A fast week ahead for fans of writing, music, dance

From ALOUD, UCLA, CalArts & the Huntington

Think Richard Russo (Empire Falls, Nobody's Fool) on writing. Or Mischa and Merce on dance. Or how about Richard Wagner once and a second time or Huang Ruo on music? Best part of three-day weekends is how they accelerate the work week. So get to the seeing and planning, as Russo's appearance downtown and the first of two Westwide, Ring-related Wagner programs will be this afternoon and tonight. Tickets for a Baryshnikov benefit performance downtown Monday for the Merce Cunningham foundation and REDCAT are going fast. And with a balmy weekend already in the forecast ahead, might be a perfect reason to get to San Marino to see Huang Ruo, an up and coming composer who blends classical, contemporary, Eastern and Western musical traditions.  

Photos: Cunningham, Baryshnikov, l, in 1999 /Robert Whitman; Huang Ruo, r