Troupe

The Asian American Senior Citizens Service Center (AASCSC) raised nearly $200,000 at a holiday fundraiser held at The Irvine Marriott Hotel. Chaired by Orange County's philanthropic Ruth Ding , who also happens to be the founding chairwoman of the Orange County Chinese Cultural Club, the event attracted more than 500 guests who came together to make a difference for seniors in Orange County. NBC-LA anchor Ted Chen joined magazine publisher Lynn Liou of Vivid Magazine serving as emcees of the evening affair.

Stefanie Frith Tennis balls. A freezer door. Beer and Gatorade bottles. Oil containers. Cigarette butts. Fishing line. Glass. Styrofoam. Meat trays. Jack In The Box wrappers. And the list goes on and on, said members of Junior Girl Scout Troupe 170. Seven members of the troupe were among the 230 volunteers who participated Saturday morning in the 21st annual Clean Harbor Day in Newport Beach. "I think this is a good idea," Megan Von Berg, a Newport Beach resident, said.

Summer nights deserve a little heat. And while the weather is not cooperating, the dance troupe Noche Flamenca will do its best to bring some sultry style into the summer starting Thursday at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. Noche Flamenca, started in 1993 by Artistic Director Martin Santangelo and his wife, hails from Madrid, Spain. The flamenco troupe is highly regarded internationally, earning acclaim from reviewers at both the New York Times and the San Francisco Examiner.

Last summer, the American Coast Theater Company introduced itself to local audiences at Vanguard University with a stunning performance of one of the American theater’s classic dramas, “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Next weekend, the professional troupe returns in a lighter mood and will push the farcical pedal to the metal with the B detective movie spoof “Bullshot Crummond.” “It has everything from plane crashes to car chases to sword fights, with a little romance thrown in,” said Susan K. Berkompas, who’s directing and also playing the comic villainess Lenya.

Danette Goulet Dancers' limbs and torsos twisted and writhed in ever-changing, fluid motions as the lightning fast beat of African drums filled the air. Liquid rhythm and grace is how I would describe the dancing of Abdoulaye Camara, a dance master from Guinea, Africa, and his once-pupil Nikola Clay. The dancers performed for students at Davis Education Center in Costa Mesa on Monday to the amazing percussion sounds of three other members of their troupe -- Aziz Faye, Jason Hann and Bill Meinerding.

Young Chang The last thing Dean Corey, executive director of the Philharmonic Society, wants to do is trot the globe looking for artists whose only value is that they are unusual. Sure, he's found an acclaimed sitar player, a troupe of throat singers from Tuva, a Hawaiian dance company and other creatively different artists, but his first criterion in seeking out performers for the Eclectic Orange Festival, which has its opening performances this weekend, is quality.

"You look fine," said 11 dancers under the spotlight. That seemingly simple statement, delivered at a rehearsal Tuesday at Sage Hill School, contained a powerful acknowledgment of the beauty inherent in every individual. This idea lies at the core of the "Look at Me" campaign, spearheaded by Jessica Starr, a 30-year-old dancer and choreographer from West Hollywood. "Divine Direction," a nearly two-hour event, is the latest show for the 6-year-old Muse Dance Company and marks the debut of the campaign. The 24-person dance troupe will take the stage at Newport Coast's Sage Hill School at 3 and 7 p.m. Friday.

The Pacific Chorale Girls Chorus will hold auditions by appointment only for girls 8 to 12 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 6. The chorus is directed by Jean Turrell, a vocal music specialist in the Irvine Unified School District and former director of education for Pacific Chorale. Information: (714) 662-2345. Call between Tuesday and Jan. 5. OCC to have busy season in 2001 More than 30 shows are on the calendar for Orange Coast College's winter and spring performing arts season, arranged by OCC's Community Education Office.

For one fascinating week, UC Irvine offered us a welcome news diversion from Newport Beach’s City Hall. Now, they have abdicated the front page — at least temporarily — by hiring the law school dean they had hired and fired once before. But in the ashes of that law school conflagration, there are some useful embers that remain to be stirred, even though they were formulated on the premise that given all the substantial egos involved, the settlement wouldn’t happen quickly.