Ruff Yeager’s father, an evangelical preacher, knew how to put on a performance to inspire an audience. Yeager has the same skills, but prefers to perform on stage. SWC’s busy adjunct theatre instructor and director has staged some of the best works seen in Mayan Hall in the past five years. He has inspired scores of students and thousands of audience members with his bold but disciplined work. “I care for my students and want them to succeed in the …

Manuelita Brown does something few mortal humans can do. She freezes time. A gifted sculptor, Brown shaped the minds of viewers with her memorable bronze sculptures portraying women at an exhibit in the Southwestern College Art Gallery. A mother supporting her pregnant belly makes promises to her unborn child. Although the sculpture was small in size, the emotion is enormous. “Nikki,” a sculpture of a young woman sitting with her legs crossed, was the embodiment of purity in youth. With …

Southwestern College’s Jazz Café celebrated the Sinatra-era Rat Pack with star power, but did endure some cheesy moments. Ol’ Blue Eyes would have given the show a front-table thumbs up, despite a bumpy number or two. Designed as a menu with designated prices for songs, members of the audience were able to order meals in the form of music showcased by the SWC Jazz Vocal Ensemble. Fittingly categorized as the Chef’s Favorite, “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” sung by Nicky Garcia, stole the show. With her fiery red dress and silky voice, Garcia radiated. Special guest BJ Robinson complemented her alluring alto, adding texture to the tasty song. JP Acosta blew it out of the water with “Beyond the Sea.” Acosta was a knockout …

Giuseppe Verdi is celebrating his 200th birthday this year and the Southwestern College Concert Choir is traveling to Europe to take the master Italian composer a special present. Dr. Terry Russell, SWC director of the choral activities, and her troupe join the Bulgarian International Orchestra for a performance of “Verdi’s Messa Da Requiem” on July 7. Three days later Russell will conduct the orchestra and her students as they sing “Misa Azteca” in the Apollo Theater. “Misa Azteca” is a mass in Nahuatl, Spanish and Latin written by Joseph Julian Gonzalez, a renowned film, and classical composer. “When I go out of the country, I have to make sure that people get the sense that we do a lot of …

Victor Soto and Jessica Gonzalez are Southwestern College students who march to a different drummer. And they direct the drummer themselves. Soto, 19, a music major, and Gonzalez, 19, a dance major, volunteer for music programs at local secondary schools. They’ve been drumming up a lot of support. Soto, spends his afternoons with the Castle Park High School Trojan Brigade marching band, an ensemble that performs for the school’s football and basketball games, pep rallies and field show competitions. He teaches drums and tuba, as well as music theory. “Talent is not always in you, you have to work for it,” he said. “I volunteer at Castle Park because I simply love music and I know what it feels like …

Problematic subjects, such as religion and gender roles, are as old as time. Hip-hop, on the other hand, is as modern as cell phones. All three elements were intertwined into “Rap, Religion, and Women,” Long Beach State Associate Professor Dr. Ebony A. Utley’s lecture, which was delivered to a full-house in the Learning Resource Center. Her book “Rap and Religion: Understanding The Gangsta’s God” was a big part of her presentation. In many ways rap serves as a microcosm of our worldview, said Utley. Women are still trying to assert themselves, while men continue to maintain their stranglehold, and God is viewed, almost strictly, as a man. These inequalities must be addressed in order for us to move forward, she …

Southwestern College would likely have a pretty good marching band…if it had a marching band. A talented cohort of former high school band and drill team standouts at SWC have marched themselves to the Montezuma Mesa to join the San Diego State Aztecs Marching Band and continue their music performance careers. Jessica Gonzalez, 19, and Kakeisha Manning, 20, are SWC Jaguars and members of SDSU’s color guard. Manning said she first became interested in color guard when she attended games at the SDSU games with her friends. Gonzalez, captain of her high school color guard, joined SDSU’s squad because her friends persuaded her. “You meet really nice people and overall it feels very welcoming,” she said. Manning said she practices for …

Peruvian virtuoso Jorge Choquehuillca was dressed in vibrant primary colors of his homeland. His music was even more colorful. Moving seamlessly through an array of exotic indigenous instruments, Choquehuillca proved to be as skillful a teacher as he is a musician. Dressed in a poncho with horizontal stripe, his vivid pallet resembled a woven rainbow. He had a stocking cap that resembled a tepee with his long braided hair resting on the right side of his shoulder. He was a compelling figure. Choquehuillca said he builds his own instruments from ceramic, bone and metal. He played a pan flute he calls a kuku and a drum called the tinya …. He looked like a magician and his music was other-worldly.

Dance has long been a Southwestern College strength and bastion of ballet, modern, tap, jazz, hip-hop, Latin and ballroom classes. Now the Polynesian Dance Club is shimmying into the scene. Jade Xiella Angeles, 19, said she wanted to learn Polynesian dance, but discovered that SWC did not offer it as a course. She said she heard that Vanessa Gomez had started a new club. Angeles became its first president. Joanna Tanguileg, 20, took over this year and has worked hard to expand the club. “I was nervous and scared,” she said. “I thought it was cool to be the president because in high school I was the president of the Pilipino dance club and I know the responsibilities.” Tanguileg said …

  The allure of a woman has the power to leave a lasting impression, even if it is written in chalk.Powerful images of powerful women came to life when SWC hosted its 7th Annual Street Painting Festival in celebration of Women’s History Month. For the first time in three years the chalk artists were not threatened by rain and their dusty masterworks attracted thousands of views over the two-day festival. Students, faculty and community members made on Jaguar Walk a …