s most celebrated works than in Pasadena’s premier classical theatre company. 

Indeed it was a dream come true for these Monrovia High School students. How propos that their performance took place towards the end of A Noise Within’s own season they called ‘Beyond our Wildest Dreams’.