Tag: performing arts

Crazy circus comes to UC San Diego!

The circus has come to UC San Diego!

La Jolla Playhouse’s annual WOW (Without Walls) Festival is taking place this weekend at several venues on the UCSD campus. FLIP Fabrique, a circus group based in Quebec, Canada, has drawn crowds to the Warren Mall, which is the central gathering place for the 2025 WOW Festival.

FLIP Fabrique’s performance is titled Summer Break–and it’s no usual circus act. It’s more like playful, energetic theatre with amazing acrobatics and breathtaking circus stunts! It’s crazy fun!

From the windows of the vacation bus excited summer campers wave. They’ve arrived and adventures await!

There’s laughter, a camp counselor, a water fight, kayaking, roasting marshmallows, falling down from a high place while inside a sleeping bag (and thankfully bouncing), and an epic pillow fight!

Don’t believe me? I’ve got the photos!

This super fun, highly original performance returns tomorrow, Sunday, at 2:30 pm. To see the entire WOW Festival schedule, click here.

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Cool memories of past WOW Festivals!

Have you ever experienced the WOW (Without Walls) Festivals, put on every year by the La Jolla Playhouse? If not, you’ve missed out on some super creative art installations and theatrical performances.

The WOW Festivals over the years have been held at different venues in San Diego, including Horton Plaza Park, Liberty Station, and the Rady Shell. This time, like last year, everything is taking place inside the UC San Diego campus. Many of the unique (and sometimes rather weird) performances are free, and it all begins tomorrow!

WOW 2025 will run Thursday April 24 through Sunday April 27. Find everything you need to know, including the event schedule, by clicking this La Jolla Playhouse link.

Curious what sort of stuff goes on at these festivals? You’re in luck! I’ve taken loads of photographs over the years!

Click the following links to past blog posts:

2017:

La Jolla Playhouse enlivens Horton Plaza Park!

2019:

Scenes from Without Walls Festival 2019!

2022:

Myth, wonder and WOW in San Diego!

Giant ants interact with curious kids!

2023:

Huge birds and fun at Without Walls Festival!

2024:

Gravity-defying dancers at UC San Diego!

Sheep attacked by wolf in La Jolla!

Brave people confront danger in La Jolla!

Love’s dance at La Jolla Playhouse’s WOW!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

San Diego Ballet performs in Balboa Park!

A brilliant performance by San Diego Ballet was enjoyed this afternoon at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park. Two selections from The Nutcracker–Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Waltz of the Flowers–were the highlight of the two o’clock Sunday organ concert! The outstanding guest organist was Mark Herman.

The company dancers of the San Diego Ballet soared powerfully above the outdoor stage with ease and grace. I don’t know how they defied gravity, dancing on air, moving lightly through space as if by magic.

For a moment, to my mind, they became flowers swaying in a light summer breeze.

I hope these images convey that grace. That feeling of exuberant joy.

The holiday season is a few days away! San Diego Ballet will be presenting The Nutcracker on December 21st at 1 pm and 5 pm, at the Magnolia in El Cajon. Learn more at their website here.

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Thank you for sharing!

Youth Artist Showcase comes to Balboa Park!

This afternoon, a special Youth Artist Showcase was enjoyed by the public in San Diego. The Ecologik Institute, in partnership with Forever Balboa Park, assembled talented young women in Balboa Park near the Bea Evenson Fountain to celebrate their achievements.

The mission of the Ecologik Institute is to empower young women to be champions for nature, innovators in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, warriors for environmental stewardship, leaders in their communities, and changemakers who create a positive impact on the world around them.

The Youth Artist Showcase was part of a larger effort to brainstorm new ideas of how to bring art into Balboa Park in the future.

I was lucky to arrive at the Bea Evenson Fountain when I did. I observed a bustle of activity and learned this special event was soon to get underway.

Enjoy these photographs!

First up, Cindy was showing a project that included images of birds that can be observed in Balboa Park. She also keeps a sketch book.

Next, I enjoyed viewing some great artwork by young artists! Here are two samples…

Then came a wonderful performance of selected dances from The Nutcracker, by members of the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet!

As usual, they’ll be performing The Nutcracker at the Casa del Prado Theater in Balboa Park this holiday season!

Finally, I listened to an excellent performance by four members of the Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Old Globe performs Shakespeare around San Diego!

San Diego’s world-famous Old Globe performed Shakespeare’s play As You Like It today at downtown’s Central Library! It was just one stop during the 2024 Globe for All Tour, which brings fine theatrical performances to various economically, geographically, and culturally diverse communities throughout San Diego County, and even south of the border in Tijuana, Mexico.

I went to the free show, not knowing what it might be like, and WOW–what absolute fun!

The crazy, mixed-up play about rivalry, misunderstandings and triumphant love was full of physical comedy and outrageous action! The story included occasional audience participation (including holding up butterflies that we made), surprising and funny pop culture references, and even some spoken lines in Spanish. We in the audience were laughing much of the time. I loved the hilarious WWE-style wrestling match between the brothers Oliver and Orlando!

The experience was even more awesome because the professional acting, taking place in the library’s Shiley Special Events Suite, could be experienced up close and personal–just a few feet from the chairs where we sat. When the actors went “offstage” to corners of the room we could watch them, even as they changed costume.

