Leslie Dinaberg

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan performs ‘13 Tongues' at the Granada, November 2, 2024 | Photo: David Bazemore The performance of 13 Tongues took us on a journey of about 6,710 miles to the fascinating streets of Bangka/Wanhua, the oldest district of Taipei, for Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan's kick off of the 2024-25 UC Santa Barbara Arts & Lectures' (A&L) dance series. Taking place at The Granada Theatre on November 2, it was a visually striking evening with background projections of brilliant colors, shapes, and images, and foreground stories of a land far away, as the dancers gathered, connected, separated, and came together again to portray the chaotic energy of Taiwan's street life. Based on his mother's stories of a 1960s street artist and storyteller known as Thirteen Tongues, who would conjure up a variety of characters from all walks of life in Bangka, Cloud Gate Artistic Director Cheng Tsung-lung grew up fascinated by these stories, which ultimately inspired him to transform his childhood memories of the tales into dance. With imagery that conjures his boyhood, when, as a child in the 1980s, he would contribute to the family business by helping his father sell slippers on the streets of Bangka/Wanhua, Tsung-lung shared, through dance, a vibrant world of the street and its people, both rich and poor, secular and sacred, partaking in both work and play, and legal and somewhat sketchy illicit activities. He explained as much to UC Santa Barbara Professor of Theater and Dance Ninotchka Bennahum in a translated Talk Back interview after the performance. Accompanied by music ranging from traditional folk songs to Taoist chants and modern EDM, the internationally renowned dance company displayed a broad range of skills and styles and emotions for the immersive 65 minute program. Cloud Gate dancers receive training in meditation, Qigong, martial arts (there were definitely some moments reminiscent of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ), modern dance, ballet, and calligraphy (it did feel like the dancers were being guided across the stage in ink at some points in the program). An interesting exploration of the universal language of dance, 13 Tongues was an exciting and challenging way to begin the A&L dance series season's journey. Next up is the Nutcracker Suite from Dorrance Dance, on December 5, at the Arlington Theatre. Dancers from Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan perform ‘13 Tongues' at the Granada, November 2, 2024 | Photo: David Bazemore

Ah, the noble reindeer! We may not have an official town animal, but Santa Barbara's holiday harbinger since 1997 has been artist Brad Nack's annual herd of one-of-a-kind, intricately detailed and layered series of portraits of reindeer heading to our homes on an annual basis. These layers upon layers of oil, glaze, and varnish are a little too delicate to deliver down the chimney. The only way to get your pick of the herd to head to Nack's 100% Reindeer Art Show at Roy on Thursday, November 21. This latest collection of reindeer paintings promises a mix of sassy, silly, shy, skeptical, and joyful expressions. If one speaks to you (or reminds you of a special someone), each reindeer is beautifully framed and priced between $200 and $500. “I never thought I would paint so many reindeer!” says Nack, who has painted more than 2,000 unique versions of the species over almost the past three decades. As he wrote in the 2021 book 100% Reindeer , dedicated to his herd, “These reindeer are out to get me; they have absconded with all my time, my energy, and my joy. They have forced me to create them. Each one is its own individual ….” And the reign of the herd continues. Nack wrote just last week: “I think the expressions and emotions of the reindeer paintings might reflect what we experience as humans; maybe that's what keeps it interesting.” The festivities at Roy are also sure to be interesting. Come see the batch, along with old friends and new. Doors open at 6 p.m. on Thursday, November 21, at Roy (7 W. Carrillo St.).

Rooted-in-the-region artists are recognized, along with Roots & Branches Arts Fellowship honorees.

More than 500 attendees enjoyed light-themed art and activities, raising more than $145,000 for the Santa Barbara-based international nonprofit.

