Arts & Culture in Glendale

The Los Angeles Ballet is a group of more than two dozen dancers who prance across the stage like marionettes controlled by Santa's team of bethumbed reindeer. See this renowned company perform a holiday classic to the choreography of experienced husband and wife team Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary.

In 2008, South Pacific swept the Tony Awards®, capturing seven golden trophies, including Best Musical Revival and Best Director for Bartlett Sher. Based on James Michener's Pulitzer Prize–winning book, Tales of the South Pacific, South Pacific tells, dances, and sings the story of two couples—Navy nurse Nellie Forbush with French plantation owner Emile de Becque, and airman Joe Cable with lovely native lass Liat— torn by war and the temptations of tropical paradise. The original production won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1950, with its frank depiction of racial prejudice as a central theme.

Before El Cid's skilled professional dancers and musicians strut and strum their stuff on stage, tuck into dinner fare such as the chipotle short ribs with roasted-garlic butter-whipped potatoes ($14.95), or pollo mole, a dish of seared chicken simmered in mole with red rice and ratatouille ($16.99). Vegetarian diners can hang a fang on stuffed peppers cooked in Grand Marnier ($15.99). There are eight entree selections in all, each of which is served with the soup of the day, a mixed-green salad, and a healthy heaping of zesty flair.

Arthur Murray has been a leading name in franchise dance since 1912, when the entrepreneur began selling mail-order dance lessons. Expanding his reach, he enlisted teachers to spread his signature dance lessons on first-class steamships and skyrocketed to fame in the '30s after introducing the public to such dances as the Lambeth Walk and The Big Apple. By the 1950s, Arthur and his wife, Kathryn, were hosting their own highly popular TV show on ABC, The Arthur Murray Dance Party, which ran for 12 years. Today, Arthur Murray's team prepares students for rug cutting at special events and weekend nightclub jaunts. Clients who arrive to lessons partnerless will be paired up with other classmates as the instructors assess their current skill level and make recommendations on the most appropriate program. Throughout lessons, instructors teach the foundations of two to four dances from a long list of styles that range from Latin to country-western, helping students to learn basic step patterns, timing, and the ability to lead or follow.

Kinetic Theory helps aspiring clowns, acrobats, and plate spinners learn the dangling ropes of circus showmanship with its performance-training program. Led by veteran performers including Cirque du Soleil alums and professionally trained aerialists, the intro to circus arts course incorporates elements of aerial arts, acrobatics, physical training, and basic object skills such as clown-car repair to provide a well-rounded primer on big-top performance. Classes are kept small so students can focus on learning essential skills necessary for safe tumbling and performance, while also improving fitness with a dynamic workout. Kinetic Theory's spacious studio features sturdy safety mats beneath a variety of ropes, silk drapes, and trapezes that provide the playful nostalgia of a playground without the muckraking toddler politics. Introductory classes are held Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons for adults, while youth sessions take place Thursday afternoons for children as young as 6 years old.

The Murder Mystery Company's talented troupe of improv actors performs live-action murder mysteries at public and private events to sharpen guests' latent detective skills. Throughout the play, the cast drops hints and misdirects blame, inviting audience members to get involved in a web of intrigue and hilarity. Besides public dinner parties, murder mysteries can unfold during corporate events, team-building exercises, and birthday parties for aging Sherlock Holmes impersonators.