Steph Rodriguez
Creating in a Pandemic: DJ Larry Rodriguez
When his weekly Sunday-night dance parties at The Press Club stopped during the pandemic, DJ Larry Rodriguez decided to bring the funk to people’s houses by live-streaming his Flower Bomb Dance Party on Facebook.“I...
Creating in a Pandemic: Tim Engle
He wrapped up a photo shoot with Amazon Robotics on a Tuesday. By Friday, commercial photographer Tim Engle says, clients began to cancel sessions one by one due to the coronavirus. At that moment,...
Creating in a Pandemic: Stefan Calka
Dancer Stefan Calka was working with choreographer Jennifer Archibald on a new piece for the Sacramento Ballet when all of a sudden the music stopped.“There was a piece that we just finished making. It...
Creating in a Pandemic: Isela Perez
Want to move like one of Beyoncé’s backup dancers? Isela Perez, the owner and co-founder of Sac Dance Lab, teaches just that, as well as jazz, hip-hop and ballet. Perez temporarily closed her studio...
Creating in a Pandemic: Keith Lowell Jensen
The jokes just hit differently when they’re not followed by echoes of laughter. At least, that’s how it’s been lately for stand-up comedian Keith Lowell Jensen.“It’s so weird. People don’t realize how much it...
Creating in a Pandemic: Sacto Storytellers
In February, Sacto Storytellers shared the stage with Grammy Award-winning roots reggae band Steel Pulse at the Crest Theatre. By March, all of their gigs were canceled.According to Sacto Storytellers drummer Matt Rodriguez, the...
Creating in a Pandemic: Gina Rossi
Sculpture artist Gina Rossi has an unusual take on the societal shutdown caused by the coronavirus. “I’ve looked it as a positive actually. It’s almost like a big pause button that allows you to...
Creating in a Pandemic: Thomas Derthick
“At this moment, every professional musician in America is unemployed,” says Thomas Derthick, principal bassist with the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera.Despite canceled concerts and postponed symphonies, Derthick says he’s more fortunate than most as...
Creating in a Pandemic: Nicole McKeever
The hallways of CLARA Studios for the Performing Arts were silent as dancers, musicians and actors stayed home. That silence was deafening to Nicole McKeever, owner of the McKeever School of Irish Dance, an...
Creating in a Pandemic: Julian Sandpaper
On a thick black pole on K Street, there’s an image of Smoky the Bear wearing a surgical mask, surrounded by the words “Only you can prevent COVID-19 . . . Stay Home.” The...
