Circling the Globe

San Francisco visitors bring Gothic horror ballet to Costa Mesa; folklorico in Hollywood; tango in Glendale; flamenco in Malibu, Long Beach, and West Hollywood; iconic musical theater live downtown, also livestreamed to Santa Monica and Altadena; screen dance in the Arts District; contemporary dance in El Sereno, Irvine, Santa Ana, downtown, and in a cornfield; plus more dance this week, and a peek at next week.

Live This Week

It’s ALIVE!

Gothic horror in pointe shoes and rock-concert worthy pyrotechnics are the calling cards as the superb dancers of San Francisco Ballet bring the full-length Frankenstein. The ballet’s success early in San Francisco Ballet’s last season prompted encore performances at the end of the season. The late Liam Scarlett used a palette of contemporary choreography to paint a cautionary tale of unexpected consequences unleashed when tampering with new possibilities of creation. This contemporary return follows SF Ballet’s July Hollywood Bowl performances with the LA Phil that emphasized classical repertoire backed by the LA Phil. This time the Pacific Symphony provides live music for what hopefully augurs for more frequent visits under new artistic director Tamara Rojo. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa; Thurs.-Fri., Oct. 2-3, 7:30 pm, Sat., Oct. 4, 2 & 7:30 pm, Sun., Oct. 5, 1 pm, $59-$179. San Francisco Ballet – Frankenstein

 
Dance gangs

The combined Broadway magic of Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, and Jerome Robbins captured in West Side Story launches the LA Opera season with a new production that sets a dance company worth of movers soaring to an opera orchestra of a size that few theaters can match. Robbins’ drew on his New York City Ballet as well as his Broadway jazz chops creating dances that fit with Bernstein’s melodies and Sondheim’s lyrics in a close knit seldom matched before or since. Production choreographer Joshua Bergasse has set Robbins original choreography, as sharp as the finger snap that ignites this iconic, still contemporary retelling Romeo and Juliet. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown; Thurs., Sept. 25, 7:30 pm, Sat., Sept. 27 & Oct. 4, 7:30 pm, Sun., 28, 2 pm. $32.50-$350. West Side Story

 
Live on stream

In addition to this Saturday’s live performance downtown, LA Opera offers a free simulcast of West Side Story at two locations. Santa Monica Pier, 200 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica; Sat., Sept. 27, 7:30 pm, pre-show activities at 5 pm free w/reservations strongly advised. LAOpera.org/Beach; Also at Alta Loma Park, 3330 N. Lincoln Ave., Altadena, Sat., Sept. 27, 7:30, pre-show activities at 4:30 pm, free w/reservations strongly advised. LAOpera.org/Park.

 
Legend legacies

Founded by modern dance legends José Limón and Doris Humphrey, the legacy dance ensemble Limon Dance Company brings a program showcasing works that made the two legends. Limón’s Orfeo retells the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, his Moor’s Pavane captures the Shakespeare tragedy in a succinct pas de quatre, and in A Suite of A Choreographic Offering, Limón’ pays tribute to Humphrey. Humphrey is represented by her early masterpiece Two Ecstatic Themes. Irvine Barclay Theatre, UC Irvine, 4242 Campus Dr., Irvine; Thurs., Sept. 25, 8 pm, $34-$140. https://www.thebarclay.org/Online/mapSelect.asp

 
Immersive trouble

Born in what was then Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, Nora Chipaumrie grew up in colonial Africa. She confronts colonial legacies in Dambudzo, which translates as “trouble.” The immersive work blends dance, sound, and visual art to conjure up the type of informal bar inside private residences where politics was discussed and community action planned. REDCAT, Disney Hall, 631 W. 2nd. St., Downtown; Thurs.-Sat., Sept. 25-27, 8 pm, $27, $22 students. REDCAT

