Santa Ana – The Unexpected

Welcome to Santa Ana, California. Founded in 1869, Santa Ana has long been the county’s government powerbase. Today, this historic city serves as Orange County’s downtown. Businesses, tourists and locals come to Santa Ana for its fresh, unexpected experiences – from gleaming, technologically advanced office buildings and innovative exhibits at the many museums and galleries, to luxury high-rise living and distinctive restaurants. Come…take a look at Santa Ana’s offerings. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
http://www.santa-ana.org/

Claudia de la Cruz Flamenco Institute was voted as Orange County’s Best Flamenco Dance Classes according to OC Weekly Best of Orange County September 18th, 2007 issue.

OC Weekly

Best Flamenco Dance Classes
Claudia de la Cruz Flamenco Institute
Grand Central Art Center, lower level
125 N. Broadway, Santa Ana
(714) 543-1370

At Tierrita Flamenca, a flamenco-dance company populated by little girls with slick black hair, long colorful skirts and hand fans, the girls are encouraged to have attitude. The baby troupe is the brainchild of Claudia de la Cruz, who runs the Claudia de la Cruz Flamenco Institute at her “underground,” lower-level studio at Cal State Fullerton’s Grand Central Art Center in downtown Santa Ana. She created the dance company in 2004 after she noticed that some of the students in her kids’ classes were harboring dreams of becoming professional flamenco dancers. The institute offers classes in the form, which evolved from Moorish, Sephardic and Gitano musical traditions in southern Spain, to children as well as adults at all levels. Students can learn everything from traditional Sevillanas to castanet and palma (palm) techniques. Those who become addicted to what de la Cruz calls the “flamenco lifestyle” can audition for her adult dance company, Tierra Flamenca, after one year. After several years, she says, students may be invited to join her professional dance company, which tours nationally.

“If I don’t dance, I die,” says de la Cruz, a native of Monterrey, Mexico, with family roots in Jerez, Spain. De la Cruz’s institute gets our hearty olé: If we didn’t have the mighty little piece of Andalucía that she brings to OC, surely we would die.

The Best Flamenco School in Orange County

Also Tu Ciudad Magazine “The Best of Orange County” issue includes Cultural Stage of Art as the
Best Flamenco School in Orange County. Look under “Zapateado”.
Keeping its finger on the pulse of the city, Tu Ciudad has been exploring Latino life and culture in L.A. since its debut in June 2005.

ZAPATEADO- Learn this and other flamenco steps at the Cultural Stage of Art. Director Claudia de la Cruz also leads her own dance company Tierra Flamenca. Vale!

Tu Ciudad Magazine

Claudia de la Cruz Flamenco Institute
Presents:
AY PERO QUE GRACIA!
2007 Summer Recital

Sunday June 10th, 2007
3pm to 8pm
$25 General Admission
$50 Prefered Seating
Price includes Flamenco Show & Spanish Buffet
Seating is limited and tables are expected to fill quickly.
Reservations strongly suggested.

TAPAS RESTAURANT
4253 Martingale Way
Newport Beach, CA 92660
RSVP 714.543.1370
INFO 714.750.8157

TICKET ON SALE NOW AT OUR STUDIO ONLY!
The following dates and at the door the day of the event if available:

Sat May 12, 10am-3pm
Sat May 26, 10am-3pm
Sat Jun 3, 10am-3pm

STUDIO LOCATION
Cal State University Fullerton
Grand Central Art Center
125 N. Broadway Lower Level
Santa Ana, CA 92701
2nd St & Broadway
Right Below the Gypsy Den Cafe

http://www.culturalstageofart.org
http://www.claudiadelacruz.com
http://www.santaanaartsdistrict.com

CULTURAL STAGE OF ART | FORO CULTURAL DE LAS ARTES
Claudia de la Cruz Flamenco Institute

Cal State University Fullerton
GRAND CENTRAL ART CENTER
125 N. Broadway Lower Level
Santa Ana, CA 92701
Right at the Artists Village
INFO 714.543.1370

“Echoes: Women Inspired by Nature” will be presented at the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art (OCCCA) from April 5 through May 20, 2007. Curated by art historian Betty Ann Brown and visual artist Linda Vallejo, the exhibition will highlight the work of 21 women artists who focus on the natural environment. In artwork that ranges from traditional easel painting, to the newer media of photography and installation, to the very Postmodern use of non-art materials such as Gummy Bear candies, these artists call out attention to the beauty and wonder of the natural world, and to humanity’s deep and abiding connection with it. They also address issues such as pollution, over-consumption of resources, scientific atrocities and animal abuse.

