Begin with a base of classical Persian vocal training. Add touches of nomadic transience from the Middle East and Europe to the mix. Finally, toss in an immigration to Los Angeles and a teenage fondness for rock 'n' roll, and you have the cultural melting pot that collectively makes up Mamak Khadem's distinctive sound. Read more...

Photo: Mamak Khadem, a musician with Persian and other world influences, will be performing at the Getty Center as part of the museum’s annual concert series “Sounds of L.A.” She cites her nomadic experiences as a major impact in shaping her sound, as well as her work scoring television shows such as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

It's dance without music, acting without a script and theater without a stage. Today, the Fowler Museum at UCLA will showcase "Unruly Bits: Improvisational Dances," a creative collaboration by two UCLA students as a part of the museum's Fowler Out Loud series. Read more...

Photo: Performing artists and choreographers Maria Gillespie and Allison Wyper of the world arts and cultures graduate program will present a series of site-specific movement scores in “Unruly Bits: Improvisational Dances.”