Sofi Tukker lead singer Sophie Hawley-Weld at the Santa Barbara Bowl, November 7, 2024 | Photo: Carl Perry Sofi Tukker brought a joyful jolt of adrenaline to the Santa Barbara Bowl in last week's 2024 season-ending show. On tour for their newest album BREAD — as in “Be.Really.Energetic.And.Dance” — the amped up and fabulously bedazzled crowd did just that. The Grammy nominated duo of Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern (hence the band name Sofi Tukker) came in hot, with flashing red lights all the way to the tippy-top of the stage and four adorably bouncy go-go dancers. Friends since they met at Brown University in the early 2010s, the duo embraced a fun-filled, dynamic, electro-pop vibe world music vibe right from the get-go. Whether you imbibe or not, you can't help but feel a little bit high when you're in the orbit of these two. They opened their set with the album's namesake song “Bread” and lots of carb-loading visuals on a video screen behind them. The artists have said they view the doughy food as a kind of physical embodiment of energy; the carbohydrates keep them moving. And clearly, their music does the same for everybody that hears it. A collage of Brazilian-inspired bossa nova, house music and jungle pop, their dynamic multilingual set included loads of upbeat tunes whose names telegraph their meanings pretty well: “Best Friend,” “Hey Homie,” “Swing / Batshit,” and “White Lotus.” The quite frankly hilarious “Throw Some Ass,” from their most recent album, was followed by Tukker's equally giggly comment: “After we look at everybody's ass we like to invite some people on stage.” And he did, as he added, “We play this song so we can identify if there's any Brazilians in the house.” There's definitely some samba, baile and bossa nova built into the DNA of Sofi Tukker, but while the music has a decidedly Brazilian vibe, Tukker's American and Sofi was born in Germany. She studied Portuguese in college and her affection for Brazilian culture and the Portuguese language inspired a move to Brazil afterwards, to further learn the language and collaborate with local poets and artists. This resulted in songs like “Emergency,” a jungle-pop tune that's sung mostly in Portuguese. Accompanied by a cheeky game of “Sofi Says” ala “Simon Says,” this was even clearer evidence that Sofi Tukker had the enraptured crowd firmly in the palm of their hands. Toward the end of the night, she chanted “I see a lot of purple out there,” before launching into “Purple Hat,” with the crowd singing along to the infectiously silly lyrics — “Purple hat, cheetah print / Dancing on the people / Rolled up at the after joint / Dancing dancing on the people / People dancing on the people / I got people on the people / People dancing on the people” — as the go-go crew did some very cool seemingly capoeira inspired moves. Absurdly silly, sure. But oh so welcome and needed after a very stressful week (month, decade … however long this election season was). As they ended the night with the first song they ever wrote together, “Drinkee” — a somewhat nonsensical song/chant featuring lyrics sung in Portuguese from a poem by Brazilian poet Chacal — I recalled reading an early interview with the band about the song's 2015 debut on their self-titled EP. Asked about this particular song, Sofi told Interview Magazine , “It doesn't matter whether or not you can understand Portuguese. The point of ‘Drinkee' isn't the meaning; the point is the nonsense.” And sometimes the nonsense is just what you need to get out of your head and up on your feet and just be really energetic and dance! Sofi Tukker at the Santa Barbara Bowl, November 7, 2024 | Photo: Carl Perry

Ready to Hang 2023 | Photo: Ingrid Bostrom Ready to Hang is back and you won't want to miss the fifth annual edition of this one-of-a-kind pop-up art show. It's the largest in our region and an exciting snapshot showcase of Santa Barbara's current art scene. It truly is a unique opportunity to see new works by our entire community of artists in one show. And it's all taking place on Saturday, November 23, at Santa Barbara Community Arts Workshop (CAW). Open to all local artists for creations 12×12 inches in size, Ready to Hang is the largest event put on by the Santa Barbara Arts Collaborative on their home turf, and it truly represents the spirit of the Community Arts Workshop as a space for everyone to create and share. It supports local artists and is also a fundraiser to help support the Santa Barbara Arts Collaborative's programs. With a 2024 theme of “Connectivity,” Curator Michael Long describes Ready to Hang as “both a public display and an intimate glimpse into the creative practices of our incredible art community. It offers artists a chance to come out of the studio and share their work with one another.” In 2023, Ready to Hang exhibited 450 pieces of art by more than 200 artists, with more than 1000 people viewing the show. This year, the team is changing things up by limiting the event to one piece per artist and ending entries once 350 pieces have been reached. While the theme and the artists may change, one thing about this annual show remains the same, as CAW's Casey Caldwell told me a few years ago: “I don't think there's a better way to get a sense of the ‘now' of our arts scene than this show.” All works on exhibit are for sale and prices are set by the artists who include dozens of area painters, photographers, assemblage makers, tattoo artists, fabric artists, printmakers, and more. Prices range from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars and the 12×12 inch size works are much more affordable to purchase than many shows. It truly is a celebration of our community's creative diversity. As an added incentive for artists to participate, there are cash prizes for first, second, and third place winners who will be selected by guest judge Tom Pazderka, the curator for the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture. Ready to Hang 2024 takes place at Community Arts Workshop (631 Garden Street) on Saturday, November 23, from 4-9 p.m. Galleries open at 4 p.m. for viewing and sales and the party begins at 6 p.m. when purchases are available to “un-hang” and take home. Admission is free with food and drink for sale. There will also be music by Tripform, the duo of Pablo Manzarek and Norm Reed. For more information, see sbcaw.org/hang

