May Cultural Events; Southern California

Apr 30, 2009

May 1 Friday

In the Company Manner, art exhibit featuring works from Indian arts commissioned by British colonists from 1770-1890. Exhibits through Sept. 27. San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, San Diego. $10 general; $8 seniors/military; $7 students; $4 children 6-17; children under 6 free; members free. (619) 232-7931. www.sdmart.org.  (See story for details.)

25th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, features several South Asian films. Runs April 30-May 7. www.vconline.org/festival.  (See story for details.)

2009 Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month Music L.A. Program. The Shplang Ensemble of the Sangeet School of World Music will give a nine-week intensive music and dance workshops for local teens with a focus on the music of India. Students must have intermediate to advanced familiarity with an instrument of their choice. Workshops will be led by musician and composer Paul Livingstone. Presented by Disney and L.A. Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa. Thursday, May 1-Saturday, June 27. Free. Register: (818) 754-8660. zpaulz@gmail.com.

May 2 Saturday

Karnatik Concert with Sikkil Gurucharan (vocals), Nagai Sriram (violin), and Tiruvarur Vaidyanathan (mridangam). Presented by South Indian Music Academy. 5 p.m. Hoover Middle School Auditorium, 3501 Country Club Drive, Lakewood. $20 general; $15 seniors/students). (626) 333-6108, (310) 679-5878. www.simala.us.

Enchanting India: Odissi Dance andMusical Performance. Nandita Behera and Odissi Dance Circle will give a dance recital. Musical medley by Manjusha Joshi (vocal), Vijay Bhatt (harmonium), Sandeep Katre (tabla). Presented by Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of USA. 5-6:30 p.m. dinner; 7 p.m. show. Heritage Forum, 201 E. Broadway Ave., Anaheim. $25 general; $15 children 6-10 (tickets include dinner). www.ekalla.org.

Neema’s 22nd Annual Raas Garba, Folk Dance, and Film Dance Compeition. Presented by Tisha Entertainment Inc., in association with Vitha Jewelers and Fashion, Kola Hotel Group Inc., and State Bank of India, Artesia. 6 p.m. Jordan High School Auditorium, 6200 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach. $20. (562) 860-1135, (562) 402-3854.

May 3 Sunday

Indian American Pioneers and Patriots, seminar and luncheon celebrating Indian American heritage. Indian immigrants came to the U.S. in the early 20th century and worked menial jobs and lived in appalling conditions. They got the right to citizenship in 1946 and were finally free to visit India again. 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Woodlands Banquet Hall, 11845-11847 Artesia Blvd., Artesia. $15; first 50 registrants free. (818) 708-3885. indersingh@sbcglobal.net.

An Evening of Classical Indian Music, with Purbaya Chatterjee, a young gifted sitar player from India. At 15, Chatterjee won the President of India Award for "Best Instrumentalist." He will be accompanied by Anubrata Chatterjee (tabla). Organized by Skirball. 7 p.m. 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 440-4500. www.skirball.org.

Indian Classical and Raga Jazz Concert with Paul Livingstone and Arohi Ensemble. Organized by the Sangeet School of World Music. 7:30 p.m. Jack and Denny Smith Community Center, Mount Washington Elementary School, 3981 San Rafael Ave., Los Angeles. Free. (818) 754-8660. zpaulz@gmail.com.

May 9 Saturday

Karnatik Concert with Parasala Ponnamma (vocals), Embar Kannan (violin), and Poongulam Subramaniam (mridangam). Presented by South Indian Music Academy. 4 p.m. Hoover Middle School Auditorium, 3501 Country Club Drive, Lakewood. $20 general; $15 seniors/students). (626) 333-6108, (310) 679-5878. www.simala.us.

Heartbeat Ensemble with S. Karthick (vocals, ghatam, konnakol), Embar Kannan (silent violin), Satyanarayana (keyboard), Poongulam Subramaniam (mridangam), and B.S. Arunkumar (rhythm pad). Presented by South Indian Music Academy. 6 p.m. Hoover Middle School Auditorium, 3501 Country Club Drive, Lakewood. $20 general; $15 seniors/students). (626) 333-6108, (310) 679-5878. www.simala.us.

Bharatanatyam Recital by Mythili Prakash. Classically trained dancer Prakash is a master of the traditional bharatanatyam dance form. She has been studying since the age of four, performed her first solo at eight, and has since performed for audiences around the world, including the President of India. Dedicated to preserving tradition and performing with modern-day relevance, Prakash dances a traditional style but makes it an art form of the present. 8 p.m. Grand Annex, 434 W. Sixth St., San Pedro. (310) 833-4813. $20 advance; $25.00 at door. Ticket and event info: (323) 547-3482. www.grandvision.org.  www.panioloproductions.com.

The Pundits of Comedy, stand-up comedy show starring South Asian comics: Paul Varghese, Tarun Shetty, Mark Saldana, and Rasika Mathur as “Nilam Auntie," and also Mike Tsirklin. Saturday, May 9, 8:30-10:30 p.m. Tanzore Restaurant and Lounge, 50 N. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills. Show: $20 advance, $25 at door; Show, dinner, and after party: $65-$80. Tickets: www.desiclub.com. (310) 652-3894. info@tanzore.com. www.tanzore.com. (See story for details.)

