South Coast Plaza Lets the Sunshine In

Talented cast members from HAIR: the American Tribal Love-Rock Musical entertained an audience of more than 250 people with a rocking lunchtime performance at South Coast Plaza earlier today. The crowd enjoyed iconic songs from the Tony Award-winning musical including, “Aquarius,” “Where Do I Go” and “Hair.” To get shoppers into the flower power mood of the ‘60s, gerbera daisies, groovy headbands and temporary HAIR tattoos were given as favors. There was also a ticket giveaway to see HAIR this weekend – the lucky winners were Jack Morris from Huntington Beach and Amy Sydoruk from Cal State Fullerton. After the performance, cast members met fans and signed posters. HAIR plays Segerstrom Center through February 6.

The next lunchtime Broadway performance at South Coast Plaza is scheduled for February 24 at 1 p.m. with cast members from Rock of Ages.

Click above to watch the performance of “Aquarius.”

Click below to watch the performance of “Hair.”

Segerstrom Center Favorites Win Dance Awards

Winners of the UK Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards 2010 were announced earlier this week and a few of Segerstrom Center favorites were included – Bolshoi Ballet superstars Natalia Osipova won for Best Female Dancer, Ivan Vasiliev received the award for Best Male Dancer and the Bolshoi Ballet nabbed Best Foreign Dance Company. Natalia and Ivan appeared in Reflections, a joint project with the Bolshoi Ballet, which received its world premiere here in Segerstrom Hall last Thursday. Both dancers will return to the Center to star in Tour de Force II: A Gala Dance Extravaganza this coming May as well as a special commission dance event in the Fall of 2012. Audiences at Tour de Force I in 2009 were blown away by the pair's performance of a pas de deux from Flames of Paris.
The National Dance Awards were established by the Critics Circle in 2000 to highlight the astonishing range of dance on offer in the United Kingdom. A big congratulations to everyone!

Photo: Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev in Serenata (Reflections); by Steve Dawson

Tango Costa Mesa

To tantalize and inspire audiences attending performances of Tango Buenos Aires last week (January 14 - 16), Segerstrom Center offered free tango lessons on the arts plaza prior to the Friday and Saturday evening performances. Carolina and Felipe Telona of CNF Dance in Playa Del Rey gathered several hundred audience members and passersby on a special dance floor conducive to the sleek and stylized tango moves. And from there, it was Tango Costa Mesa until curtain.