Monster Mash: Getty partners with Egypt; architect Kazuyo Sejima going to Venice; fatal art stabbings

-- Five-year project: The J. Paul Getty Trust has partnered with Egypt to help preserve and manage the tomb of King Tutankhamen. (Bloomberg)

-- Architectural first: Japanese architect Kazuyo Sejima is the first woman to be named director of the Venice Architecture Biennale. (Art Info)

-- Suspicious deaths: A British art curator and his daughter were found dead with multiple stab wounds near Sydney, Australia. (Times Online)

-- Violent assault: A San Francisco artist chosen by the city to paint a mural was stabbed while working on the project. (San Francisco Examiner)

-- Leg room: The Houston Ballet's new $53-million home will be the largest facility in the U.S. devoted to dance, according to the company's leaders. (Bloomberg)

-- One-woman show: Dame Edna's "It's All About Me" has set a Broadway opening date of March 23. (Playbill)

-- Sour note: A labor dispute has arisen between producers and musicians on the off-Broadway musical "Tony 'n Tina's Wedding." (Variety)

-- Money talks: Same-sex couples are leaving their mark in the Boston arts community through philanthropic donations. (Boston Globe)

-- New leader: The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art has named Tim Rodgers as its new director. (The Arizona Republic)

-- Messy split: A German art collector has settled a lawsuit with his former mistress involving two works by Damien Hirst valued at about $48 million. (Bloomberg)

-- And in the L.A. Times: Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne on the possibility of a football stadium in City of Industry; the Museum of Contemporary Art's big 30th-anniversary celebration.

-- David Ng

Photo: the burial chamber of King Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor, Egypt. Credit: Chris Bouroncle / AFP/Getty Images

Kings of the Dance coming to Ahmanson Theatre in February

The dance world's equivalent of a star-studded action franchise is coming to Los Angeles.

The Kings of the Dance -- which is not to be confused with the Kings of Comedy or the Lord of the Dance -- will play for two nights only at the Ahmanson Theatre on Feb. 16 and 17 as a new addition to the current Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center season.

Six renowned dancers -- David Hallberg, Nikolai Tsiskarideze, Marcelo Gomes, Dennis Matvienko, Guillaume Cote and Desmond Richardson -- will star in this three-act performance that include numbers by some of dance's top choreographers.

Local dance fans will no doubt recognize Gomes and Hallberg as members of New York's American Ballet Theatre, which has made numerous visits to L.A. and Orange County. Richardson, who is co-artistic director of Complexions Contemporary Ballet, may be recognizable to viewers of Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance," on which he appeared in 2008.

Various versions of Kings of the Dance have been performed all over the world, sometimes featuring different dancers. The franchise has appeared in New York, Moscow and other cities.

This version that will appear in L.A. will include numbers choreographed by Frederick Ashton, Leonid Jacobson, Nacho Duato, Roland Petit, David Fernandez, Adam Hougland, Boris Eifman and Christopher Wheeldon.

-- David Ng

Photo: Dancer David Hallberg. Credit: Rosalie O'Connor

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Dance review: American Ballet Theater's 'Giselle' at OCPAC

Giselle” is nearly perfect, even if the ballet’s composer, Adolphe Adam, was no Tchaikovsky. It’s got love, betrayal, redemption and death, not to mention scenes of painterly dancing. As the style of contemporary ballet grows ever harder-edged, it’s comforting to return to “Giselle,” a retreat of watercolor prettiness and deeply felt emotions. If you’re lucky, the mad scene will provoke a good cry.

It’s no wonder then that the American Ballet Theatre has presented “Giselle” since its debut season in 1940. ABT's latest verion is currently at the Orange County Performing Arts Center through Sunday and the current production, staged by artistic director Kevin McKenzie after the Coralli-Perrot-Petipa standard, is certainly picturesque, with storybook sets by Gianni Quaranta and richly appointed costumes by Anna Anni. But the opening night performance Tuesday fell far short of perfect and this viewer was dry-eyed throughout, though different cast members did raise hopes at key moments.

Ballerina Julie Kent, who is in her 24th season with ABT, had our sympathies, if not our heart, as Giselle. Her portrayal contained nifty character details. Pulling petals off a flower to help her determine if the nobleman-in-disguise Albrecht really loved her, for example, she dropped the positive omens in her lap, and left the others on the ground.

Santa Ana's Saint Joseph Ballet changes name to the Wooden Floor

People of a certain age know about the Singing Nun, the Belgian singer-songwriter and religious order member who took "Dominique," her song in French about a saint in medieval Spain, to No. 1 on the American and worldwide pop charts in 1963.