After the conclusion of As You Like It, the audience was invited to make comments and ask questions of the cast.

Actress Emma Svitil (smiling in my first and final photo) played Phoebe. She explained that Shakespeare is loved to this day because his works tap into universal truths about humanity. He addresses love, friendship, the struggle for power, etc. His plays can be easily adapted to the times we live in. The Bard’s ingenious wordplay is amusing, too!

Everyone should take advantage of the free Globe for All Tour. Young people (and certain adults like myself) might not comprehend every word of Shakespeare’s centuries-old language, but the super expressive acting speaks for itself!

To see if there are upcoming performances of As You Like It in your community, click here.

Photography is prohibited during the performance, so I took these beforehand. The pics are of some actors and props. (As you can see, the Central Library’s ninth floor special events suite has amazing views of downtown San Diego!)

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Old Globe celebrates Día de los Muertos!

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) was celebrated today by the Old Globe in San Diego’s Balboa Park. Lots of family-friendly activities and theatrical performances were enjoyed by the public in the Old Globe’s outdoor Copley Plaza!

I enjoyed the first performance of this magical event: actors portraying Mexican folk passed through the audience, came to a grave in front of a beautiful Día de los Muertos altar, and summoned the spirit of a deceased loved one. The spirit came and danced with them, before finally departing.

The event would go on to feature other performances, including a puppet play and Drummers Without Borders. My camera captured their smiles before I headed off, as you can see in the final two photos.

Learn more about the Old Globe’s very colorful Day of the Dead event on their web page here.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

The transformation of Building 178 at Liberty Station.

Building 178 at Liberty Station in Point Loma was once a popular destination for Navy recruits. As recreation center for the old Naval Training Center San Diego, it provided a variety of activities for sailors. The sizable building contained a bowling alley and a disco!

Today Building 178 is a bit torn up. I noticed this while wandering around Liberty Station, waiting for a San Diego Bird Alliance event to begin on Sunday.

As I circled the former Navy recreation center, which was built in 1942, I took photos of informative banners attached to the construction fence. They indicate Building 178 is to become the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center, new home of the Cygnet Theatre.

The Cygnet Theatre is presently located in Old Town. They’ll be moving to much larger digs as soon at this major renovation is completed!

Here’s a detailed article if you’d like to learn more.

Historic Preservation Fund…Save America’s Treasures Grants…Renovation of Naval Building 178 into a world-class performing arts venue…This project is being supported in part by a grant awarded by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

A bright new future for Building 178…The Joan & Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center…Future home of Cygnet Theatre…In partnership with NTC Foundation

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Accipiter Dance creates beauty at Liberty Station.

Accipiter Dance brought beauty to San Diego’s Liberty Station today. Their dance performance was a part of the San Diego Bird Alliance’s 75th anniversary celebration!

Accipiter Dance is a group led by Brianna Pilkinton. The performance I viewed today seemed a mixture of ballet and a more contemporary freestyle. The dancers moved almost as one, but each individual expressed unique freedom and energy. Their birdlike gracefulness defied often very strenuous movement.

As the group’s website explains, Accipiter Dance’s work communicates the complexity of nature and human connection. They’ve danced at previous San Diego Audubon Society (now called San Diego Bird Alliance) events. If you’d like to support the group’s mostly self-funded projects, check out their website here.

The dance this sunny afternoon was so wonderful I thought I’d share some photographs.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

An exciting Trolley Dance at the Gaslamp station!

The Trolley Dances are back in 2024! The San Diego Dance Theater has been putting on the iconic event for 26 years now, and the dances this weekend are more exciting than ever!

Today and tomorrow, mobile audiences will gather at the Old Town Transit Center and follow tour guides on the trolley’s Green Line to various stations, where dances are performed. Cool idea, right?

I hung out at the Gaslamp trolley station and took some photographs of the first dance. The stage was Gaslamp Square, beneath the big new MTS video board! The three “brick” columns supporting the video board were vital parts of this unusual outdoor stage.

If you’d like to learn more about the 2024 Trolley Dances, check out their website here! More dances tomorrow–Sunday!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

A free Day of Music at the San Diego Symphony!

The San Diego Symphony is making history today! Their redesigned, greatly renovated Copley Symphony Hall debuts this evening as the Jacobs Music Center! A big gala Opening Night Celebration will mark the exciting transformation!

If, like me, you are a more ordinary San Diego resident, tomorrow is our day! Beginning at 11 am, the San Diego Symphony will welcome the public to a free event inside the new Jacobs Music Center!

The Day of Music will welcome talented artists and arts organizations from across the vibrant San Diego-Tijuana region as we celebrate the opening of the Jacobs Music Center. If you’d like to see a list of the many artists and musicians that will participate, click here.

Performers include 1st Marine Division Band, Animal Cracker Conspiracy, Ballet Folklórico Jalisciense, Coronado School of the Arts’ Musical Theatre and Drama Conservatory, Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra – Giocoso Quartet, and many more!

Bring the family to this very special community day. There will also be food and other activities!

This is your chance to freely step into the new Jacobs Music Center and see the breathtaking transformation of a historic San Diego venue. I’ll be there tomorrow. I plan to take photographs! I’m excited!

(Seven years ago I enjoyed a behind-the-scenes architectural tour of old Copley Symphony Hall. If you’d like to see those photos, click here.)

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.