Connect with People
Join the DLNews Community connect with Friends of the Desert.
Invite
118 members found.
admin
Do Not Forget Tonight is the Parade of Lights & Holiday Festival in Desert Hot Springs!
December 9, 2023
Pat Krause
I just read that soul singer Mary Wilson passed away. Great talent and will be greatly missed.
February 10, 2021
Pamela Price
ROCK SOLID HOMAGE TO WORLD HISTORY
By Pamela Price
The Museum of History in Granite, located in Felicity, CA, is the last place
you would expect to find one of the world’s most inclusive outdoor museums
literally created from and carefully carved in granite. The mission of the museum’s founder, Jacques-André Istel: "To Engrave in Granite Highlights of the Collective Memory of Humanity." During the last ten years I have attempted to describe this unusual Museum in a dozen travel columns in several languages and yet, there are nonbelievers who are certain I am writing a science fiction story. Should you be unable to locate “Felicity” on a map,
look for Yuma, Arizona which separates California from Arizona and bingo!
The two locations are approximately 12 miles apart by via I-8. I should mention you are also in the ‘dental zone’, as Algodones, the popular Mexican dental mecca for curing troubling dental issues from tooth A Raches to porcelain veneers is about 12 minutes (5.5 miles) from the Museum of History in Granite. As you enter this fascinating outdoor museum, you may be astonished to see a 25 ft. section of the original Eiffel Tower stairwell, which gives you a hint of the world-wide scope of the monuments contained in the museum. The museum’s founder confirmed it is Section 12 of the original staircase from the Eiffel Tower in Paris which he discovered during his travels and had delivered to the museum. However the star attraction of the museum are 900 granite panels, some more than 100 feet long, engraved and chronicling the story of world history.
“Historical events and personalities come to life in granite at this outdoor museum” said Sue Townsley, former Chair of the Cathedral City Public Arts Commission The wide open spaces becomes an encyclopedia of world history from diverse topics from Iconic Presidents- Truman and Eisenhower to Early Changes Brought by Inventive Americans.
The next exhibit opens on March 4, and is called “New Oceans of the World.” It will feature a 100 foot long granite monument with 30 panels depicting a variety of ocean scenes –from tidal basins to the deep, and even naval history. Visitors are Invited to meander through the outdoor exhibits as history takes on a new perspective , without a book in sight.
Visitors will take a visual journey in stone, exploring all manner of subjects, including the history of American entertainment, from vaudeville and opera to the cinema and Disney’s animated cartoons. There’s even an unexpected tribute to American beverages and food revealing one granite monument’s etching of a double decker hamburger !
Historically inspired events take place throughout the year at the Museum of History in Granite, tied in with exhibits such as The History of California, The Hall of Fame of Parachuting, The History of the French Foreign Legion and The Marine Corps Korean War Memorial. This season the museum is scheduled to close on March 30.
More information at www.historyingranite.org
Images: Courtesy of The Museum of History in Granite. Word count: 400
February 26, 2022
Lisa Lyons
Broadway Bound BOB FOSSE'S DANCIN' Dazzles at San Diego's Old Globe
Hold on to your hats. There are stars just waiting to explode into supernovas when BOB FOSSE'S DANCIN' opens in New York during the 2022-2023, as director and musical stager Wayne Cilento (who won the Tony Award for his star turn in the original production of DANCIN') brings his revived and re-imagined production back to New York.
Bob Fosse was the ultimate "Dancin' Man" who left a brilliant legacy of stage musicals and films featuring edgy, slithering, sexy choreography. Some of his signature moves are now part of the common lexicon; does anyone not know what "jazz hands" are?
Always controversial, wildly entertaining and envelope-pusher par excellence, Fosse is a Broadway legend with a devoted following of hard core theatre aficionados, comparable to the brilliant Stephen Sondheim.
Even if you have never seen a Fosse show (and you probably have if you ever saw "Pajama Game," "Damn Yankees," "Sweet Charity," or "Chicago"), you will have your mind blown by the amazing talented cast of young dancers, singers, and actors gracing the stage at San Diego's renowned Old Globe Theatre.
A witty Prologue at the top of the show (deftly delivered by Manuel Herrera) explains that this show has no plot, no boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl stories. It's just pure dancing as an expression of all the conditions of life through movement. And the cast delivers it in all its thrilling highs and lows.
The opening number set to Neil Diamond's "Crunchy Granola Suite" explodes with sound, color and movement that brought vociferous cheers from the audience.
Seamless set moves and split-second costume changes help the production flow smoothly, allowing Cilento's narrative to uplift and cool down the viewer.
There are so many fantastic performers in this show and hats off to the production for including dancers of every shape, size and appearance who strut their stuff with joy.
From the panther-like dances of 6'5" tall Jovan Dansberry to the lissome ballet moves of Ida Saki, the taut sexuality of Kolton Krouse to the luscious curves of Karli Dinardo, the petite spitfire that is Yani Marin and the soul-shaking singing of Khori Michelle Petinaud, every member of this cast is superb.
The true heros of this production must include the dressers who have nano-seconds to assist dancers change costumes in about 60 seconds for over a dozen scenes. Costumer Designers Harriet Jung and Reid Bartelme have assembled pieces that shimmer, shake, cling, float and enhance each performer.
Some of the original numbers in the 1978 production seemed dated and not as relevant to today's audiences, so Cilento (with the blessing of Nicole Fosse and input from frequent Fosse collaborator Kirsten Childs) decided to present what he thought Fosse would be doing if he were around today, keeping all his edgy wit and sense of humor. It appears he has admirably succeeded.
There are many people behind the scenes bringing a level of excellence to this production who need to be mentioned. The amazing orchestra, under the direction of conductor and keyboardist Darryl Archibald, hits every note to perfection. The driving drumming of Gary Seligson pushes the glorious "Sing Sing Sing" to new heights and the jazz licks of musicians Greg Armstrong, Robert Elinson, Steve Dillard, Andrew Elstob, Devin Burnworth, Erica Erenyi, Nikko Nobleza, Vince Cooper, Mark Vanderpoel and Tim McMahon are the solid foundation on which this show rests.
Robert Brill's lean and mean scaffold set rolls in a series of smooth moves, switching levels and creating new spaces within David Grill's superb lighting design. Peter Hylenski's sound design and Finn Ross's video design complete the vision of the creator.
This week the Globe announced that, due to an unprecedented surge in sales, the show has been extended to June 5. This is great news if you haven't already ordered tickets; so take your fine selves down to the Globe's Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage and experience what will no doubt be the (jazz)hands down hit of Broadway's 2022-23 season.
-- Lisa Lyons
May 7, 2022
Share this page with your family and friends.