SMC Associates

Spring 2024 Events

 

Spring 2024 Lecture Series

Free Admission to All Events

You are invited to join us for intriguing events and engaging discussions.


Masters of Dance PostcardMasters 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.

Rob Tsai

Movement Fundamentals for the Human Behind the Dancer
Rob Tsai of Dance|Prehab will lead a class on building human capacity and qualities to support movement artistry. The session will introduce movement vocabulary and movement qualities that are inherent to the strength and conditioning of dance, but that might not be actively incorporated into training. Participants will be able to apply what they learn in dynamic warm-ups to prepare for performance-specific needs. Tsai, who danced professionally for 8 years prior to pursuing his career in physical therapy, is the founder of Dance|Prehab, supporting the dance community with physical therapy, strength and conditioning, and injury risk reduction education, and recognized as the 2023 Dance Education Organization of the Year by International Association of Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS).

Tuesday, February 27 | 12:30 p.m. | Free | CPC 304

Volta Collective

Colliding Bodies
Volta Collective will lead a class that explores highly physical and acrobatic partnering in a safe and grounded way. Telling stories through connection to another body uses rebound, theatricality, and gesture. Session will introduce Volta’s phrasework and repertory, with a focus on how to manage and balance personal and partner weights in unusual contexts. Directed by Mamie Green and Megan Paradowski, Volta Collective fuses physicality, theatricality, and multidisciplinary approaches to performance. The ensemble — passionate about presenting dance in accessible, nontraditional spaces and often collaborating with artists across mediums — has presented work in dance festivals and other events in the US and abroad.

Thursday, March 14 | 12:30 p.m. | Free | CPC 304

Ray Basa

House Dance
Ray Basa, a native of Los Angeles who teaches House and Hip Hop at the Athletic Garage, will lead open level House dance drills/across the floor exercises, followed by a dance combo. Movement will be cardio heavy and feel like dancing at a party. Basa trained in Hip Hop and Jazz at Debbie Reynolds, Millennium Dance Complex, and the Edge Performing Arts Center, and in House dance with the Versastyle Dance Company and on the East Coast. He dances with several Los Angeles dance companies — including Versastyle, Expressive Doubt, and The Freedom Junkies Project — and has performed in Monsters of Hip Hop w/Funkanometry LA, Asia Entertainment, a Coca Cola commercial, and a John Tesh Music Gospel Dance PBS Special.

Thursday, May 2 | 10:15 a.m. | Free | CPC 310

Sponsored by the SMC Associates and SMC Dance Department.


Literary Talks & Readings PostcardLiterary 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.

Jason Mott

Exploring Identity, Love, and Being Black in America in Fiction Writing
New York Times bestselling author Jason Mott will talk about his recent novel Hell of a Book. Deeply honest, at times electrically funny, the fictional story of an author on a cross-country publicity tour goes to the heart of racism, police violence, and the hidden costs exacted upon Black Americans and America as a whole. The novel won the Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction and the 2021 National Book Award for Fiction, and was a Carnegie Medals for Excellence Longlist nominee. Mott is the author of two poetry collections and four novels. His first novel, The Returned, was adapted for television and aired on ABC under the title “Resurrection.” Sponsored by the SMC Library and Library Speakers Consortium in collaboration with the SMC Associates. Part of the SMC Library’s Pearls & Insights series.

Tuesday, February 20 | 1 p.m. | Free | Register for the Jason Mott lecture (required)

Kim Scott

Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity
Kim Scott —New York Times bestselling author of Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity — will explain the Radical Candor feedback framework. She will offer practical, tactical tips for how to solicit criticism, give praise and criticism, gauge how what you’re saying is received, and build a culture of Radical Candor. Scott is co-founder of a company that helps leaders put her ideas into practice, and has been a CEO coach at Dropbox, Qualtrics, Twitter, and other tech companies; on the faculty at Apple University; a leader of AdSense, YouTube, and DoubleClick teams at Google; and an analyst at the Soviet Companies Fund. Sponsored by the SMC Library and Library Speakers Consortium in collaboration with the SMC Associates. Part of the SMC Library’s Pearls & Insights series.

