SANTA CRUZ

Santa Cruz Dance Theater promises magical event with ‘Cinderella’

Once again, the story of “Cinderella” will be getting the royal treatment when Santa Cruz Dance Theater performs its full-length ballet of the classic fairytale for two days and evenings at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium Saturday and Sunday.

Yes, you read that right: days and evenings. This means that, unlike Cinderella herself, audiences will not stress about getting home before midnight, as the five productions will provide ample opportunities to enjoy high-class ballets before the sun goes down.

The ballet is a musical interpretation of the classic story of a young woman mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters until she receives a visit from her fairy godmother to attend a magical ball and is specifically based on the 1945 ballet with music by legendary composer Sergei Prokofiev. Santa Cruz Dance Theater’s production is helmed by Artistic Director Conrad Useldinger and features a new pas de deux created specifically for this production.

It all kicks off with a “petite” production with a cast of children ages 3 to 7 performing from 10-11 a.m. Saturday. This will be followed by two adult productions from 1-3 p.m. and 4:30-6:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. All shows are at the Santa Cruz Civic, 307 Church St. For tickets and information, go to SantaCruzTickets.com.

Roy Rogers slides his guitar over to Moe’s Alley

Roy Rogers is considered one of the masters of the slide guitar, and those who are unaware will receive the ultimate demonstration when he performs at Moe’s Alley Sunday.

A native of Vallejo, Rogers began playing music when he was 12 and was particularly enamored with blues guitarists like Robert Johnson. He gained prominence as a member of John Lee Hooker’s Coast to Coast Band and produced four of Hooker’s albums including the Grammy-winning “The Healer.” He also received Grammy nominations for his work with Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and has also performed with the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Carlos Santana, Sammy Hagar, Bela Fleck and more. He will be joined by his longtime backing band, the Delta Rhythm Kings, for an afternoon that is sure to be rollicking.

The concert is 4 p.m. Sunday at Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way. Doors open at 3. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 the day of the show. This is a 21-and-older concert. For more information, go to MoesAlley.com.

Wavves crash at Catalyst

The spirit of ’90s angst is alive and well with a San Diego quartet that calls themselves Wavves, and they will be bringing their blend of grunge, garage rock, pop-punk and noise pop to the Catalyst Club Tuesday.

Wavves were formed in 2008 as the recording project of Nathan Williams who soon recruited a full band. Following some lineup changes, Williams brought in drummer Billy Hayes and bassist Stephen Pope for the band’s third album, “King of the Beach,” which Pitchfork named as one of the best albums of 2010. The band has toured with the likes of Blink 182 and Best Coast, and had music featured in the “Grand Theft Auto” and “Tony Hawk Pro Skater” series. Their new album, “Spun,” will be released June 27 and will feature Blink 182’s Travis Barker drumming on some tracks. Opening will be Beach Goons and Death Lens.

The concert is 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Catalyst, 1101 Pacific Ave. Doors open at 7:30. Tickets are $28.88. This is a 16-and-older show. For more information, go to CatalystClub.com.UCSC Ph.D. candidate Brook Thompson to discuss environmental picture book at Bookshop Santa Cruz

Brook Thompson is working toward a Ph.D. in environmental studies at UC Santa Cruz, her life’s work which she said began after witnessing thousands of dead salmon along the Klamath River near where she grew up in Del Norte County. She has parlayed the experiences of that tragic memory — and her lifetime of activism since — into the picture book “I Love Salmon and Lampreys,” which she will be discussing at Bookshop Santa Cruz Wednesday.

Thompson grew up in the community of Klamath as a member of the Yurok Indigenous tribe where salmon and lamprey are a major part of their identity. In 2002, at the age of 7, she witnessed a massive fish kill in the Klamath River that was brought on by water being diverted because of the Iron Gate Dam, resulting in low freshwater and Chinook salmon and other river inhabitants from being able to move to a higher level and contracting white spot disease. Soon, Thompson began attending protests against hydroelectric dams and went to college for civil engineering, serving as a policy intern for the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and New Mexico Sen. Tom Udall. The Iron Gate Dam was removed in 2024.

Thompson chronicles her journey in “I Love Salmon and Lamprey,” which was illustrated by Anastasia Khmelevska. She will discuss the story of how an Indigenous-led movement inspired her to become a scientist.

The event is 4 p.m. Wednesday at Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave. It is free to attend, but RSVPs are encouraged in advance at BookshopSantaCruz.com.

This week’s calendar was compiled by Nick Sestanovich.