The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 38

CALENDAR NA calendarlive.com A22 Frankfurt, Germany UROPE is on a war footing. Awalk around the sprawling Messe Frankfurt complex, home of the International Auto Show, reveals how deadly serious European regulators are about curbing greenhouse-gas emissions, at least relative to the laissez faire Americans. It also shows how far European carmakers have to go. Frankfurt is the show where carmakers roll out their autobahn artillery witness eighth-generation S-class sedan and enormous Q7 luxury SUV, both unveiled last week at the show, which is held every two years. And yet there is doubt about how these enormous cars, which seem a part of some previous modus vivendi, fit into regulatory landscape.

For example, the European Union has targeted that by 2009, the European new car fleet will have to average something like 40 miles per gallon. virtually climate martial law. All other things being equal, European manufacturers particularly global giants such as the VW Group and DaimlerChrysler rely on their historic advantages in diesel technology to meet these goals (diesel engines get anywhere from to better fuel economy than gasoline RUMBLE SEAT DAN NEIL Boris Roessler EPA SEPTEMBERFEST: Visitors flock to hall at the Frankfurt auto show to see latest offerings, including a couple of hybrid concept models. Achtung, Bel-Air Think luxurious. Think flash.

OK, even hybrid. The Germans are. (Think about that, L.A.) CAR ENVY: new S-class sedan is ready for its close-up outside Alte Oper (old Opera House) during the International Auto Show. Bernd Kammerer Associated Press See Auto show, Page A24 By Ralph Vartabedian Times Staff Writer NEW ORLEANS If you have a tendency to drive the wrong way on one-way streets, park in the middle of the road or blow through intersections controlled by signals, then you might fit into the disorder and chaos of New Orleans in recent weeks. The emergency workers and remaining residents here have faced countless challenges to See New Orleans, Page A24 An impasse inside a disaster The flood-induced transportation troubles in New Orleans can provide lessons for quake-prone L.A.

By Lewis Segal Times Staff Writer have guessed that the most important ballet stage in Southern California would become a platform for chronicling the reforms in Communist censorship policies? Just six weeks ago, the Orange County Performing Arts Center presented the Bolshoi Ballet in a newly choreographed version of Bright aballet originally banned in Russia partly because it dared take lightly some of the imperatives of socialist realism. Now the same venue is presenting the National Ballet of China in a newly choreographed adaptation of the Red a motion picture banned in China when it was released in 1991, apparently because it dared depict some of the nastiest consequences of traditional Sino-sexism. In their countries of origin, the mere existence of these projects dramatizes the freedoms currently granted to artists: how far come from the bad old days, etc. For a foreign audience, however, these status as footnotes to history and their unusually lavish sets and costumes begin to bring their characters to life or make their choreographies Gary Friedman Los Angeles Times ACHILL: Snow delicately blankets broken bodies in National Ballet of the Red directed by Zhang Yimou, who also directed the 1991 film. The production is touring.

DANCE REVIEW More freedom, yet constrained China now allows the telling of this story, but a wooden staging dims See Page A23 By Paul Lieberman and Diane Haithman Times Staff Writers Lisa 27-year veteran of the Guggenheim organization who was recently courted for a prominent post at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, will succeed the outspoken Thomas Krensas director of New Guggenheim Museum. Dennison, 52, currently deputy director and chief curator for the museum, will take over as director Oct. 1 while continuing to serve as chief curator for the Guggenheim museums worldwide. Krens, who for 17 years led both the New York museum and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation which also operates museums in Bilbao, Spain; Berlin; Venice; and Las Vegas will continue to oversee the other museums as director of the foundation.

Dennison will continue to report to Krens. is still the chief artistic officer, so to speak, of the Dennison told The Times. have very different strengths; he is certainly out there on the international scene, and step back from that a assignment to focus on the management of the New York museum raised questions as to whether the move was aimed at mitigating recent criticism leveled at Krens for overspending in his quest for worldwide expansion. In January, philanthropist Peter B. Lewis, chairman of the Progressive Corp.

auto insurance company in Cleveland, resigned as chairman of the New York museum, saying he disagreed with focus on international expansion. A trustee since 1993, Lewis had become the top benefactor, contributing $77 million over the years. Krens did not return a call for comment on appointment. Dennison confirmed having talks with Eli Broad, most powerful trustee and biggest donor, about at the county museum. longtime director, Andrea Rich, announced in early April that she would step down effective in November.

Rich cited power struggles with some board members among her reasons to resign. Before announcement, Dennison was among those Broad had approached about a newly created position of deputy director to oversee planned facility for contemporary art. The building is to be named for Broad, who has pledged the money to fund it as well as other contemporary art programs. LACMA officials were unavailable for comment Wednesday, but Broad confirmed conversations with Dennison about the deputy job. NEW GUGGENHEIM PICKS DENNISON AS NEW DIRECTOR.