In Southern California, the arts scene carries the legacy of a Dancing Nun. Santa Ana's Saint Joseph Ballet was launched in 1983-84 by Sister Beth Burns, then a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, and funded by the Catholic group. Now, the dance school dedicated to helping children from poor families choreograph their steps to a high school diploma and a college education has made a pirouette, changing its name to the Wooden Floor.

It may be one of those "huh?" names, says Melanie Rios Glaser, the company's executive and artistic director, who succeeded Burns, now a board member, in 2005. But there's a tradition of that in the world of experimental and cutting-edge art that the school now occupies. Rios Glaser cites the Mattress Factory, a contemporary art venue in Pittsburgh, the Kitchen in New York City, and REDCAT in downtown L.A., where the Wooden Floor will perform a two-night engagement in January. The name is inspired by the students' feelings about the school, Rios Glaser says. "The studio floor has so much meaning for our kids. They become very eloquent about how they relate to it."

Two members of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange congregation -- they don't call it a convent -- attended the performance on Thursday in which the name change was announced in the middle of a dance piece.

Sister Katherine Gray, general superior of the congregation, said she's proud that the dance school has grown from its small beginnings as a ministry of her group, and that it's not important that the name reflect the school's roots, so long as its charitable work continues. "Anything that enhances that, we would support," she said. "It's still doing the work, and more, for which it began, and we'll continue to have a relationship of friendship."

Monster Mash: Eva Longoria Parker in Washington; Rose Art Museum drama; Damien Hirst paintings

-- Star power: Eva Longoria Parker was in Washington on Tuesday to drum up support for the planned National Museum for the American Latino. (Miami Herald)

-- Legal wrangling: Brandeis University said it would delay the sale of key artwork from the Rose Art Museum. (Boston Globe)

-- Stunt-meister: Damien Hirst opens his newest gallery show -- a series of paintings showing at London's Wallace Collection. (Bloomberg)

-- Box-office boon: Nearly all shows on Broadway posted gains last week at the box office. (Variety)

-- Angry: Theater professionals in New York protest the casting of a hearing actor in the role of a deaf character in an adaptation of Carson McCullers' "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter." (The New York Times)

-- New leadership: Two successors have been named to take over the dance company that was led by the late Pina Bausch, who died in June. (Agence France Presse)

-- Possible truce: Tension between the city of Escondido and its performing arts center has eased somewhat after a financial quarrel. (North County Times)

-- Out of step: The Oregon Ballet Theatre's chief executive officer steps down after disagreements with the company's board. (The Oregonian)

-- Hitting the road: Peter Gallagher will take his one-man musical, "Peter Gallagher, Don't Give Up on Me," on a national tour after a Chicago engagement this fall. (Playbill)

-- Curtain time: Soprano Angela Gheorghiu confirms that she is in the process of divorcing her husband,  tenor Roberto Alagna. (Associated Press)

-- And from the L.A. Times: The U.S. arm of Venezuela's El Sistema launches its first fellows program at the New England Conservatory. (Los Angeles Times)

-- David Ng

Photo: Eva Longoria Parker addresses reporters near the White House. Credit: Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press

Grants totaling $3.6 million go to arts groups in OC, Riverside, San Diego and San Bernardino

The Bowers Museum in Santa Ana and the Orange County Museum of Art in Newport Beach each will receive $400,000 grants from the James Irvine Foundation, while nine other small and mid-size arts organizations in Orange, San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino counties will get $275,000 to $375,000 under a program aimed at helping them expand their audience and shore up their finances during tough economic times.

The grants, totaling $3.6 million for the 11 groups, will be paid over three years. According to their last available federal tax statements -- all from before the September 2008 meltdown -- the organizations' annual budgets ranged from $550,000 for the Oceanside Museum of Art to more than $5 million each for Bowers and OCMA.

Other museums reaping grants from the San Francisco-based Irvine Foundation are the Laguna Art Museum in Laguna Beach and the Riverside Art Museum. Musical organizations on the list are San Diego's Mainly Mozart and Orchestra Nova San Diego (formerly the San Diego Chamber Orchestra) and the Redlands Community Music Assn. Saint Joseph Ballet of Santa Ana and San Diego's Cygnet Theatre Company also got grants. 

Kirsten Schmidt, spokeswoman for the Orange County Museum of Art, said its plans for the money include improving its website and making more of its collection of contemporary art available online.