The Doublewide Kings and the Santa Barbara Symphony play The Next Waltz at the Granada Theatre, November 9, 2024 | Photo: Baron Spafford They may call themselves “a professional dad band” but the Doublewide Kings were living out every kid who's ever had a garage band's dream when they teamed up with the Santa Barbara Symphony to the play “The Next Waltz” tribute to The Band's “The Last Waltz” at the Granada Theatre on November 9. And what a fun collaboration it was! From the welcoming remarks from the ubiquitous John Palminteri (Truly, where would we be without that guy? I seriously wonder sometimes if he has a clone.), to the Symphony's dramatic opening playing Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, with guest conductor Brett Strader at the helm, followed by the Doublewide Kings and S.B. Symphony jumping right in with The Band's “ Up On Cripple Creek” — it was already a night to remember in the first ten minutes. Featured violinist Jenavieve Varga joined the Doublewide Kings as a guest artist, and her beautifully animated fiddle served as a nice bridge between the rock ‘n' roll of the Kings and SBS's special breed of orchestral maneuvers in the dark. The bands were back together after doing a similar tribute show together last year (titled “Moondance,” a nod to the music of Van Morrison ) — which Kings' bandleader Palmer Jackson alluded to when he thanked the sold-out crowd for coming out, and said, “A year ago when we played the Granada, I woke up the next morning and I thought it must have been a dream.” The Band, the inspiration for the show, is onscreen as the Doublewide Kings and the Santa Barbara Symphony play onstage at the Granada Theatre | Photo: Baron Spafford In many ways, it was indeed a dream, realized in part because Jackson is an avid arts supporter who serves on the boards of both the Granada and the Symphony, and also thanks to the support of another avid music patron in town, Earl Minnis. With a variety of bandmembers on lead vocals — including special guest Miriam Dance whose fabulous range was on great display in Joni's Mitchell's “Coyote” and mashup of a few songs including Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's “Helpless”) — I was particularly impressed by drummer Charlie Crisifuli's singing on The Band's ionic “It Makes No Difference,” and “The Weight” (a song everyone seems to know but no one can ever agree whether the lyrics are “take a load off Fanny” or “take a load off Annie”). Like The Band's “The Last Waltz” farewell show in 1976, which you can stream via a fabulous Martin Scorsese documentary (it's widely and deservedly considered to be one of the greatest documentary concert films ever made), “The Next Waltz” also took some liberties with the playlist and guest performers. The original song “Nimrod,” sung by the Doublewide Kings' primary vocalist and harmonica player John Simpson, was one of those detours that was particularly worthwhile, as was Marvin Gaye's “Baby Don't You It,” the penultimate song before the standing ovation encore of The Band's classic and oft-covered “The Night They Tore Old Dixie Down,” with Jackson on lead vocals. Purposely titling the night “the next” rather than “last” waltz was a nod toward future Santa Barbara Symphony and Doublewide Kings collaborations of this kind — and I, for one, am more than on board for whatever kind of musical mashup ride they want to take us on.

