I woke up to no “Challengers” Oscar noms. Sad day for bisexuals. 

Introducing: H.Sinno

It started with a plastic pill organizer. 

Composer, writer, performer and advocate H.Sinno bought a plastic pill organizer on Amazon and found themselves writing poetry about their relationship to psychiatric medication in the review section. 

“These pills were supposed to buy me time, but in the sense of productivity, not in the sense of actual time that is for me,” Sinno said. 

“I can’t honestly tell you why I did it,” they added. “It just happened.” 

The event evolved into a series of poetic reviews that became the basis of “Poems of Consumption,” their debut solo work commissioned in 2023 for the Barbican Centre in London. The song cycle will be presented at The Nimoy on Saturday, inviting LA audiences to experience the product of Sinno’s interrogation of consumerism paired with a string quartet and visuals. While it can sound heavy, Sinno finds moments of personal levity and vulnerability. 

“I’ll get an Arab Halloween costume and it can become a space in which I can say something about racism, or I could get oyster-shucking knives and write about a broken heart,” they said. 

The work is partially inspired by Mark Fisher’s “Capitalist Realism,” a 2009 book that unpacks the author’s concept that the logic of capitalism has exposed the limits of current political and economic systems, impacting our relationship to education, mental health, culture and more. More importantly, he asks, “Is there an alternative?” Fisher’s reflections emerge most when Sinno sings of the relationship between capitalism and psychiatry. The soundscape and backing tracks offer a thread into this investigation but it too is subtle. 

“In the opening of the show, there’s the string quartet playing without backing tracks, but I’m playing this fan that has a bunch of receipts attached to it,” they said. “there’s the texture of the crumping paper.” 

However, Sinno sees “Poems of Consumption” as more than a reflection of capitalism but also a celebration of community. After all, the community is the backbone of the show’s final product. Sinno created the arrangements and videos with friends. The commission began with friends urging and assisting Sinno. One of their best friends wrote one of the songs, offering affirming and fruitful moments to reconnect with people.

“I’m very excited to be in community with people,” they said. “Ultimately, I do think that is what the show is about. It’s really just trying to find these fugitive intimacies in inhospitable environments.” 

This Week’s Top Spots

Making of Memoryhouse @ The Wallis

Choreographer and LA Ballet’s artistic director Melissa Barak will bring her infamous “Memoryhouse” back to LA next week. In preparation for the exciting evening, you can get a behind-the-scenes look at the creation process by viewing the documentary film at The Wallis. The ballet is inspired by the Holocaust and the stories of survivors. The documentary shows how Barak crafted the stories into moving vignettes with Max Richter’s music. 

LOCATION: 9390 N Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90210
DATE: January 23
TIME: 6:30 pm 
PRICE: $16.50
LINK: https://thewallis.org/show-details/making-of-memoryhouse 

Dance Camera West @ Barnsdall Gallery Theater

Dance Camera West returns to Barnsdall Art Park to celebrate its 25th anniversary. The program will include its usual slew of dance films — this year presenting over 50 international shorts and documentaries — alongside workshops and its signature VISIBILITY program. Some highlights include a retrospective of Los Angeles choreographer David Roussève, a world premiere documentary from Benjamin Millepied’s Paris Dance Project, and LA POPS UP curated by Kitty McNamee. In light of the fires, DCW will also offer pay-what-you-can tickets to make screenings accessible to those impacted. 

LOCATION: 4800 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90027
DATES: January 29 - February 2
PRICE: $25 - $250 (+ pay what you can) 
LINK: https://www.dancecamerawest.org/ 

Elements and Energy with John Adams @ Walt Disney Concert Hall

LA Phil’s Erudes returns for its second installment of new music. The program invites a broad range of composers to create new solo etudes performed by an LA Phil musician. This iteration’s etude composers include Dylan Mattingly, Samy Moussa, Gabriella Smith and Francisco Coll. The evening will also include a world premiere commission by Noah Jenkins, whose music explores audio phenomena, led by creative chair John Adams. 

LOCATION: 111 S Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012
DATE: January 28
TIME: 8 pm
PRICE: $22 - $44 
LINK: https://www.laphil.com/events/performances/3062/2025-01-28/elements-and-energy-with-john-adams

‘A Powerful Thang’ @ REDCAT

This film program presented by REDCAT will showcase two milestone films: the experimental drama “Cycles” (1989) and the narrative film “A Powerful Thang” (1991). While “Cycles” interrogates and explores the Black femme body across locations — from Africa to the U.S. — “A Powerful Thang” tells the story of a single Black mother seeking intimacy and friendship in Southwest Ohio. Following the program, there will be a post-screening conversation with filmmaker Zeinabu irene Davis and film programmer Jheanelle Brown. 

LOCATION: 631 W 2nd St., Los Angeles, CA 90012
DATE: January 27 
TIME: 8 pm 
PRICE: $12
LINK: https://www.redcat.org/events/2025/zeinabu-irene-davis 

Delirium Musicum @ LA Dance Project & Neighborhood Unitarian Church 

Delirium Musicum is a self-conducted chamber orchestra that brings an exciting passion to masterworks and contemporary compositions alike. This weekend, the group will begin their 2025 season at the LA Dance Project and the Neighborhood Unitarian Church in Pasadena. Delirium Musicum will offer free seats to those impacted by the fires and is also collecting donations for MusiCares. 

LOCATION: 2245 E Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90021 & 301 N. Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena, California 91103
DATES: January 24 - 25 
TIME: 8 pm Saturday, 7:30 pm Sunday
PRICE: $15 - $100 (+ free tickets for impacted Angelenos)
LINK: https://www.deliriummusicum.com/concerts 

Things: Partake & Play

Art and performance are FUN. Sometimes it isn’t enough to just witness it. Here are a couple opportunities to partake in the creation process and get closer to the art. 

• Live Artists Live [5.0]: Bodies Making Space @ USC Roski Graduate Building: USC Roski’s biennial Live Artists Live festival includes panels, discussions and performances exploring the intersection of dance, visual art, and embodied identity. DATE: January 24 @ 1 - 7 pm / PRICE: Free / LINK: https://visionsandvoices.usc.edu/events/46625314098912 

• Open Reception - Nature on Notice: Contemporary Art and Ecology @ LACMA: LACMA’s exhibition at Charles White Elementary School opens with an afternoon of family-friendly activities, including art-making workshops. DATE: January 24 @ 2:30 - 6:30 pm / PRICE: Free / LINK: https://www.lacma.org/event/opening-reception-nature-notice-contemporary-art-and-ecology 

Meme of the Week

Me after witnessing the inauguration, fires, popping a tire, and getting lowballed for freelance.