whiskeycarousel

On Saturday, Dec. 11, LALA, to be located at 4210 Panamint Street, on the Eagle Rock Boulevard cross street, will be revealed with a “soft opening”—a Holiday Gala Fundraiser forLarkeldi’s Whiskey Carousel, a coalition of dancers, artists, musicians and performers who spin a tantalizing web of performances that are, in the words of the group’s co-founder Kellsy MacKilligan, “A little funny, a little dark, and generally a spectacle.”  

Three dancers/performers, MacKilligan, Cyndi Vellmure and Laura Laser created Larkeldi’s Whiskey Carousel, described on their website (www.whiskeycarousel.com) as “a unique force of imaginative craftspeople supporting each other’s visions.”  

LALA is the brainchild of Karen Quick and Jennifer Vaughn. When the lease expired on Quick’s Westside studio, the two spent seven months seeking somewhere suitable for both classes and performances. “We saw this space and I could see the whole thing,” says Quick. It helps that her husband is a master carpenter who is now orchestrating the interior’s rapid transformation.   

LALA features a sprung floor, much of it reclaimed maple from the famous Madelyn Clark Studios in North Hollywood, which Jennifer Vaughn notes has hosted the leaping feet of everyone from “the cast of Jesus Christ Superstar to brand name pop stars.” The wood is laid over foam pads and a 16-inch grid.  

For the fundraiser, Larkeldi’s Whiskey Carousel is inviting a retinue of musicians, dancers and performers to join them in a night that Laser envisions as, “a fun evening with sporadic performances, some food and a celebration of the arts." These performances will be integrated into the whole evening and "people will mingle, eat, drink and enjoy the art installation from Layer LA,” Laser adds, referring to a Los Angeles-based architecture firm. Among the guest artists are Heather Coker and James Sheldon, who will present a Bob Fosse-inspired dance performance.  

Cyndi Vellmure says that local community merchants have been generous in lending their support to a raffle. Eagle Rock Brewery, Elephant Bakery, Mac & Cheeza, Dance Co Lab and The Groundlings Theatre and School, among others, have donated prizes. Favorite local restaurant, Larkin’s, is a sponsor of the evening.   

Although the troupe’s aficionados are mainly downtown and in Hollywood, northeast Los Angeles is fertile ground for their mind-bending performances, according to MacKilligan. “We have a lot of friends who now live in Eagle Rock, Mt. Washington and Highland Park,” she says. 

Raised in Highland Park and a graduate of Eagle Rock High School, Quick also notes the new art influx in her old 'hood. “Eagle Rock used to have Foster Freeze and Tommy’s—that was it,” she recalls. 

Vaughn foresees the role of LALA as a center for the diverse communities that make Eagle Rock a vibrant locale. “In addition to producing shows ourselves and renting out space for classes and workshops, the people we’ll be bringing on board will offer many cultural traditions to add to the activities," she says, adding: "For example, we’ll have Katie Hernandez, a Cuban dance teacher, and with her a whole community of dancers with food, social dancing and musicians.”  

Ultimately, Quick and Vaughn envision a center to celebrate the full spectrum of arts in Eagle Rock. “This is my neighborhood, and there aren’t many performance spaces,” says Quick. “It is important to not only have a dance studio but a performance space where people can show their work and have a place to go. We have huge dreams.”  

The Holiday Gala Fundraiser presented by Larkeldi’s Whiskey Carousel is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 11, at Live Arts LA, 4210 Panamint Street. Doors will open at 7 p.m. Pre-sale tickets can be purchased at www.whiskeycarousel.com and cost $20 for general admission, which includes two free drinks and free hors d’oeuvres. All proceeds benefit Larkeldi’s Whiskey Carousel. Local Eagle Rock merchants are invited to contact the group to donate additional prizes for the evening’s raffle.