Walt Disney Concert Hall regularly hosts orchestras, ensembles and bands, but it is not often that dancers command the esteemed concert stage. This Friday through Sunday, a select roster of Paris Opera Ballet superstars who have danced in some of France’s most beautiful landmarks and chateaux will be performing “The Music Center’s BalletNOW: Superstars of Paris” at Walt Disney Concert Hall, LA’s own iconic architectural gem.
“Walt Disney Concert Hall is an extraordinary space,” said The Music Center’s President and CEO Rachel. S. Moore. “In the performing arts world, there are theaters that have prosceniums and then there are concert stages, which don’t have wings — so dance isn’t generally done on a concert stage setting.”
But Paris Opera Ballet Étoile (principal dancer) Hugo Marchand is extraordinary, according to Moore, and he has pulled together incredible dancers from Paris Opera who have performed in unusual places like chateaux and gardens in France. When Marchand expressed interest in doing a site-specific performance at the Concert Hall, Moore knew it would be brilliance in motion.
Before Moore was the president and CEO of The Music Center, she started life as a professional ballet dancer with American Ballet Theatre. An injury forced her to switch careers. She went back to graduate school and ended up assuming the role of CEO of American Ballet Theatre for 11 years. In 2015, when the CEO position opened at The Music Center, she jumped at the idea to return to her native California.
“I was interested in how The Music Center has a dual role as both a cultural leader and a civic leader, and I thought that being able to do work that intersects people’s cultural lives and civic lives would be interesting,” Moore said.
One of the first actions under Moore’s leadership was a major renovation of the plaza that transformed how people could enter The Music Center. Escalators, restaurants and new restrooms were added.
“We leaned into this notion that we want The Music Center to be accessible to everyone, to have everyone feel like they belong,” she shared. “We do not want to be this scary white castle on the hill but rather a place for everyone. The plaza is the physical manifestation of that value of having a place where people can come and enjoy the arts, enjoy each other and have a sense of community.”
Over the last decade, her team has worked to uplift free and low-cost programming by activating Gloria Molina Grand Park and Jerry Moss Plaza.
The Music Center’s Dance DTLA takes place on Fridays through Aug. 14 at Jerry Moss Plaza. This year is the 22nd summer of free outdoor dance parties, featuring dance lessons, live DJ sets, interactive experiences, food and drinks.
Each week features a different dance and music style, so one Friday could be Colombian, another disco and another Texas two-step. People from all over and of all ages come together, bring picnics and dance.
“It’s not about being good,” said Moore. “It’s about having fun.”
On Aug. 15 at Jerry Moss Plaza, Los Mirlos, the first Peruvian band to perform at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, will perform at The Music Center’s annual free summer concert, Live at The Music Center.
“We feel our mission is to deepen the cultural lives of every resident of Los Angeles County,” said Moore. “We evolved that vision because culture happens everywhere, and we are here to help people engage with culture. We want everybody’s culture to be honored and uplifted and enjoyed. At the end of the day, the arts make people’s lives better. Our job is to make sure that as many people as possible have access to something that makes their lives better.”
The ramifications of COVID have been long-lasting for live entertainment. People behave differently; they are much more selective about what they do and where they go. The Music Center, like everything else, has had to adapt to make every event a special event — something that can only be experienced in person, which, as Moore sees it, is performing arts’ superpower.
“People long to come together,” she relayed. “COVID left such a feeling of isolation and loneliness. We bring people together in a community to jointly share the joy of an experience.”
“I love being at the performances or in the middle of activities and seeing people having a wonderful time,” she continued. “The joy on people’s faces when they’re at Dance DTLA or when they’re in a theater or kids are doing arts education activities. The reason we get up every day is to see how the arts are transforming people’s lives for the better.”
The Music Center’s BalletNOW: Superstars of Paris
WHEN: July 31 at 7:30 p.m., Aug. 1 at 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.; Aug. 2 at 2 p.m.
WHERE: Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles
INFO: musiccenter.org/tickets-free-events/tmc-arts/dance/the-music-center-s-balletnow-superstars-of-paris