Welcome to “The Sights + Sounds Show with Jeneé Darden” where every week we tap into the Bay Area arts scene and bring you rich conversations with artists. On today’s show: a documentary about a Vegas blackjack dealer with an incredible past in ballet; then, a potter is bringing awareness about arthritis and body positivity through their ceramics; and the Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra has a big weekend of spring concerts.
On today's show we're closing out Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with great artists.
Viviana Matsuda
Nearly 60 million people in the U.S. live with the country's number one cause of disability — arthritis. There are over 100 types of arthritis. May is Arthritis Awareness Month and the Arthritis Foundation has reached out to artists to spread the word about the issue through their campaign Green Heart Fridays. Artists drop green-heart inspired heart in their city. People find it, almost like a scavenger hunt Spreading some arthritis love in San Francisco is Viviana Matsuda. They are a potter whose mugs went viral. They own the very colorful store Emotion Potion.
This Saturday the Arthritis Foundation is having a "Walk to Cure Arthritis" event at the San Francisco Zoo.
Jon Funabiki
George Lee has an incredible story. He was a Chinese-American ballet dancer, and trailblazer. Lee performed in the original "Nutcracker" about 70 years ago. Gene Kelley cast him in "Flower Drum Song." But many people didn't know Mr. Lee's history because he spent most of his life working as a Blackjack dealer in downtown Las Vegas. Lee died in April, at the age of 90, in a Las Vegas hospice center.
In the documentary "Ten Times Better," Lee tells his story of immigrating to the U.S. and making it to Broadway. You can stream it on PBS or YouTube.
Bay Area journalist Jon Funabiki is one of the film's producers.
This interview occurred before George Lee passed away in 2024.
Ming Luke
The Berkeley Community Chorus & Orchestra have their spring concerts this Friday May 30 through Sunday June 1 at Hertz Hall on the campus of UC Berkeley. All of the shows are free but you have to RSVP online. This season they will perform "John Damascus" by composer Sergei Taneyev and "Messe de Requiem" by Camille Saint-Saëns. Ming Luke is the Musical Director of the Berkeley Community Chorus & Orchestra. He talks about his career, travels and what audiences can expect at the concerts.
