Spring 2025 Events

(opens in new window) Masters of Dance

You are invited to attend and participate in our exciting free series of lectures and master classes. See the Dance Department website or call 310-434-3467 for more information. Seating is strictly on a first-arrival basis.

Stephanie Powell

Ballet
Stephanie Powell will lead a class on classical ballet technique that includes a professional class progression focusing on barre work, center, and across-the-floor exercises. The class is designed for dancers to connect with a live pianist through expressive artistry, technique, and confidence. Prof. Powell is a tenured faculty member at the Long Beach City College Dance Program and a certified instructor of the New York City Ballet Workout, BASI Pilates, and Zumba. She has taught dance around the world, is the principal interpreter of the choreographic works of the Donald McKayle Legacy, and has danced professionally with the Oakland Ballet Company, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Donald Byrd the Group, Contemporary West Dance Theatre, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She has also performed as a singer, dancer, and actress in the Los Angeles production of The Lion King.

Wednesday, March 26 | 10:15 a.m. | Free | Core Performance Center, CPC 304

Aparna Sindhoor

Expressive Physicality with Indian Dance
Dr. Aparna Sindhoor developed expressive physicality to help dancers/actors become better performers, as well as create works with an integrity that enhances the emotional quality. She will lead a workshop inspired by the classical Indian dance Bharatanatyam, the martial art known as Kalaripayattu, and yoga to prepare participants to use their body as a tool to communicate on stage. Dr. Sindhoor is the Artistic Director of Sindhoor & Natyaveda and a Mysore-style Bharatanatyam dancer who trained with Dr. K. Venkatalakshamma and Dr. Lalitha Srinivasan. She was nominated for choreography awards from LA Stage Alliance Ovation and Kerala State Film, received a National Performers Network (NPN) Creation Funds Award and a California Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship, and was named ShaktiDhama Woman of the Year. Dr. Sindhoor also co-created (with Anil Natyaveda) Dance For Everyone, a program that offers free training for the underprivileged in India, the United States, and online. 

Thursday, April 3 | 12:30 p.m. | Free | Core Performance Center, CPC 304

David Roussève

A Choreographer’s Approach to Dance for Camera
Choreographer/writer/director/filmmaker David Roussève will discuss his theater works, his experiences making dance films as a choreographer primarily for the live stage, and how he translates composition to the screen. An audience Q&A is included. Roussève — a Distinguished Professor of Choreography at UCLA in the World Arts and Cultures/Dance department — has also served as Associate Dean for the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture. His commissions include the Houston Ballet, Ballet Hispanico, Cleo Parker Robinson, Dancing Wheels, Atlanta Ballet, and Ilkhom Theater Co. of Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Roussève’s dance/theater company, Reality, has performed throughout the United Kingdom, Europe, South America, and the U.S. His films have received numerous “Best Film” awards, and he recently completed the feature screenplay “Stardust,” based on his dance/theater work of the same name.

Wednesday, April 23 | 12:45 p.m. | Free | Core Performance Center, CPC 304

Sponsored by the SMC Associates and SMC Dance Department.

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(opens in new window) Literary Talks & Readings

Ongoing and very popular free series of talks and readings by established and emerging writers. Call 310-434-4003 for details and more information.

Yosimar Reyes

“Venimos A Triunfar” (“We Came to Be Triumphant”)
Join us for an insightful presentation by Santa Clara County Poet Laureate Yosimar Reyes on how his poetry is inspired by his community. His goal, as the first undocumented poet to reach this position, is to help people find poetry in their everyday lives. Reyes was chosen to be a 2024 Creative Ambassador by the City of San Jose, The Advocate named him one of “13 LGBT Latinos Changing the World,” and Remezcla included him in “10 Up And Coming Latinx Poets You Need To Know.” Reyes has been awarded a NALAC Catalyst for Change Grant, a Gerbode Foundation Grant, and most recently, a Walter & Elise Haas Creative Work Fund Grant. His writing has appeared in numerous publications, including Mariposas: A Modern Anthology of Queer Latino Poetry; Somewhere We Are Human: Authentic Voices on Migration, Survival, and New Beginnings; and the forthcoming UndocuPoetics. Following the presentation, Reyes will lead “Documenting Joy: A Writing Workshop” from 1 p.m. to 2:20 p.m. in the nearby Student Equity Center (Lower Level, Cayton Center). Hosted by the SMC Associates, SMC Dream Resource Center, Dream Program, Student Equity Center, Ethnic Studies program/SMC History Department, Adelante/Latino Center, Black Collegians/UMOJA, and EOPS/CARE. Sponsored by The SMC Associates and Student Equity Center.