We don’t need to have seen Al Gore’s compelling documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, to become aware of the devastating environmental changes in recent years. On an almost daily basis, television newscasters report on the destructive results of toxic spills, raging fires, rising pollution, or the horrific storms exacerbated by climate
changes. Although artists are neither politicians (no matter how politically engaged), nor environmental scientists (no matter how intrigued by the vicissitudes of scientific inquiry), they can and do respond to the state of the natural world around them. In creating new and intriguing images of nature, artists can compel us to view our
natural environment with fresh eyes. As Rachel Carson has noted, “The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.”

Orange County Center for Contemporary Art (OCCCA)
Telephone: 714.667.1517 Email: mailto:grau@prodigy.net
Website: http://occca.org
Betty Ann Brown: betty.a.brown@csun.edu
Linda Vallejo: http://www.lindavallejo.com vallejo@earthlink.net

“ECHOES” ARTISTS

The “Echoes” artists listen to nature and tell of the stories they have heard. Some of the stories glory in nature’s beauty and power. Others bemoan our ongoing abuse of nature. But all of them acknowledge our oneness with nature and our desperate need to respect and love her. The artists respond to nature in three elegantly interconnected ways. They create art that reveals an awe of nature’s beauty and power. They create art that manifests a feeling of meditative oneness with nature (rather than domination over nature or separation from it.) And they create art that mourns the losses from environmental abuse.

Full Color Catalog with essay written by Dr. Betty Ann Brown and designed by Dr. Paula DiMarco, Roadwork Design

Exhibition Dates: April 6, 2007 to May 20, 2007
Opening Receptions: April 7and May 5, 6–10 pm

IN AWE OF NATURE’S BEAUTY & POWER

“Joy in looking and comprehending is nature’s most beautiful gift.”
Albert Einstein, German physicist

Patsy COX uses the intense, saturated colors to fill up, even overwhelm, her installation space of clumping cactus
Astrid PRESTON creates riveting images of trees and flowers that are so finely crafted they astonish the viewer
Susan SILTON returns birds to the gorgeous rush of nature’s cycles

Linda VALLEJO participates Native American ceremony and is keenly aware of the sanctity of nature
Miriam WOSK presents dense, rich, and elaborate views of the ocean depths
Takako YAMAGUCHI recalls the decorative elegance of Japanese scrolls and screens

MEDITATIVE ONENESS WITH NATURE

“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.” William Shakespeare, English dramatist

Judith F. BACA depicts the ancestors united with the rocks and hills and caves
H. Barbara CUTLER assembles nature’s detritus and recycles it into sartorial statements about our connection to the constantly regenerative powers of nature
Cheryl EKSTROM senses the continued beauty in the world, of our oneness with natural cycles, and our need to press on even in grief Suvan GEER focuses on the body’s time and the cycles of nature
Pamela GRAU TWENA is troubled by humanity’s ongoing disregard for nature and wonders what nature may do in response
Akiko JACKSON evokes poetic allusion through forms sharing physical and functional affinities
Lezley SAAR combines found black and white photographs with whimsical yet sophisticated drawings focused on natural forms

MOURNING THE LOSSES

“Ultimately, it is the earth – which has supported us and loved us and caressed us –that we must now stand up for, for she is under the gravest danger ever in the history of man.” Chief Eddie Benton Banai, Grand Chief of the Three Fires Society

