Canadian visitors explore exhaustion in West LA; festivals celebrate dance women in University Park, Hollywood, El Sereno, Frogtown, and Palm Desert; South Asian dance in Santa Monica; contemporary ballet in El Sereno and Downtown LA; dance from the AIDS epidemic revisited in Westwood; more SoCal dance this busy week, and a peek at next week.
Live This Week (thru March 12)
Festival moves
Hosted by MashUp Contemporary Dance Company, this year’s International Women’s Day Dance Festival expands to three days and travels among several venues for with performances showcasing women choreographers, a dance film festival, an awards presentation, workshops, and classes. Friday’s opening film festival brings six dance films curated from hundreds of submissions. The selected filmmakers are Christina Camacho, Jordyn Apostolache, Hanna DiLorenzo, Fina Ferrara, Tamara Ayrapetyan, Laura Arend, and Brian Ca. Friday also includes presentation of “Exemplary Women in Dance” awards to LA-based dancemakers Boróka Nagy and Vanessa Hernández Cruz. Saturday offers two performances, both with choreography from Margaux Gex, Isabella Lown, Kamryn Funk, Katie Hazard, Mia Giovanna Kuzma, Rebecca Horner, Ariel Scott, Amaya Alvarado, Neaz Kohani, and Jordyn Santiago. Sunday is devoted to dance classes. Full details and tickets at the website. Friday at West Hollywood Library, 625 N. San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood; Fri., May 6, 7 pm, $10. Saturday at the Stomping Ground, 5453 Alhambra Ave., El Sereno; Sat., March 8, 3:30 & 7:30 pm., $35. Sunday at The Pickle Factory, 2828 Gilroy St., Frogtown; Sun., March 9, 10:30 am-5:30pm, $15 per class, $65 class pass, $90 festival pass. MashUp Intl Women’s Day Fest
MashUp Contemporary Dance Company photo courtesy of the artist
De-Cyphering
Performances, an exhibition dance battle, panels, and a block party are part of Cypher Summit: Celebrating Women in Hip-Hop and Street Dance, a free (with reservation), two-day event hosted by USC Kaufman Dance. The biennial event honors the legacy and lived histories of street dance culture as well as cultivating an exchange with academia. Performances from 2-3 pm bring Andrea Rodriguez & Collective, Chaotic 3, LaTasha Barnes & Collective, Sonseeahray “Yoda” Jones, and Versa-Style Street Dance Company, plus AryLOVE, Crystal “Crysstyle” Jackson Singletary, and Emily Liu. Details on all events at the website. Glorya Kaufman International Dance Center, 849 W. 34th St., University Park; Performance Sat., March 7, 2-6:30 pm, free w/reservation. Workshops-Fri. March 6, 4-8:30 pm and Sat., March 7, 3:30-4:30 pm. Block Party-Sat., March 7, 5-6:30 pm, events free w/reservation at Women in Hip Hop & Street Dance
USC Kaufman Dance-Cypher Summit: Celebrating Women in Hip-Hop and Street Dance. Photo courtesy of the artists
Birthday varieties
In addition to the contemporary ballets of choreographer Kenneth Walker, the eponymous SoCal-based Kenneth Walker Dance Project also is known for its affinity for the ballet creations of the late Gerald Arpino, choreographer and co-founder of the Joffrey Ballet. In Re:Bound, A Winter Repertory Performance, Walker and his dancers bring Birthday Variations, Arpino’s take on ballet music that Giuseppe Verdi added to his operas for Paris performances. Works by Walker complete the program, including his Savage Grace. At the Stomping Ground, 5453 Alhambra Ave., El Sereno; Sun., March 8, 3 pm, $33. Kenneth Walker Dance Project
Dancer Teresa Dietrich of Kenneth Walker Dance Project. Photo by Olivia Hamilton
Ballet double bill
Continuing its commitment to ballets by George Balanchine, American Contemporary Ballet offers a double bill with live music under the banner Balanchine: Twin Masterpieces. ACB touts that these have never been performed together before, a fact that may reflect the ballets’ structural similarities. Set to Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins, Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco captures Bach’s first and second violins in two female dancers with the corps articulating the orchestra. Created in 1941, a time Balanchine’s fledgling ballet company was shy on male dancers, Barocco has a cast of 11 women and one man called upon for strong partnering skills in the middle movement. With music by Leo Delibes, Balanchine created La Source in 1961 as a pas de deux for Violette Verdy and John Prinz, and later expanded the work, surrounding the duo with an all-female corps de ballet. The company includes several seasoned dancers including Maté Szentes and Madeline Houk, who know their Balanchine. ACB Studios, Bank of America Plaza, 333 S. Hope St., Downtown LA; opens Fri., March 6, 8 pm, then Thurs.-Sat., 8 pm, thru Fri., March 27, $65-$140. American Contemporary Ballet
Maté Szentes and Madeline Houk of American Contemporary Ballet. Photo by Anastasia Petukhova
Canadian visitors
