Science meets dance in Hollywood and Palms, a jazzed anniversary celebration in West Adams; new contemporary choreography in Pasadena, Hollywood, and downtown; a flamenco/folklorico blend in Venice, Kabuki-infused Sondheim in Little Tokyo, more SoCal dance this busy week, and a peek at next week.
Live This Week
(through November 21)
Rhythmic moves
To mark its 30th anniversary exploring jazz dance as a vital thread in jazz music, JazzAntiqua Dance & Music Ensemble celebrates with new works by artistic director Pat Taylor, Bernard Brown, Tashara Gavin-Moorehead and company members. The banner is Ritual of Rhythm. The party is at Nate Holden Performing Arts Center, 4718 W. Washington Blvd., West Adams; Sat., Nov. 16, 8 pm, $30. https://www.ebonyrep.org/ Tickets: https://www.itsmyseat.com/ERT/
JazzAntiqua Dance Ensemble – (L-R) Chris Smith, Daniel Moore – Photo by Malcolm Ali
Maybe hip hop can explain AI
The mysteries surrounding Artificial Intelligence may get some clarification as Donna Sternberg & Dancers tackle the subject of AI in its positive and negative potentialities. For the sixth and latest edition of Awe and Wonder, choreographers again were partnered with scientists to create danceworks illuminating aspects of this topical scientific issues. For AI and the Metaverse, Sternberg enlisted scientists Yajie Zhao, David Nelson, Aiichiro Nakano, and Shrikanth Narayanan, who work in the realms of AI, digital evolution, and beyond. The scientists were paired with choreographers Tai White (hip-hop), Aubre Hill (Middle Eastern), Wilfried Souly (African), and Sternberg (contemporary). Find out what they found. Turning Point School, 8780 National Blvd., Culver City; Sat., Nov. 16, 8 pm, Sun., Nov. 17, 3 pm, $30, $25 students/seniors pre-sale, $35, $30 students/seniors at door. https://dsdancers.com/awewonder
Donna Sternberg & Dancers. Photo courtesy of the artists
Rooted feelings
In Resonance, the subject is empathy, considered in dance works commissioned by LA Dance Project. For the project, choreographers Bobbi Jene Smith, Or Schraiber, Francesca Harper, and Rauf Yasit collaborated with research scientists to consider the biological basis of empathy. The performance is followed by an audience discussion. Part of the Getty’s PST exploration of science and art. Barnsdall Park 4800 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., Nov. 15-16, 1 pm, free w/reservation at https://ladanceproject.org/events/ladp-performs-resonance
Bobbi Jene Smith – photo courtesy of the artist
Getting started
In an ongoing effort to cultivate young choreographers, Nancy Evans Dance Theatre’s program, The Inner Voices Project, mentors new works from concept to production. This time, the result is five premieres from Sophia Bernardo, Alice Lousen, Jackie Pierce, Jacob Schmieder-Hacker, and Mairi Tahmizyan. Guest artists Sadie Brown, Thomas Ng and trainee Julie Turner, join the NEDT dancers for the performance. ARC Pasadena (A Room to Create), 1158 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena; Sat., Nov. 16, 8 pm, Sat., Nov. 17, 4 pm, $25, $20 students/seniors. https://www.nancyevansdancetheatre.com/events
Nancy Evans Dance Theatre. Photo courtesy of the artists
Just for Now
This year’s New Original Works (NOW) Fest continues for two more weeks. Week 2 includes Tijuana Dance Company exploring the border city’s nightlife in Salón México, Ajani Brannum’s CONGRESS with five performers who move, speak, and sing as themselves and their patriarchal predecessors, and Sophia Cleary’s Read the Room as rehearsal interactions become a metaphor for contemporary blurring of fact and fiction. Week 3 brings Bret Easterling and Kensaku Shinohara. More on them next week. Full festival info for each week at the website. REDCAT, Disney Hall, 631 W. 2nd St., downtown; Thurs.-Sat., Nov. 14-16, & 21-23, 8:30 pm, $25, $20 students. https://www.redcat.org/events
Tijuana Dance Company. Photo courtesy of the artists
Fusion dance
Mexican folkloric dance meets Spanish flamenco as Corina del Sol unveils Frida & Flamenco. Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice, Sun., Nov. 17, 6 pm, $30. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/frida-and-flamenco-tickets-1003194520817
Señora Corina Del Sol. Photo by Sari Makki
Not a retreat
With a focus on the “el desmadre” (the messiness) that is their first-generation Mexican American experience, Primera Generación Dance Collective brings their newest, NOStalgia POP, to the !Hay Festival!, co-presented by ShowBox LA. Full details at the website. Joshua Tree Retreat Center, 59700 29 Palms Highway Joshua Tree; Fri., Nov. 15, 7 pm, Sat., Nov. 16, 2 pm, $9.85-$17.85. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hay-festival-primera-generacion-dance-collectives-nostalgia-pop-tickets-1073866145549.
Primera Generación Dance Collective – Photo by Steve Rosa.