Wednesday, February 28 | 11 a.m. | Free | Register for the Kim Scott lecture (required)

Lucas Rivera

My AfroRican State of Soul
Join us for a book talk and interactive performance by Lucas Rivera, a multidisciplinary artist traveling the country doing spoken word and interactive discussions of his autobiographical My AfroRican State of Soul, a blend of narrative nonfiction and poetry that chronicles his journey. Presenting the perspective of an Afro-Latino, Rivera discusses his life, how art — from turntables to dance, spoken word, painting, and stained glass — was a means of survival, and the important influences of the intersections of the Taino, Spanish, and African cultures that make up the history of Puerto Rico. Sponsored by the SMC Associates, SMC English Department, SMC Black Collegians, and SMC Adelante Club. Part of the SMC Literary Series.

Wednesday, February 28 | 11 a.m. | Free | Malibu 202 (23555 Civic Center Way, Malibu)


Communication, Media & Design PostcardCommunication, 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.

Nehemiah Cisneros Artist Talk

From SMC to Kansas City Art Institute to UCLA
Join us for an artist talk with Nehemiah Cisneros, whose large-scale paintings are currently on display in a solo exhibition in SMC’s Pete & Susan Barrett Gallery. Cisneros will talk about his artistic process, how his experiences growing up in Inglewood affect his work, and how he has been inspired by the aesthetics of California’s lowbrow and street visual culture — as well as historical iconography that reaches into the past — to explore themes about the human condition and behavior. He will also discuss his educational journey and the important role SMC played in his life. A workshop in Art 126 follows the talk. Sponsored by the SMC Associates, SMC Art Department, SMC Communication & Media Studies Department, and SMC Design Technology Department.

Tuesday, March 26 | 11:15 a.m. | Free | Art 214

Tatiana Detlofson

How to Have Film Representation
A veteran of the entertainment industry known for her expertise in foreign cinema and international film and festival promotion, Tatiana Detlofson will talk about what it takes to get representation for a film in the international arena. Her company, MEDIAPLAN PR, specializes in representing films in competitions at leading international film festivals, and conducting theatrical distribution campaigns for foreign and independent films in Los Angeles. Detlofson — a voting member of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the European Film Academy, and the Czech Film Academy — has also conducted Oscar campaign workshops at festivals in the U.S. and Europe. Sponsored by the SMC Associates, SMC Communication & Media Studies Department, and SMC Design Technology Department.

Monday, April 1 | 11 a.m. | Free | Online (Zoom Link for Tatiana Detlofson)


Special Events PostcardSpecial Events

Joe Robinson

“The Wellness Toolkit”
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 20 | 2 p.m. | Free | Online (Zoom Link for Joe Robinson)

Not Without Alonzo

Documentary Screening and Q&A with Director Alonzo ‘Grandmaster Lonzo’ Williams, Marq ‘Cli-N-Tel’ Hawkins, and Kim Renard ‘Arabian Prince’ Nazel
Not Without Alonzo presents an insider’s look at the history and development of West Coast Hip Hop. The documentary was directed by Alonzo ‘Grandmaster Lonzo’ Williams — an original member of the legendary World Class Wreckin’ Cru — and features Marq ‘Cli-N-Tel’ Hawkins, also a Wreckin’ Cru original, and early West Coast electro pioneer and N.W.A/ founding member Kim Renard ‘Arabian Prince’ Nazel. An audience Q&A with Williams, Hawkins, and Nazel follows the screening.

Wednesday, March 27 | 11 a.m. | Free | Malibu 202 (23555 Civic Center Way, Malibu)

Dee Hankins

“Life. Curveball. Homeruns. Helping Students Focus on Their Resilience.”
Inspirational speaker Dee Hankins is on a mission to share one powerful message: Resilience is Everything! Resilience is the ability to bounce back, and what enables students to come out of challenging experiences with a positive attitude about themselves and their futures. After spending 18 years in foster care and watching his daughter battle brain cancer, Hankins knows that life is full of unexpected events, and will share how personal resilience can turn those experiences into an incredible life lesson. Sponsored by the SMC Associates, SMC Guardian Scholars, and SMC NextUp Program.

Tuesday, May 7 | 11:15 a.m. | Free | SMC Student Services Center, Orientation Hall (SSC 183)


 

Please check the SMC Masking Guidelines to view the current policy.


If you need an accommodation due to a disability email dsps@smc.edu or call 310-434-4265 at least 5 business days prior to the event.

All programs are subject to change or cancellation without notice.

Santa Monica College Associates