Kim ABELES presents a potent testimony to governmental disdain about pollution
Rabyn BLAKE creates fragile boats evoking a nostalgic sense of loss
Yaya CHOU asks “Why are these artificially flavored and colored products so widely present and persistent?” with her Gummy Bear sculpture
Cheryl Marie DULLABAUN asks what we have done to the paradise of nature
Samantha FIELDS combines the tradition of landscape painting with contemporary environmental concern
Linda FROST explores the abuses of genetic research and manipulation.
Cheri GAULKE shares the artist’s concern about the loss of numerous frog species
Holly TEMPO is concerned about the accelerating destruction of the tropical rain forests

WHAT: ECHOES: Women Inspired by Nature
WHERE: Orange County Center for Contemporary Art (OCCCA),
117 North Sycamore, Santa Ana, CA 92701, 714.667.1517, grau@prodigy.net
Open Thursday and Sunday: 12 PM to 5 PM, Friday and Saturday: 12 PM to 9 PM

WHEN: Exhibition Dates: April 6, 2007 to May 20, 2007,
Opening Receptions: April 7and May 5, 6–10 pm

CONTACT: Pamela Grau Twena, Telephone: 714.667.1517 Email:
mailto:grau@prodigy.net

IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

Cultural Stage of Art
Claudia de la Cruz Flamenco Institute is relocating to a new address:
CSFU Grand Central Art Center
125 N. Broadway St
Santa Ana, CA 92701
Right below the Gspsy Den Cafe

STARTING SATURDAY FEBRUARY 3RD, 2007
more info at 714.290.3959 & 714.750.8157

Call to secure your space today!
Claudia de la Cruz Flamenco Institute
714.543.1370
info@culturalstageofart.org
Visit Cultural Stage of Art the house of
Claudia de la Cruz Flamenco Institute
http://www.culturalstageofart.org
http://www.claudiadelacruz.com

LISTENING with
Kronos Quartet’s
David Harrington

February 17, 2007
7:30-8:30 p.m.

Listening with David is an experience in the uniqueness and connectivity of sound. Few people are as tuned in to the possibilities and potentialities of sound as David Harrington, founder and first violinist of the acclaimed Grammy award-winning Kronos Quartet. Come join us for and evening of harmonies, timbres, melodies, and rhythms that make up a unique world. Theatre seating is limited so call to reserve a seat or join us on the promenade to view this event by special video presentation.

Nels Cline and Norton Wisdom: Stained Radiance
8:30-10:00 p.m.
The painter’s eye and the musician’s ear: Guitarist and genre-bender extraordinaire Nels Cline teams up with interpretive action painter Norton Wisdom for an improvisational evening of aural and visual exploration.

Presented by CSUF Grand Central Art Center and the Downtown Santa Ana Business Council
additional information:
714.567.7233
714.567.7234
aharris@fullerton.edu
www.grandcentralartcenter.com
www.downtownoclife.com

An additional special engagement:
The Philharmonic Society of Orange County presents
Kronos Quartet
Sunday, February 18, 2007
7:00 PM at the Renée & Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall
www.philharmonicsociety.org

Originally a mustard field, it became a town when founder William H. Spurgeon established his home here. Santa Ana has as its’ center an impressive stone courthouse with a tower rising higher than any building. The restored courthouse sits on the same site today.

History

Santa Ana is located in Orange County, south of LA County, and is the biggest city in the OC. Santa Ana has a population of just over 342,000 people. It is located thirty-three miles south of Los Angeles and twelve miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. The Santa Ana River and its smaller tributary Santiago Creek are usually dry but are unpredictable in wet years.

The land that became Santa Ana was covered with tall yellow mustard when William H. Spurgeon from Kentucky rode through on horseback October 10, 1869. So high was the wild growth that he climbed a sycamore tree to view the land. He liked what he saw and paid Jacob Ross, Sr., $595 for 74.2 acres. Here he built his city.

Many of Santa Ana’s pioneers were known for their cultural pursuits. The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (W.C.T.U.) ladies early collected books to keep in a downtown office. An Ebell Society was formed in 1894, and their members also worked actively to obtain the Carnegie Library, which was built in 1903 on land donated by Spurgeon at the northwest corner of Fifth and Sycamore streets. Church groups put on various socials and entertainments. From the early years there was an opera house, which often changed location; the most elegant one was built by Charles E. French, who also owned the most elegant house in town. A newspaper would start up, soon to be followed by another. The men had their lodges and took pride in their fast-stepping horses.