-- Mike Boehm

Photo: Bowers Museum. Credit: Karen Tapia / Los Angeles Times

Monster Mash: Demoted NEA communications chief resigns; MOCA raises $60 million; Brad Pitt honored for New Orleans work

-- Going, going, gone: Yosi Sergant, the recently demoted communications chief of the National Endowment for the Arts, has resigned from the organization.

-- Pounding the pavement: The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles says it has raised nearly $60 million since December, when it revealed that it was in financial trouble.

-- Cultural casualty: Brandeis University President Jehuda Reinharz is stepping down; earlier, he faced criticism that he recommended the closure of the school's Rose Art Museum.

-- Architectural philanthropy: Brad Pitt receives an award from the U.S. Green Building Council for his work on the Make It Right project in New Orleans.

-- Art of the deal: The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has announced an agreement to place the collection of Donald and Doris Fisher at the museum.

-- Fading light: Downtown L.A. boosters are disappointed by the Museum of Neon Art's coming move to Glendale.

-- Back from the brink: British architect David Adjaye talks about his recent brush with bankruptcy.

-- Labor of love: Musicians of the Sarasota Orchestra in Florida have filed charges against management alleging unfair labor practices.

-- Moving on: William Thorsell, the director of the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada, is stepping down after nearly 10 years.

-- New home: "La Posada Magica," which has been a holiday theater staple in Costa Mesa for 15 years, is moving to L.A. 

-- Financial setback: The Orlando Ballet has lost funding from Florida's Orange County cultural tourism program.

-- David Ng

Photo: Brad Pitt at the 2009 Clinton Global Initiative Special Session: Building A Better Future - A Progress Report on Making it Right in New Orleans, held this week in New York. Credit: Bobby Banks / Getty Images

Patrick Swayze, a movie star with a dancer's body

Patrick Swayze -- the actor who helped make dirty dancing a worldwide phenomenon -- died today in Los Angeles after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57.

With his lithe body and athletic virility, Swayze brought a dancer's sensibility and grace to his most famous movie roles. The son of dance instructor, he studied at the Joffrey Ballet and the Harkness Ballet School before moving on to the acting world.

His breakout movie hit was 1987's "Dirty Dancing," in which he starred as Johnny Castle, a dance instructor at a Catskills resort. Swayze performed his own dancing in the movie, which also starred Jennifer Grey as his romantic interest, Baby.

In "Ghost" (1990), Swayze played Sam Wheat, a banker living with his girlfriend Molly (Demi Moore) in New York. When Sam is murdered one night by a mugger, his ghost must find a

Fall performance preview: A season of fancy footwork

This fall's rich L.A. dance and performance line-up offers something for just about everyone, from neophyte fans to avant-garde connoisseurs.

Plan your season wisely and you can sample from some of the world's most prestigious companies.

Want a challenge?

Check out the Southern California returns of Bill T. Jones and the British group DV8 Physical Theatre. For lighter, more family-friendly fare, there's Pilobolus and the always reliable Cirque du Soleil.

See the season’s most anticipated dance and performance events by clicking on the photo gallery.

-- David Ng

Photo: Pilobolus. Credit: John Kane

Monster Mash: Annie Leibovitz still negotiating loan repayment; Jordan Roth takes over Jujamcyn Theaters; iPhone becomes popular musical toy

-- In talks: Photographer Annie Leibovitz is reportedly still negotiating with her creditor, Art Capital, after a deadline passed on Tuesday to repay her $24-million loan.

-- Moving up: Jordan Roth is taking over as head of Broadway's Jujamcyn Theaters, succeeding Rocco Landesman who was appointed chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.

-- Search is on: San Diego Museum of Art has named four interim leaders as it looks for a permanent replacement for Derrick Cartwright.

-- Digital sounds: Musicians are finding a lot to love about several instrumental applications designed for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch. 

-- Setting a date: The 2010 Tony Awards will take place on June 13 at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

-- Honored: Director Mel Brooks, opera singer Grace Bumbry, actor Robert De Niro and musician Bruce Springsteen will receive the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors.

-- Legal wrangling: Jewish heirs have settled a seven-year dispute with a Swedish museum over an Emil Nolde painting that was looted by the Nazis.  

-- Shipping news: A proposed cargo port in Venice, Italy, is prompting criticism from preservationists.

-- All about him: Singer-pianist Michael Feinstein is headed for Broadway in "All About Me."

-- Lifeline: The financially troubled Pittsburgh Symphony receives a $1-million gift from its board chairman.

-- Dance on film: Members of the New York City Ballet work to create a screen version of Jerome Robbins' "N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz."

-- David Ng

Photo: Annie Leibovitz. Credit: Associated Press