National Choreographers Initiative Weighs Risk vs. Reward and Chooses to Host its Usual In-Person Event

We almost saw the end of National Choreographers Initiative (NCI), a crown jewel of the Orange County dance scene, and internationally respected as a program that supports the continued evolution and innovation of ballet.

After a year of hiatus due to the pandemic, founder and artistic director Molly Lynch didn’t know if the organization, which is completely donor-supported, would survive another year of absence from the stage. But when planning for the event began, COVID cases were on the rise and vaccines were not widely available to all age groups. A 2021 event would be risky.


Santa Ana Murals Slated For a Comeback

Santa Ana's murals along Civic Center Dr., which are on the brink of collapse, are finally seeing real progress that may save them after all.

Mural art is all over Southern California, with deep roots in the Chicano movement that took hold in the 1960s. Santa Ana holds a unique position in mural art in that the city is host to one of the largest collections in the region.


While the state of California is re-opened, the Delta variant of COVID-19 has caused a recent rise in infections and hospitalizations everywhere. Los Angeles has re-imposed a mask mandate for indoor businesses; Orange County has not yet followed suit but guidelines continue to evolve. Arts Orange County is proud to celebrate the return of gathering to enjoy the arts, but we strongly advise reviewing the individual rules for arts venues you plan to visit. We will continue to recommend a variety of both in-person and virtual ways to bring the arts into your life. 

LOCAL SPOTLIGHT

Edges

Chance Theater presents the Orange County premeire production of this intimate four-character song cycle created by the Broadway powerhouse duo of Pasek & Paul  DETAILS »

RE-OPENING

Watercolors by Gayle Garner Roski

Over the years, the celebrated watercolor artist has created a stunning body of work paying tribute to the city of Los Angeles for all the inspiration it's given her, and an exhibition of many of these works opens this weekend at the Bowers  DETAILS »

VIRTUAL VISIT

Online: The Nutcracker

If you want a taste of the holidays in July, Pacific Symphony is here for you with this special streaming performance combining the music you love with dance from five different OC ballet companies  DETAILS »

FOR THE FAMILY

Pop Up Performance

The Round About Players will be at Los Rios Park to perform a fast, free, entertaining melodrama about the history of San Juan Capistrano  DETAILS »

EXTRA

National Choreographers Initiative (NCI) 2021

The Irvine Barclay Theatre plays host to this thrilling annual event which debuts cutting-edge new routines choreographed by a select group of innovative dance creators  DETAILS »

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Voice of OC is Orange County's nonprofit newsroom with a mission to consistently deliver fair, focused and thorough journalism on critical quality of life and local issues for Orange County communities.

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Arts Orange County builds appreciation of, participation in and support for the arts and arts education throughout Orange County. Event information provided by SparkOC, an Arts OC program. 

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