The Miramar Beach Bar is a nice spot to sip in some Vitamin Sea | Photo: Rosewood Miramar Beach A staycation at the Rosewood Miramar Beach is certainly unlike any other. My husband and I were lucky enough to do an overnight stay the night after the general election, and let me just say that unplugging at the Rosewood Miramar Beach is about as close to an escape from reality as I can possibly imagine. The place oozes with a throwback to Hollywood glam and the impeccable service of yesteryear from the moment we pull up to the valet in our Honda Accord, which is surely the least fancy car they've seen that day. Nonetheless we're greeted like VIPs and escorted through the stunning black and white lobby to check in before we're driven in a golf cart to our room. “So this is how the other half lives,” I said, as we looked around our beautiful bungalow room. Now a Triple Forbes Five-Star Property, this room is a far cry from the bungalows of old, which were so “shabby chic” that my family and friends rented one for us to celebrate my bachelorette party back in 1994. Now the Cape Cod style architecture of the exterior opens up to a high class yet comfortable room, with plush beds, linens, and robes, and an in-room bar featuring top shelf spirits. It also has a separate closet/dressing room that's bigger than my kitchen at home, as well as an equally expansive and oh-so-gorgeous bathroom. The shower — I could write a whole essay on how fabulous the shower is, with multiple showerheads and room to sit down and relax if you're so inclined. There's also a claw foot tub, and stunning marble topped sink — the room is so large you could fit an entourage of hair and makeup artists in here pretty easily. There are subtle beachy blue and sandy gray accents throughout the bungalow to liven up the white, which is everywhere on the property. So many white roses and other white accent flowers! The gardens are predominantly white and green and so painstakingly well-kempt that I feel certain that if I plucked a petal and dropped it, a groundskeeper would magically appear within minutes to clean it right up. Our garden bungalow is surrounded by lush green gardens with a beautiful pair of oaks in the center courtyard next to a firepit and some white Adirondack chairs. The perfect place for a glass of wine before dinner. I'm so relaxed it's hard to tear myself away from the fire, but our evening reservation awaits! It's sometimes easy to take the ocean for granted when you grow up in Santa Barbara, but the views at Caruso's — the resort's Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant — definitely take my breath away when go there for dinner. And what a dining experience it was! Chef Massimo Falisini and his team (including the lovely Chef de Cuisine Shibani Mone, who I met during our Cheese the Day adventure) went all out with a Prix Fixe experience that was simply off the charts. Our four-course menu went way over and above, adding many more courses, starting with a lovely glass of champagne and a stunning amuse bouche with five (!) perfectly composed bites, including a miniature gougeres with truffle crema and truffle garnish that I'll be dreaming of for the rest of my life. That was followed by a mini cone stuffed with crab salad and squash and topped by some gorgeous caviar and gold leaf. And mind you, this was all before the first course. We got the “Sense of Place Wine Pairing” with excellent regional wine pairings. Because there were two of us, we tried two things in each category —antipasti, primi, secondi, and dolci e formaggi — and each was individually paired with a different wine. Among the highlights: the baja kanpachi crudo with a beautiful verbena lemon and lime tea sauce; the Santa Barbara spiny lobster girasoli, the buttery, perfectly prepared New York strip, and the incredible housemade artisanal sourdough bread which features Chef Massimo's 30 year old sourdough starter, and was served with housemade olive oil (from olives grown on the property) and a housemade seaweed infused butter that was simply heavenly. Along with the amazing meal, what made our dinner even more outstanding was the level of service. You know how on Downton Abbey when they have a special dinner there's a perfectly choreographed presentation for each course? That's how this was, with multiple wines precisely poured at the exact time each dish came to the table. I definitely felt like we were royalty for the night — but without all those pesky tabloids to worry about. We spent the next morning walking around and exploring the property, which although I had been to the Revere Room and the Manor Bar several times, I had never actually done before. Those two venues are both located in the main building (with ocean views), and so is the lobby — December is a great time to visit as the Christmas Tree display is always exceptionally stunning — and the spa, Goop boutique, and a few rooms. The bungalows, where we stayed, are around both the gardens and the pool areas (there are two), where there's also a beautiful pond, a bocce ball court, the Cabana Bar, and the Scoop Shop, which has casual poolside bites, as well as scoops of ice cream. The train tracks (where an affable liveried guard greets you), separate these areas from the beachfront, which is where Caruso's is, as well as the Miramar Beach Bar (with the beautiful blue sign that launched a thousand Instagram posts), and easy stairs down to the beach itself, where guests have “beach butler service” as well as complimentary use of chairs, umbrellas, beach toys and water sports equipment. Is staying at the Rosewood Miramar Beach a splurge? Sure, at least for most of us (rooms start at $1,485 a night; the four-course prix fixe menu at Caruso's is $175 per person, plus the “Sense of Place” wine pairings add $155), but it's definitely an incredible place to go to celebrate some major life moment or if you really wanted to indulge your luxury fantasies. And for us lucky locals, Visit Santa Barbara currently has a locals-only lodging promotion, offering 30 percent discounts for residents from Goleta to Carpinteria who book overnight trips to the Santa Barbara South Coast. The deals apply to stays through early 2025 at more than a dozen properties, including the Rosewood Miramar Beach. Although this off-season deal is only for locals, area residents can extend the offer to their visiting friends and relatives. Dates of stay, as well as terms and conditions, vary by property, and blackout dates may apply. To view all the available offers, terms and instructions for booking, visit: santabarbaraca.com/locals By Mary Heebner, Photos by MacDuff Everton | Tue Oct 15, 2024