Booker prize to puppetry
The master puppeteers of Handspring Puppet Company who created War Horse, joined forces with Cape Town’s Baxter Theatre to create Life & Times of Michael K. Based on the 1983 Booker Prize winning novel by Nobel Laureate J.M.Coetze, the story follows a humble man on an epic journey. Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Bram Goldsmith Theater, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills; Thurs.-Sat., Nov. 21-23, 7:30 pm, Sat.-Sun., Nov. 22-23, 2 pm, $39-99. https://thewallis.org/
Life & Times of Michael K. Photo by Fiona McPherson
Just dreaming
The recurring rooftop soiree Truth or Consequences from Heidi Duckler Dance opens the fall/winter season with an exploratory opera, Life Cycle of a Fever Dream, from Julia Edith Rigby. The Bendix Building, 1206 Maple Ave., Suite 1100B, downtown; Sat., Nov. 16, 4-6 pm, $35. https://heididuckler.org/event/truth-or-consequences-life-cycle-of-a-fever-dream/
LA Opera’s “Romeo and Juliet.” Photo by Robert Millard
Opera moves
Known for her contemporary troupe Hysterica, Kitty McNamee has been a frequent choreographer for LA Opera, including the 2005 and 2011 productions of Gounod’s Romeo & Juliet. This time McNamee is directing the opera that has the chorus and leads dancing as well as singing. Music Center Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown; Thurs. Nov. 14, 7:30, Sun., Nov. 17, 2 pm, Wed. & Sat., Nov. 20 & 23, 7:30 pm, 7:30 pm, $33.50-$400. https://www.laopera.org/performances/2025/romeo-et-juliette
Kit DeZolt as Commodore Matthew Commodore Perry performing “Lion Dance.” Photo by Teolindo.
Back to the overtures
When East West Players chose Stephen Sondheim’s Pacific Overtures for the 50th anniversary of the show’s Broadway premiere, it also lured back former artistic director Tim Dang who directed the show when EWP moved to its current mid-sized theater in Little Tokyo. Dang not only brings a background in dance, he brought in three additional choreographers, Broadway dancer/choreographer Yuka Takara, Kabuki consultant Kirk Kanesaka (aka Gankyō Nakamura), and fight director Amanda Noriko Newman.The show continues EWP long history presenting Sondheim in a theater sized to allow audiences to see the full show and still hear every precious lyric. David Henry Hwang Theater in the Union Center for the Arts, 120 Judge John Aiso St., Little Tokyo; Thurs., Fri. & Mon, 8 pm, Sat. 2 & 8 pm, Sun. 5 pm, thru Dec. 1. $15-$74. https://www.eastwestplayers.org/pacific24
Back on the Beach
The grand daddy of all the cirques, Cirque du Soleil, returns with its signature tent and the show Kooza, brimming with acrobats and clowns. The two month run offers lots of time to catch the show, maybe more than once? Under the Big Top at Santa Monica Pier, 1550 Pacific Coast Hwy., Santa Monica; thru Sun., Jan. 5, $58-$344. Details on the many dates and times at the website. https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/kooza
Cirque du Soleil. Photo courtesy of the artists
Teasing
The title says it all: The Empire Strips Back: A Burlesque Parody. The show returns after its 2022 run at this venue. The Montalbán Theatre, 1615 Vine St., Hollywood; Thurs., 7:30 pm, Fri., 7 pm, Sat., 7 & 9:30 pm, Sun., 4 pm, thru Dec. 1. $44-$109. https://theempirestripsback.com/los-angeles/
A Peek at Next Week (November 22-28)
Urban Bush Women at the Music Center, Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown; Fri, Nov. 22, 7: 30 pm, Sat., Nov. 23, 2 & 7:30 pm, Sun., Nov. 24, 2 pm, $33-$70. https://www.musiccenter.org/tickets-free-events/tmc-arts/dance/urban-bush-women/
Little Women Ballet Heritage Square Museum, 3800 Homer St., Montecito Heights; Fri.-Sun., Nov. 22-24, 6:30 pm, Sat.-Sun., Nov. 23-24, 3 pm, $60. Details at https://www.littlewomenballet.com/upcoming-events. Tickets at https://30098.danceticketing.com/r/events/
Little Women Ballet – Photo courtesy of the company.
Caleb Teicher & Conrad Tao – 100th Anniversary of Rhapsody in Blue at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Concert Hall, 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa; Sat., Nov. 23, 8 pm, $42.94-$99.44 https://www.scfta.org/
Rudy Perez Retrospective – Celebrating the late post modern legend’s 95th Birthday at Highways Performance Space, 1651 18th St., Santa Monica; Sun., Nov. 24, 3 pm, $25, $20 students/seniors. https://www.highwaysperformance.org/events/rudy-perez-retrospective
Ballet BC at the Soraya, Cal State University Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge; Sat., Nov. 23, 8 pm, $48-$118. https://thesoraya.org/whats-on/en/ballet-bc/
Featured image: Jazz Antiqua Music & Dance Ensemble – photo by George Simian
Ann Haskins Blog appears at CulturalDaily.com
