The Rosin Box Project: 'Debuts'
Dance, Music
The concert features four new works of contemporary ballet — two by guest choreographers Katarzyna Skarpetowska and Myles Thatcher and two by The Rosin Box Project's resident choreographers Katie Spagnolletti and Jeremy Zapanta. I've seen bits and pieces of some of these works; they're powerful, expressive and beautiful. Here's a clip on Instagram of Zapanta's work, including a sample of an original score by San Diego-based composer and musician Zane Alexander.
This is the finale for their current season, and there are four chances to see it — plus a virtual option.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 1-4, 2022. Virtual stream at 7 p.m. Sept. 3. Mingei International Museum, La Atalaya Foundation Theater, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. $40-$45 for live performances, $25 for virtual.
May-ling Martinez: 'Luminous Emergence'
Visual art
This weekend feels like the calm before the (visual arts) storm that's about to take over the region in September (San Diego Art Prize! Alexis Smith at MCASD! Design Week! And more!). But there's still plenty of art to check out right now — including new work by Puerto Rico-born and San Diego-based artist May-ling Martinez currently on view at Quint ONE, their Bread and Salt location in Logan Heights.
"Luminous Emergence" is a single multimedia work installed in the tiny gallery. It's a projector screen hung in the space, dotted with a cluster of illustrations that are somewhere between petroglyphs and borrowed medical textbooks or survival manual/how-to book illustrations — complicated knots alongside crystal-like objects, and vague suggestions of fantastical organs and sinewy muscles, tendons and veins. It's easy to get a bit lost in the details of this misleadingly unassuming piece.
Details: On view through Sept. 11, 2022. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. Free.
'Ragtime' at Moonlight Amphitheatre
Theater
The beloved, award-winning musical "Ragtime" — based on the 1975 E.L Doctorow novel — follows three individuals living very different lives in early 20th-century America. Coalhouse Walker Jr. is a Black musician in Harlem, "Mother" is an upper-class housewife in Westchester, and Tateh is a Jewish immigrant. The soundtrack is, of course, full of ragtime and jazz-tinged songs, as well as klezmer and contemporary styles too.
Moonlight's outdoor production closes this weekend, so it's your last chance. It's directed by John Vaughan and stars Bets Malone as Mother, Charl Brown as Coalhouse, and Geno Carr as Tateh, alongside a big cast and an orchestra. Note that "Ragtime" includes strong language, including racial slurs.
Details: On stage through Sept. 3, 2022. Remaining performances are 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 1-3, 2022. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. The Moonlight, 1250 Vale Terrace Dr., Vista. $8-$61.
'Fandango for Butterflies (and Coyotes)' at La Jolla Playhouse
Theater
This is a production from New York-based theater company En Garde Arts presented at La Jolla Playhouse.
The new play, written by playwright Andrea Thome with music composed by Sinuhé Padilla, is set in a community "fandango." The term means a specific dance, but it's also a joyous gathering and celebration with storytelling, music and dance that's common to Latin American immigrant communities. In the play, this particular fandango is just before Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids take over the city.
Details: On stage through Sept. 25, 2022. This weekend's performances are 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 1-4, and 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022. La Jolla Playhouse, 2910 La Jolla Village Dr., UC San Diego. $25-$60.
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
Music, Jazz, Outdoor concerts
This world-renowned group of 15 jazz instrumentalists is the resident jazz ensemble at the Lincoln Center in New York and is directed by jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. At a JLCO show, expect a broad range of jazz works, from classics to new works from orchestra members. This performance at The Shell does not include the San Diego Symphony, but it does include a special pre-show set from the Young Lions Jazz Conservatory, so get there by 6:15 p.m. to catch some great, upcoming talent from San Diego.
Details: 7:30 p.m. (pre-show: 6:15 p.m.) on Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022. The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, 222 Marina Park Way, downtown. $50-$110.
Visionary Dance Theatre: 'Cradle'
Dance
Throughout the summer, Mojalet Dance Collective ("Mojalet" is a portmanteau of modern, jazz and ballet dance styles) has invited dance companies from around the county to present works, as well as share some of their own.
Wrapping up this summer series is Visionary Dance Theatre, presenting three performances of choreographer Tanya Lewis' work "Cradle." The piece blends Western dance styles with traditional Middle Eastern dance — reflecting Lewis' origins and upbringing.
Details: 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3; 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022. Vine Arts Village Theater, 12540 Oaks North Dr., Rancho Bernardo. $16-$21.
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