Fine Arts

March 16, 2015

Joffrey Ballet Continues to Amaze in Santa Barbara

By Sammy Gerraty

After an agonizing separation of three years, the Joffrey Ballet returned to Santa Barbara on Tuesday, March 10 to perform three pieces of recent repertoire. Founded 1956 by Robert Joffrey in New York, the company commen...

March 7, 2015

Shirley Jo Finney and UCSB students bring In the Red and Brown Water to Life

By Sammy Gerraty

“In the Red and Brown Water,” directed by Shirley Jo Finney, opened this past weekend in the Hatlen Theater. The play is chronologically the first of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s ”Brother/Sister Plays,” though it fo...

March 5, 2015

“Top Model’s” Miss J Sashays into RCSGD’s Fashion Show

By Bin Nguyen

A unison choir of “yassssssss” burst from the audience in Corwin Pavilion last Thursday, Feb. 26, when a tall, dark and powerful figure appeared on the runway. The famous legs strutted down the catwalk wearing a blac...

March 5, 2015

The Taboo Reimagined: Eric Beltz and The Cave of Treasures

By Jason Chun

It was hard to miss the poison oak plant sitting in the middle of The Cave of Treasures, but some of the other elements associated with danger in the installation were subtler. The Cave of Treasures, a work of UCSB alumn...

March 5, 2015

BSU Presents Black Hxstory Month Block Party

By Janel Mendoza

March 3, 2015

The Vaginas are Coming: Vagina Monologues and HerStories to Hit Campus

By Sammy Gerraty

From an impressive number of synonyms to a Bermuda Triangle analogy, UCSB’s “The Vagina Monologues and Herstories 2015” covers the vagina in no uncertain terms. Whether you’ve wondered what The Talk was like for ...

February 20, 2015

Wilde’s Play Boasts Superb Characters

By Sammy Gerraty

“When I am in trouble, eating is the only thing that consoles me,” senior BFA Theater student Adrian Carter said during Friday’s opening night performance of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. Perhaps...

February 18, 2015

Nrityagram Dance Company Brings Odissi Tradition to Campus

By Sammy Gerraty

The devastation in Surupa Sen’s face as she danced Khandita was so genuine that Lord Krishna became a palpable onstage presence. Beautifully garbed in white and gold, Sen danced as Rädhä, the lover and direct counter...

February 13, 2015

Must-Watch Spoken Word for Every Relationship Status: Valentine’s Day Edition

By Janel Mendoza

When novelists think love, they draft words of wondrous passion onto their notebooks filled with fantasy. When slam poets talk love, sh*t gets real. These artists utter words of desperation or perhaps the complete opposi...

February 8, 2015

Cirque Ziva Performs Mind-Bending Stunts at Campbell

By Kelsey Tang

One might feel a sense of shame blended with awe when witnessing the Golden Dragon Acrobats contort, bend and balance so seamlessly. The Chinese acrobatic company performed their critically-acclaimed Cirque Ziva show in ...

January 22, 2015

Dances of India Festival Hits Campus: Four Day Event Showcases Classical Dance Styles

By Sammy Gerraty

In the midst of telling a classical Indian folktale, dancers Shivani Thakkar, Leah Vincent and Joanna Marie Collins called for their favorite groove. Their prayers were answered by the almighty sound board operator, and ...

January 21, 2015

Mother and Daughter Duo Share Dance of India

By Sophie Ho

Dressed in a gown embellished with hundreds of golden bells attached to the ankles, the barefoot dancer extended her hands to the audience as if flipping to the first page of a narrative and articulating “Once upon a t...

January 21, 2015

MCC Art Exhibit Hosts African Diaspora Images of Zéna Allen

By Janel Mendoza

Time and time again, the MultiCultural Center transforms itself into unique spaces for poetry, visual art, music and overall cultural education. At this very second, the ordinarily bare walls of the MCC Lounge are embell...

January 19, 2015

Cecco del Caravaggio’s Resurrection: A Tale of Renaissance Art and Enlightenment in the 21st Century

By Nadine Bedwan

One aspect of university life that is undeniably great, unique and often overlooked is the cultural opportunities afforded to students outside of the seemingly rigid school/party dichotomy. In addition to courses and ext...

January 8, 2015

‘Catalyst’ Hits Stride in Launch Party

By Chinelo Ufondu

Greeted by a refreshing, chilly night, hundreds of students and locals gathered in the parking lot of the Isla Vista Food Co-op last December during dead week. The normally asphalt wasteland was transformed into a lumine...

December 4, 2014

Trash to Treasures: Local Artist David Diamant’s Recycled Art

By Bin Nguyen

In downtown Santa Barbara, beautiful artworks and murals cover building walls and fences, surrounding the areas close to the beach. There you may catch local artist David Diamant showing off his latest works. But what se...