Arnold Schwarzenegger - GERMAN WORLD MAGAZINE

Photos: Dr. Karin Memmert
Thirteen Year Anniversary
of Austrian-American Day
By DR. KARIN MEMMERT
For the 13th anniversary of Austrian-American Day, whose yearly celebration on September 26 was proclaimed by President Clinton
in 1997, the Austrian-American Council West (AAC) in Los Angeles came up with something special and invited guests to attend a
benefits event with the theme of “Let’s Dance” on September 25. Austrian Consul General Dr. Karin Proidl offered to host the event
in the garden of her residence in Brentwood, where a large dance floor was built for the more than 120 guests, which included
German Consul General Wolfgang Drautz with his wife Sabine and his Hungarian colleague Balazs Bokor. Thanks to the lively music
performed by vocalist Renate Halstead and Frank Lenz on the accordion, the floor was filled with happy dancers all evening long.
The highlight of the evening was a performance by Astra Dance Company, who enthralled the audience with their dances
and costumes. They garnered much applause for their performance of excerpts from the first and second act of “Astra,” a waltz
opera set in the Austrian Empire and featuring 19-century classical style and instrumentation. The Astra Dance Company,
founded by Professor David Wilkinson of UCLA, promotes and preserves the art of the classical Viennese waltz. Their
performance also incorporated modern Gothic influences and amazing visual effects
Following tradition, the proceeds of the evening will be donated to a charity as Austrian-American Council West Annual
Award. Veronika Reinelt announced that this year's award will go to the Kidspace Museum Pasadena.
After an exquisite dinner with coffee and chocolate cake as dessert the guests returned to the floor and danced until shortly
before midnight. Many guests affirmed: “We will definitely come back next year.”
“German Currents” in Los Angeles:
Small festival, but powerful movies
The Goethe Institut Los Angeles opened its fourth annual showcase,
German Currents, on October 20 in cooperation with the American
Cinematheque and German Films. The showcase opened with Feo
Aladag’s movie “Die Fremde” (When we leave), a moving story of a
battered Turkish wife who fights for an independent and self-determined
life against the resistance of her Turkish family in Berlin. Aladag managed
to portray the psychological conflicts of a traditional Turkish family living in
Germany in a very balanced and moving way.
Another highlight of the festival was the epic Pope Joan starring the
amazing German actress Johanna Wokalek (Der Baader Meinhof
Komplex) and directed by film director Soenke Wortmann about the
woman Johanna who according to a legend — disguised herself as a man
and became Pope struggling with faith, love, and women’s role in society.
- gw/ps
Oliver Mahrdt, German Films, Feo Aladag & the Turkish Consul General Hakan Tekin
SPOTLIGHT
Left photo: Front row: Consul General Dr. Proidl (center) with her
colleague (l.) & Rudolf Thaler (r.), AAC West President Veronika Reinelt
(l.) & AAC West VP Liliana Popov-Alexander
Winter 2010/11 www.german-world.com 49