Each week, Arts Orange County and Culture OC deliver you this look at the stories and events happening in our arts and cultural community.

65th Annual Strawberry Festival

One of Orange County's most beloved traditions, the Festival will draw thousands to Garden Grove over Memorial Day weekend for rides, entertainment, and strawberry-flavored treats MORE

Violins of Hope Bring Stories of Survival Through Performances and Educational Discussion

Actual instruments that were performed in concentration camps during the Holocaust are on display at the Hilbert Museum, and upcoming at the Merage Jewish Community Center of OC.

Rescinded NEA Grants Cause Pain for O.C. Arts Groups Large and Small

Most have no easy way to replace withdrawn grants, which reimburse groups for money already spent.

A Homegrown Force in Ballet Returns With a Vision

When Ally Helman, 25, returned to Orange County after training and dancing with the New York City Ballet, she came home with more than just performance credits. She brought with her a vision for what the local dance landscape could become – something vibrant, risk-taking and rooted in both tradition and progress.

On May 22, Ballet Project OC (BPOC), the nonprofit company Helman co-founded with her sister Emily in 2019, will present “Legends Reawakened” at the Irvine Barclay Theatre. The performance marks the start of the company’s 2025 season and serves as a showcase of its growing artistic ambitions.

The theme comes directly from Ballet Project OC’s broader campaign this year: Tradition Meets Tomorrow.

“We’re thinking about how we can bring something from the past into the future, or create something that’s old and make it new, or put a twist on it,” Helman said. “And so ‘Legends Reawakened’ came from that idea of using older music or well-known music and bringing it to life through dance onstage.”

Each week, we recommend a variety of events and experiences from the listings at SparkOC.com, our free website for Orange County's arts and cultural community.

Opening Day: World of the Terracotta Warriors

This special, ticketed event kicks off the Bowers Museum's exhibit featuring over 100 new archeological treasures from China's Shaanxi Province MORE

4th Annual Pride

The city of Irvine kicks off Pride Month and honors Harvey Milk Day with a free community event including refreshments, educational resources, and more MORE

Groove & Gather: AANHPI Dance Fest

Styles from K-pop to hula are celebrated in this free all-ages celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander dance at Segerstrom Center for the Arts's Argyros Plaza MORE

Adult Craft Night

Learn to paint your own terracotta pot at the latest edition of this monthly get-together at the Placentia Library MORE