Christmastime is here again and, as expected, the stereotypical songs, movies and plays are dusted off and returned to the public view.

Beneath the gray shadow of the Santa Monica Pier bridge lies not only a small aquarium but also a vivid mural depicting the aquatic life just beyond the surf in Santa Monica.

Raised in a bicultural household with a Venezuelan physician as a father who brought pictures of dead bodies found in swamps to the dinner table and a mother who got her master’s degree in statistics, Christine Suarez pursued an unanticipated career.

A tall, looming skeleton with arms spread open reveals its scrap metal rib cage and welcomes its guests as they shuffle silently through the Haitian art gallery.

Seated in a small venue enclosed by narrow black walls, the stage is dark with white fluttering projections of the famous telltale moth.

It was in her blood. One of her first words was “Leo,” the name of her stuffed lion. And from an early age, Laurel Serieys knew that her passion rested within researching wild cats and learning the impact of urban society on their survival.

Late at night in a dark church basement, Nerris Nassiri, the assistant director, had the challenge of working on one of the most difficult scenes during the Hooligan Theatre Company’s rehearsal.

Over the last 75 years, the name UCLA Live has evolved from the Department of Fine Arts Productions to UCLA Presents to UCLA of Performing Arts to UCLA Live as of 10 years ago. Come May 22, the name shall transform once again and become the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA.

As part of an elaborate display to ward off evil during Chinese New Year in Korean farming communities, Poongmul drummers clothe themselves in simple black and white robes with brilliant bands of yellow, blue and red across their arms and chest. The colors blur together while they dance in a circular train, hitting hourglass hand drums with mallets and producing a chest-vibrating beat.

The overwhelming harmonics and echoing sound of brass and string instruments fill the vast space of the extravagant Crystal Cathedral in England and create a divine explosion of sound.