Santa Ana began its boom after the Southern Pacific Railroad built a line to the area in 1877. Nine years later, Santa Ana became a city. The city experienced another boom immediately after World War II. Industry grew, creating jobs and thousands of new residents arrived in Santa Ana.

The quiet Charles W. and Ada E. Bowers left their property to the city in 1924 with the understanding that it would be used for a museum building and “that the Orange County Historical Society should have free use of the building.” The Bowers Museum opened February 15, 1936. And just now in 2006 it has been expanded ready to open a new wing in 2007.

The “Old Orange County Courthouse” as it is now called is a tangible reminder of William H. Spurgeon. In 1893, several offers of land for a county courthouse were made. It was his offer that was accepted for the site. The city paid $8,000 for the block east of West St. and north of Sixth St., promising to erect the courthouse within ten years. It was completed, dedicated, and opened for business in September, 1901. Since then many movies have been filmed there.

The Courthouse withstood the 1933 Long Beach earthquake well, although its weakened cupola was removed as a precaution. In the 1980s the Courthouse narrowly escaped being torn down. It had become inadequate for its purpose. The Hall of Records building behind it could not alleviate the situation. After the failure of St. Anne’s Inn just across Broadway during the Great Depression years, that building had become a courthouse annex. (The Inn had been a resort of glamorous Hollywood stars some of whom were married at the Courthouse to avoid publicity.) In 1968 a new courthouse eleven stories high opened on Civic Center Drive (the former Eighth St.). Through the valiant efforts of many, especially Adeline Cochems Walker and the Orange County Historical Commission, the old Courthouse was spared. Totally reinforced and renovated, it now stands as California Registered Landmark No. 837 and appears on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sightseeing

A major tourist attraction in Orange County is the historical district in downtown Santa Ana. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, the 21-block area is among the largest such districts in the state of California. It contains 100 buildings constructed between 1877 and 1934; among them are the Old County Courthouse (now a museum featuring changing exhibits related to local and regional history), the Fox West Coast Theatre, and Old City Hall. The district also features homes of prominent Santa Ana citizens. Tours of the Dr. Willella Howe-Waffle House, a restored Queen Anne Style home built in the 1880s, are available the first Saturday of each month.

Fairhaven Memorial Park is situated on 73 acres and features an arboretum harboring nearly 1,000 trees and numerous plants from around the world. The park’s historic mausoleum was built in 1916 of European marble and granite, with handcrafted stained-glass windows.

The Santa Ana Zoo is home to 260 animals and 84 species; among the rare and endangered species living at the zoo are the ring-tailed lemur, the margay cat, the white-handed gibbon, and the golden lion tamarin; the zoo welcomes 270,000 visitors each year. There are several other points of interest in Orange County, including world-famous Disneyland amusement park in Anaheim, and Knott’s Berry Farm and the Movieland Wax Museum in Buena Park.

Within driving distance of Santa Ana are the Universal Studios tour, Magic Mountain, Raging Waters amusement park, Sea World, and the San Diego Zoo.

Arts and Culture

More than 1,000 cultural organizations are active in Orange County; among them are symphony orchestras, ballet companies, theater groups, and modern and folk dance troupes. Santa Ana is home to the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, which presents its summer season at Irvine Meadows Amphitheater and performs its regular season concerts at Segerstrom Hall in the Orange County Performing Arts Center. The center is one of three theater facilities in the nation to house all of the four performing arts—musical theater, symphony, opera, and ballet.

Among the other orchestras in the metropolitan area are the Orange County Youth Symphony and the American Youth Symphony. Theater groups include the South Coast Repertory Theatre; dance companies are the Gloria Newman Dance Theatre and the Penrod-Plastino Movement Theatre.

Artists Village is a thriving area of art galleries and studios. It includes the Santora Arts Complex, renowned for its flamboyant churrigueresque architecture, which offers the works of more than 38 artists in five galleries, including the Santa Ana College gallery; the Empire Market Building, which contains several galleries, artists’ studios and a small theater; and the Cal State Fullerton Grand Central Art Center, which houses a student gallery and studios and the Alternative Repertory Theatre. The Orange County Center for Contemporary Art is also located in the village.