May 10 Sunday

Classical Vocal Concert features a blend of morning and afternoon ragas from Vandana Ghate and Seema Hanamsagar, accompanied by Hemant Ekbote (tabla) and Gopal Marathe (harmonium) join the singers. Presented by the Music Circle. 11 a.m. Occidental College, Herrick Chapel (end of Alumni Drive), Los Angeles. $30 general, $20 members, $5 students. Tickets sold only at the door a half-hour before concert. (629) 449-6987. www.musiccircle.org. 

May 15 Friday

Carrie’s Web, written and performed by Shyamala Moorty, directed by D’Lo with video by Sangita Shresthova. Carrie, a body-conscious, high heel-loving spider is spinning out new moves when she inadvertently snares a young human woman who’s dealing with a terrible family secret. A fantastical web of entanglement is woven with classical and contemporary Indian dance and theater. Carrie’s Web has been commissioned by TeAda Productions and is premiering in the 7th annual TEADAWORKS Festival: Healing Aloud. May 15-16, 8 p.m.; May 17, 3 p.m. Healing Aloud II, 5616 San Vicente Blvd., Los Angeles. $20. Tickets: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/55959. www.teada.org/CurrentSeason.html. (310) 998-8765. marie@teada.org.

Young Professional Bash, be seen and be in the scene as you make a difference and change the lives of children. This benefit for the Read India campaign will consist of wine, tapas, music, and dancing. Presented by Pratham Los Angeles. 8 p.m. Tanzore Restaurant and Lounge, 50 N. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills. $50 general 8-10 p.m.; $30 after 10 p.m. Tickets: http://LA.PrathamUSA@org. Event: (714) 925-3237; LA@pratham.org;  www.prathamusa.org.  Venue: (310) 652-3894. info@tanzore.com.  www.tanzore.com.

May 16 Saturday

Margazhi Raagam, film showing. Margazhi Raagam is the first movie featuring Karnatik music, starring vocalists Bombay Jayashri and T.M. Krishna. May 16, 1 p.m. Norwalk8 Theaters, 13917 Pioneer Blvd., Norwalk. $12. Tickets: www.movietickets.com.  (See story for details.)

Hindustani Classical Vocal Concert by Arati Ankalikar Tikekar, accompanied by Harshad Kanetkar (tabla) and Milind Kulkarni (harmonium). Presented by Rupak School of World Music. 2:30 p.m. Vedanta Society of Southern California, 1946 Vedanta Place, Hollywood. $20. (310) 483-3795. Tickets: www.rupakschoolofmusic.org.

May 21 Thursday

World Dance Celebration Concerts, a colorful celebration of movement and ritual featuring a multicultural cast of over 30 performers in bharatanatyam from southern India, Debke from Lebanon, Egyptian, Persian, Latin, and flamenco dance, plus African drumming accompanied by entertaining narrative. Directed by Ramaa Bharadvaj and Angelika Nemeth. Thursday, May 21, 7 p.m.; Friday, May 22, 11 a.m. Robert B. Moore Theatre, Orange Coast College, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa. Free. (714) 692-1695, (949) 786-3111.

May 23 Saturday

Bharatanatyam Dance Recital by Vidya Subramaniam, prefaced by Annual Student Recital 2009. Organized by Shakti Dance Company. Student recital: 4 p.m. $15. Subramaniam’s recital: 6:30 p.m. $20; $15 students. James Armstrong Theatre, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance. (310) 280-1108. danceyatra@yahoo.com.  www.shaktidancecompany.com.

Classical Hindustani Music Concert with Pandit Vikash Maharaj (sarod), accompanied by Prabhash Maharaj (tabla). 6 p.m. Ektaa Center, 2691 Richter Ave., Suite 105, Irvine. $12 general advance, $8 seniors advance; $15 general, $10 seniors at door; children under 12 free. Tickets: (949) 300-8912; info@ektaacenter.org.

June 7 Sunday

North Indian Raga Concert featuring flute virtuoso Ronu Majumdar, one of India’s most eminent musical artists. Nominated for a Grammy in 1996, Majumdar is considered one of the great fusion artists. Majumdar will be ccompanied by Abhiman Kaushal (tabla). Presented by the Music Circle. 11 a.m. Herrick Chapel (end of Alumni Dr. past Campus Road), Occidental College, Los Angeles. $30 general, $20 members, $5 students. Tickets sold only at door a half-hour before concert. (626) 449-6987. www.MusicCircle.org.

June 15 Monday

The Mosque in Morgantown, part of PBS’s "America at a Crossroads" series, will premiere. The film presents an evenhanded chronicle of life in a West Virginia Muslim community as it struggles to define itself in a post-9/11 world. The documentary features book author Asra Nomani, now co-director of the Pearl Project investigation at Georgetown University and a former Wall Street Journal reporter, as she pushes for change at her hometown mosque, fighting back against its exclusion of women. As the film unfolds, it tells a story of competing paths to social change, American identity, and the nature of religion itself. Monday, June 15. Check local listings for times. PBS. www.pbs.org.