Thursday, April 3 | 11:15 a.m. | Free | Humanities & Social Science (HSS 165)

José Pablo Barragán Nieto

Finding nuestra voz!
Award-winning poet José Pablo Barragán will lead a hands-on poetry workshop that explores several poems by well-known Latine authors on the topics of mixed identity, migration, and belonging. Participants will have a chance to write and share their own poems written in English, Spanglish, and/or Spanish. Barragán teaches Spanish languages and cultures at Temple University and has co-organized numerous poetry festivals in the US and Spain. He is a skilled translator who has published numerous academic works, and the author of three collections of poetry. His most recent book, Tarea de español (2023), won the prestigious 34th José Hierro International Poetry Prize. His previous collections, Lugares comunes (2008) and La Nave (2012), were also well received by readers and reviewers alike. Sponsored by the SMC Associates and SMC Modern Languages and Cultures Department.

Tuesday, April 8 | 11:15 a.m. | Free | Online, Join José Pablo Barragán Nieto on Zoom (opens in new window)

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(opens in new window) Communication, Media & Design

An ongoing, informative series of free online talks and panel discussions exploring developments in communication, media, and design today. Call 310-434-4003 for more information.

Joe Robinson

Work Smarter, Live Better
Work-life balance and stress management leader Joe Robinson will discuss how to work smarter and break out of the stress and burnout cycle, covering issues ranging from the art and science of working more effectively to switching off stress, building resilience and optimism, and activating life skills. Robinson is author of Work to Live, which shows how to avoid reflex defaults to unhealthy work; Don’t Miss Your Life, on the science and skills of activating the most gratifying life; and Work Smarter, Live Better, his latest book on the tools of smarter work. He has appeared on news and lifestyle shows that include “The Today Show,” “NBC Nightly News,” and National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” and written for the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and CNN.com. Sponsored by the SMC Associates.

Tuesday, February 25 | 2 p.m. | Online, Join Joe Robinson on Zoom (opens in new window)

Rhys Newman

Curiosity Chroma Categorization: A personal project studying, celebrating, and prolonging Robert Ridgway’s impact on how we understand our world in full color
Designer, artist, and cyclist Rhys Newman will discuss his exploration of Color Standards and Nomenclature, published in 1912 by ornithologist, artist, and author Robert Ridgway, whose color standards laid the groundwork for modern ornithology and influenced art, design, and color science by making it possible to infer the modern digital color systems and specifications of Ridgway’s Color Standards. Newman’s project is an effort to share Ridgway’s work in a contemporary context, testing the RGB, CMYK, and LAB formulas for his color system. Newman is the Global Head of Design & User Experience at ABB E-Mobility, and the former Chair of the IDSA IDEA Awards. He has worked as a lecturer at Art Center, Pasadena; Goldsmiths University, London; Denmark Design School, Copenhagen; and the Royal College of Art, London. He has also led design teams in global blue-chip companies and for a unicorn start-up, co-founded his own entrepreneurial venture, and holds multiple patents. Sponsored by the SMC Associates, SMC Communication and Media Studies Department, and SMC Design Technology Department.

Monday, March 3 | 1 p.m. | Free | SMC Center for Media and Design, CMD 271, 1660 Stewart St., Santa Monica

Tatiana Detlofson

International Public Relations for Feature, Animated, and Short Films
A veteran of the entertainment industry known for her expertise in foreign cinema and international film and festival promotion, Tatiana Detlofson will present two new animated features — Sauvages, by Claude Barras (Switzerland) and Living Large, by Kristina Dufkova (Czech Republic) — and talk about how to represent these films, especially for Oscar season possibilities. Detlofson — a voting member of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the European Film Academy, and the Czech Film Academy — has conducted Oscar campaign workshops at festivals in the U.S. and Europe. An audience Q and A with the filmmakers follows the presentation. Sponsored by the SMC Associates, SMC Communication and Media Studies Department, and SMC Design Technology Department.

Monday, April 28 | 11:15 a.m. | Free | Online, Join Tatiana Detlofson on Zoom (opens in new window)

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