One of Orange County’s most prominent museums is located in Santa Ana. The famous Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, a Spanish mission style building, houses collections pertinent to Orange County and California history; Native American, Pacific Rim, and African cultures; and natural history; it also features a hands-on “Kidseum,” a five-star restaurant, and shops. The nearby Discovery Museum of Orange County has exhibits that chronicle the history of Orange County back to the nineteenth century. The Natural

The Bowers Museum of Cultural Art houses historical items from Orange County and California history. History Museum in nearby Newport Beach displays fossils unique to Orange County and marine life such as whales and walrus. Art museums in the area include the Laguna Beach Art Museum Annex, the Muckenthaler Cultural Center, and the Newport Harbor Art Museum.

Sports for the Spectator

Santa Ana residents are within an easy drive of sporting events in Anaheim. The Major League Baseball Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim play home games in the 45,050 seat Angel Stadium. The Fullerton State Titans and the Anteaters of the University of California at Irvine field National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I teams. Los Alamitos Race Course features parimutuel thorough-bred and harness racing.

Sports for the Participant

Santa Ana’s mild climate invites year-round athletic enjoyment. Some of Southern California’s finest beaches are minutes away, and the city is located only 12 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Mountain ski resorts are within easy driving distance.

Shopping and Dining

South Coast Plaza Village in Santa Ana is a European-style marketplace. With 25 incorporated cities in Orange County, each with its own central shopping district and community shopping centers, the shopper has endless opportunities. More than 20 major regional shopping malls feature national department stores, specialty shops, and boutiques. Santa Ana is also within easy driving distance of Beverly Hills’ famous Rodeo Drive, which is lined with luxury and designer shops.

Santa Ana has dozens of restaurants that offer a variety of cuisine, including traditional American, Continental, Italian, Asian, and Mexican dishes.

Amid the cookie-cutter homes in gated communities throughout Orange County, Santa Ana’s downtown has become a refreshing, urban oasis for adventurous home seekers. New businesses and a nascent artists village have drawn professionals who live in lofts and revel in the area’s Latin flavor, which differentiates the area from its starchier neighbors.

Beginnings

Santa Ana was founded in the late 1800s when William H. Spurgeon came on horse from Kentucky and bought the land, which was then part of the vast Yorba family ranch. He was the city’s first mayor when it incorporated in 1886. Public transportation, including the Red Car, train and trolleys, and roads were built in the next decades, allowing for a bustling downtown that attracted large department-store chains. These stores had closed by the late 1980s.

Changing direction

Ten years ago, the city of Santa Ana began promoting the concept of an artists village and encouraging the investment of millions of dollars in vacant historic buildings in downtown, which led to a reduction in crime.

“Santa Ana has a stigma, but some people are seeing more here now,” said Tanya Weeks, a real estate agent with Platinum Properties International, who lives in a loft. “We are the pioneers in here. But now many lofts are coming and this area will boom.”

Drawing card

Two years ago, the Olson Co. of Seal Beach built most of the 74 lofts in downtown Santa Ana, which spans the area bounded by 1st, Minter and Ross streets and Civic Center Drive. Within three years, city officials project as many as 300 more will be built, including 16 more by Olson.

“The biggest attraction for buyers is living and working in an in-town urban community,” said Bill Holford, Olson senior vice president of sales and marketing. “You have shopping, retail, services, dining and transportation all close by as opposed to living in the suburbs, where you have to commute to the different services.”

Stock report

Santa Ana’s two-story lofts, which were offered for $275,000 2 1/2 years ago, now fetch more than $500,000, Weeks said. Olson has not set prices for its 16 new ones. Four lofts currently are on the market and priced from $509,000 to $599,000.

The company’s existing lofts, with finished kitchens, painted walls and few interior divider walls, range from 1,400 square feet to 2,100 square feet. The closest traditional neighborhood to Santa Ana’s downtown is French Park, a tract of stately historic homes near Spurgeon Street and Washington Avenue. Home prices in that area range from $400,000 to $700,000. Surrounding areas also include aging rental homes and apartments.

