Page 38 - 1994

ia by the Seine signed
of this century, with a smattering ofJamil· iar classics judiciously blended in.
The result was a series of concerts well suited to the Libbey Bowl, the festival's outdoor setting just off Ojai's drag,
OJAI: Page D2 Col. 1 . Ethnic
he San Francisco Ethnic
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er to open
rpm its original incar· on as an acclaimed com-
ity-based program ded in 1931-offering e to American and Eu· ean artists, performanc-
nd classes in everything danceto English- American Center has
into a full· wnandglamorouseight·
ry arts center with a manding view of the ne. ..
Geh.ry's five-sided stone- -glass building anchors vast eastern Paris ighborhood called
ose wine and food olesalershavegivenway condos,acommercial mplex.andasmartnew
erside park. ·
The building, character- ticallyGehryinitsexu· rant sculptural facades,
Festival Is. Marking 1iime
BYDAVID GERE
Chronicle Stoff Critic
that, in human terms, signifies adventure discovery and chapge. ' ' But the esteemed festival, a project of City Celebration with a large chunk of city
funding to prop it up, seems to be getting stale - even as the performers it serves continue to grow and develop.
The idea of squeezing together dances from Peru, Tahiti, the Philippines, Bali, West Africa, Tunisia, India and Scotland on a single program may have run its course. In the 1970s when the festival was founded,suchaconceptwasradical.Now
it's merely predictable. Despitethepleasofcriticsandschol·
ars, the festival continues to make no real attempttoorganizeitsprogramsthemati· cally or to illuminate individual cultures beyond cursory program notes - which are printed so small you practically need·a
magnifying glass to read them.
Even the traditional festival finale
with 100-plus dancers surging onto stage,snakingtheir.waypasttheaudience
inusthecorrugatedmetal
dstucco,isabreathof mericanfreshnessthat ounterb!!lances the phara· nic new Ministry of Fi·
theequallygran- toseLibraryof
nderconstructionacross
andstairwellsispart'of
Anadventuroususeof theappealofGehry'sdesignforthe American Center .
ENTER:
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DANCE:
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Symphony's French Festival
atthe . OpenEgg
• 6
Patrick Costigqn and Jamie Jones in 'Let's Play.Two'
4 ooooooooooooonu'.OoU oouoooooooooooooooo•oooooooooooooooooooo
T H E A T E R
'Two' to a Tee
Delightful new comedy
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Twists
Ravel, Saint-Saens m
· BOOKS
'TheRussianGirl'
Kingsley Amis' 20th novel
.
Festi- valturnssweet16thisyear,abirthday
··'