Performed with Nils Levazeux, Quebec-based choreographer Manuel Roque explores the boundaries of endurance and concentration in his 50-minute long, jump-filled duet bang bang. The work is described as seeking “a deeper reflection on resilience, connection, and the human body under pressure.” At Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz, 10361 W. Pico Blvd., West LA; Fri., March 6, 8 pm, $40, $32 seniors/students; Manuel Roque – bang bang
Nils Levazeux and Manuel Roque. Photo courtesy of the artists
Resilience
The Sikh arts platform, Sikhlens showcases contemporary South Asian dance from Sa Dance Company. Led by founder Payal Kadakia, the dancers perform Rise. At the Broad Stage, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica; Fri., March 6, 8 pm, $35-$45. Sa Dance Company
Sa Dance Company. Photo courtesy of the artists
Surviving uncertain times
When it premiered 30 years ago in the midst of the AIDS epidemic, a major reviewer declared that the text woven through the choreography, words from real people living with life-threatening illnesses, made Still/Here unreviewable. The controversy that ensued surrounded the reviewer, choreographer Bill T. Jones, and his company Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company that still bore the name of his life and dance partner who died from AIDS. The powerful work at the center became known more for the furor than the substance and message of the crafted work. With this landmark return, the company and choreographer reprise the work with its consideration of survival, memory and what it means to live fully in uncertain times, ready to be viewed through a new lens after three decades, the Covid-19 pandemic, and swirling contemporary life-threatening uncertainties, not all related to health. At UCLA, Royce Hall, 10756 Dickson Ct., Westwood; Thurs., March 5, 8 pm, $42-$64. Bill T Jones/Arnie Zane Company
Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company. Photo courtesy of the artists
Talent time
Dance is among the talents on display in Queenfest, this month’s edition of High Voltage. Scheduled to coincide with First Fridays on nearby Abott Kinney Boulevard, this time a pageant-style show promises to entertain and crown a queen. At Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice, Fri., March 6, 8 pm, $20. High Voltage
In a trance
Drawing on the world’s transcendental spiritual practices, the Resonance Collective offers SAMĀ, exploring trance through dance, voice, percussion, projections and other media. At Highways Performance Space, 1651 18th St., Santa Monica; Fri-Sat., March 6-7, 8 pm, $25-$40, $20 students/seniors. Resonance Collective
Backhausdance. Photo by Kira Bartoli
Gala #1
Excerpts from the spring season highlight the performance portion of Backhausdance‘s Spring Fête. In addition to the company’s dancing, guests too can dance to live music plus a silent auction, dinner, and a chance to mingle. At the Pacific Club, 4110 MacArthur Blvd., Newport Beach; Sat., March 7, 5:30-10 pm, $275-$375. Backhausdance Spring Fête
Nickerson-Rossi Dance courtesy of artists
Gala #2
The contemporary company Nickerson-Rossi Dance moves inside an art museum for Female Aesthetic. Dancers provide physicalized responses to the art works on display as part of the evening. At Palm Springs Art Museum,.101 Museum Dr., Palm Springs, Fri., March 6, 6:30 pm, $150. Nickerson-Rossi Dance
A Peek at Next Week (March 13-19)
Versa-Style Dance Company – Tribute: Guardians of Street Dance, Carpenter Center, Cal State University Long Beach, 6200 E. Atherton St., Long Beach; Fri., March 13, 7 pm, $15. Versa-Style Street Dance
Jacob Jonas/The Company – Keeping Score at the Broad Stage, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica; Thurs.-Fri., March 19-20, 7:30 pm, Sun., March 22, 2 & 6 pm, $35-$65. Jacob Jonas
Flamenco Arts International – Songs from a Sinking Ship at Irvine Barclay Theatre, UC Irvine, 4242 Campus Dr., Irvine; Fri., March 13, 8 pm, $34-$140. Flamenco Arts International
Flamenco Arts International in Songs From a Sinking Ship. Photo by Ramon San Pablo
Paul Taylor Dance Company at Musco Center for the Arts, Chapman University, 415 N. Glassell, Orange; Wed., Mar. 18, 7:30 pm, $25-$68. https://muscocenter.org/Online/mapSelect.asp
Little Women Ballet Company – Inaugural Showcase at Pasadena Civic Ballet, 253 N. Vinedo Ave., Pasadena; Sat., March 14, 7 pm, $25-$65. Little Women Ballet
Volta Collective and Freak Nature Puppets – Dis-Order at Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Brentwood; Thurs.-Fri., March 19-20, 8 pm, $40, $30 seniors, students, children 2-17. Volta Collective – Dis-Order
Heidi Duckler Dance – 4D Dance Films at the Bendix Building Rooftop, 12065 Maple Ave., Suite 1101B, Downtown LA Arts District; Fri., March 13, 7 pm, free with reservation at 4D Dance Films
Featured image: MashUp Contemporary Dance – photo courtesy of the artists
Ann Haskins’ Blog appears at CulturalDaily.com