Street scene

The downtown shopping area includes check-cashing outlets; discount clothing shops, travel agencies and jewelry stores, among other businesses.

Shoppers can also buy fresh fruit, ice cream and chips from vendor carts stationed on the streets.

The downtown area hosts an annual three-day Mexican Independence Day fair in September. About 75% of Santa Ana’s population is Latino.

Insider’s view

“What we have here is definitely not suburbia,” said Matt Lamb, the city’s downtown developer manager. “It’s definitely like nothing else in Orange County.”

Report card

Heninger Elementary School, Willard Intermediate School and Santa Ana High School serve the area. Their scores on the Academic Performance Index in 2003 were 641, 544, and 601, respectively, out of a possible 1,000. El Sol Academy and Orange County High School for the Arts are nearby charter schools with API scores of 559 and 841, respectively.

Historical values

Residential resales:

Year…Median Price

1990…$179,000

1995…$148,500

2000…$188,000

2003…$245,000

2004*…$430,000

*Through November

Sources:
DataQuick Information Systems

http://api.cde.ca.gov

http://www.santaanahistory.com

http://www.ci.santa-ana.ca.us/facts/default.htm

Pastorela Flamenca is the new Claudia de la Cruz Flamenco Institute Production celebrating the Christmas spirit and the closing of the 2006 winter Semester featuring an inspiring Flamenco performance with over 60 students on stage including 4 year old children and adults.

Pastorela Flamenca es la nueva produccion de Claudia de la Cruz Flamenco Institute para cerrar el ciclo academico del Foro Cultural de las Artes con un magno evento. Una inspiradora y tradicional pastorela al estilo flamenco que incluye pequeñitas desde los 4 años, niños, adolescentes y hasta adultos de todas las edades.

CHRISTMAS RECITAL
Pastorela Flamenca 2006

Sun Dec 17th at 6pm (Doors at 5pm)
Preferred Seating available
$10 General Admission
$7 Students, Children & Seniors

Santa Ana High School
520 W Walnut St
Santa Ana, CA 92701
For more info please visit:
Flamenco Institute
RSVP 714.543.1370

TIERRITA FLAMENCA DANCE COMPANY
Claudia de la Cruz | Artistic Director

Tierrita Flamenca is another Claudia de la Cruz’ project on an effort to preserve the passion of flamenco dance through youngsters and teenagers. Tierrita Flamenca is the petite version of her formal Adult Tierra Flamenca Dance Company founded a year ago with 5 of her most talented students. Regardless their age (7-10 years old), the girls put all the heart needed to flamenco performance, as an after-class activity that has become part of their lifestyle. Every week, Claudia de la Cruz teach this little girls flamenco basis and dance structure helping them to serve as a roll model to the rest of the Cultural Stage of Art School enhancing their sensibility, self-esteem, confidence and discipline.

CLAUDIA DE LA CRUZ FLAMENCO INSTITUTE

Cultural Stage of Art offers a full Flamenco curriculum for all ages and experience levels through Claudia de la Cruz Flamenco Insitute.
CSA is a non-profit organization mainly focused on quality flamenco instruction; additionaly offering workshops of ballet, art, music, and theatre and culture development for children and youth where everybody is welcome.

CSA | FCA was founded in 2000 by Claudia de la Cruz to provide art instruction in the Santa Ana Artists Village Community. After dramatic growth, the CSA settled into a permanent home at 410 W. 4th. Street Suite B-4 in 2001. Today the CSA welcomes over 140 students from 12 communities each week, produces continuous public events annually for hundreds of additional audience members and local public schools.

Cultural Stage of Art | Foro Cultural de las Artes Objectives Plan charts a course for future growth which emphasizes flamenco and art as a shared experience, guided by the following beliefs:

Art learning is lifelong; from early childhood through the senior years; Family participation enhances each individual family member’s art learning; and Ensemble participation develop friendships and art skills.

Through out all of the above programs and objectives will involve the parents in assisting their children with practice and assignments.

http://www.culturalstageofart.org
http://www.tierra-flamenca.com