Arts Education Comes First and Foremost for UCSB Arts & Lectures Residencies

Some of the beachy grub from Happy Cat Eats, including, from left, the SB Asian dog; fries; truffle, mushroom, smoked gouda wagyu burger; and crispy gochujang chicken bao tacos | Photo: Ingrid Bostrom Casual, affordable, beachside eats are much harder to come by in Santa Barbara than they should be, but the purr-fectly situated new Happy Cat Eats — located at 23 East Cabrillo Boulevard across the street from Skater's Point and Stearns Wharf — is finally open and aiming to please, with an extensive menu of craveable grub. Owner Tina Takaya, who also owns the upscale Asian restaurant Oku next door and co-owns the downtown stalwart Opal Restaurant & Bar with her business partner Richard Yates, has been envisioning Happy Cat Eats for years. In fact, she started paying on the lease a couple of years ago, but some renovations were needed, among other things, so the official opening didn't happen until the first week of November. “It's been kind of crazy, but I didn't really have a choice, because I built the bathrooms in between [Oku and Happy Cat] to connect so I could use my liquor license,” she said. Drinks are now served on the ocean-view patio, she noted, as we chatted outside overlooking the cornhole pit on a sunny afternoon last week. “It's kind of morphed into what it is now, and I'm happy with it,” said Takaya, who grew up in Santa Barbara and began her restaurant management career at The Palace. The menu, which she developed with her longtime Executive Chef Felipe Barajas, is what she described as “beachy street eats with some kind of unusual things.” And it really is just that. Breakfast, which is what inspired her original vision for the prime spot (which was home to Surf and Turf in our childhoods, then Cinnabon, then Wheel Fun Rentals), features breakfast burritos and breakfast bowls with a special Takaya touch: mac and cheese is added to the classic grilled potatoes, eggs, and meat of your choice. “It just adds the right bit of creamy to the combination, and has really good potatoes,” said Takaya, who also offers a long list of add-ons like crispy jalapeño chips, caramelized bacon jam, house-made chili, Asian slaw, and gourmet truffle oil, among others. “We make homemade granola. Everything we do here is homemade,” said Takaya. That also includes a fabulous (not overly sweet) cinnamon roll and fresh house-made scones and muffins of the day, which are just $4 — a price to rival Starbucks' —but freshly made with an ocean view. Speaking of coffee, the staff did extensive training to learn to prepare the locally roasted Handlebar Coffee correctly, and they have a whole menu of expresso drinks made with organic milk. They also offer a “local's cup of regular drip coffee” for $1, a priority for Takaya, about which she said, “Aaron, who owns Handlebar, said, ‘That's fine.' I thought that would be a nice gesture for the locals.” Lunch and dinner highlights include the truffle, mushroom, and smoked gouda Wagyu burger — a delicious hit of umami that I tried and will be back for — the shrimp po'boy, which uses rock shrimp tempura and sriracha aioli to give it a unique Asian flair; and the sushi sando, a Takaya inspiration that has crispy rice as the “bread” with fresh ahi tuna, kani kama, wakame, and Asian slaw. There are also Saigon wings (the one item also served next door at Oku), a California burrito, loaded carnitas fries, an assortment of salads, burgers, tacos, hot dogs (including a panko-crusted Asian dog with sesame slaw), and tempura fish and chips. The dessert menu includes tiramisu, a killer flourless chocolate cake and chocolate mousse (gluten-free, by the way), and Dole Whip soft-serve, which Takaya is quite excited about. “Oh my gosh, it's so refreshing, and the texture is so good, and there's no gluten or dairy in it, so it's perfect for the vegans,” she said. “It's super good. And everybody who tries it loves it, so it's gonna be great in the hot weather.” At $17, the aforementioned truffle Wagyu burger is the most expensive item on the menu, which seems like a deal, especially on the beach. “The prices do seem low, yeah,” said Takaya. “But I figured, I've been paying rent for two years and making nothing, so if I break even for the first two months. I'm okay. I want to make it affordable for locals.” She continues, “But I also want them, more than anything, to really enjoy it.” Happy Cat Eats is located at 23 East Cabrillo Boulevard and open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. See happycateats.com