 
Sharing the rhythm

A variety of Flamenco dance rhythms (palos), the dance of the bullfight (Paso Doble), and classical dance choreographed to Albeniz’ Asturias, is on the menu for Ecos De España, a family friendly program with dancers Yolanda Arroyo, Susana Elena & Albertossy Espinoza with guitarist Paco Arroyo. The afternoon includes a chance for audience participation in flamenco dance and a castanet lesson. West Hollywood Library, 625 N. San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood;  Sat., Sept. 27, 4 pm, free. Calendar | City of West Hollywood

 
Daring do

It was a one time flight of fancy. Choreographer Sarah Elgart, backed by the online magazine Cultural Daily, invited short video submissions under the banner Dare to Dance in Public. The one-off effort took flight and over the past ten years Elgart and co-director Zoe Rappaport, built D2D into an internationally recognized screen dance festival with a catalogue boasting films from nearly 50 countries. This 10th Anniversary Festival, judged by Kyle Abraham, Jasmine Albuquerque, Paul Lightfoot, and Rick Tia, includes two different programs of winning films plus a live performance from LA choreographer/director Nina McNeely. Each day’s film line up detailed at the website. LA Dance Project, 2245 E. Washington Blvd., Downtown Arts District; Sat., Sept. 27, 7:30 pm, Sun., Sept. 28, 5:30 pm, $25, $20 students, $40 festival pass for both days. Dare to Dance in Public

 
Afternoon at a museum

Collaborating with SoCal artist/musician Brennan Roach, the contemporary dance company Backhausdance riffs on the pop-surrealism of Roach’s current exhibit Visual Morphology. The event provides a simultaneous showcase for the art and the dance it inspires. Saturday’s premiere culminates a month of open rehearsals and community workshops as the site-specific dance evolved. Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, 117 N. Sycamore, Santa Ana; Sat., Sept. 27, 2 pm, free. Backhausdance Co-Lab Residency at OCCCA — Backhausdance

 
Festive tribute

An evening filled with music and folkloric dance, Tributo A Los Grandes: José José, Juan Gabriel & Vicente Fernández includes dancing from Folklorico Revolución. The music artists include Mariachi Tierra Mia, Maira Solis, Ivan Peña, Anthony Zuniga, Stephanie Amaro, and Deni Morales. The Ford Theatre, 2850 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood; Sun., Sept. 28, 7:30 pm, $44-$67. Folklorico Revolucion

 
It’s in the art

In Searching for Goya, Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca draw inspiration from the paintings of Spanish artist Francisco Goya. The dancers, musicians and singers promise to blend live flamenco dance with video projections that include Goya’s art. Smothers Theater, Pepperdine University, 24255 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu; Thurs., Oct. 2, 7:30 pm, $30.50-$58. Soledad Barrio-Pepperdine. Also at Carpenter Performing Arts Center, Cal State University Long Beach, 6200 Atherton St., Long Beach; Sat., Oct. 4, 8 pm, $38.75-$78.75. Noche Flamenca

Community storytelling

Founder Winnie Mu envisions Dream Screen as a celebration of community and new ways of story-telling. The one-night event includes performance and film screening. Stomping Ground LA, 5453 Alhambra Ave., El Sereno; Fri., Sept 26, 7-9 pm, $28.25. Dream Screen

 
What’s forever?

A cornfield provides the setting for interdisciplinary artist 011668 who draws on Butoh dance, tokusatsu, and film noir. The event is part of LACE Forever. Cornfield at Metabolic Studio, 1745 N. Spring St., Chinatown; Thurs., Sept. 25, 8:30 pm, $55-$108.55, $28.52 students (w/fees).  011668

A Peek at Next Week (Oct. 3-9)

Kenneth Walker Dance Project  – Spellbound at Blackbox Theater, Westside Ballet, 1709 Stewart St., Santa Monica; Sun., Oct. 5, 8 pm, $33. Kenneth Walker Dance Project

Diavolo – Escape at L’Espace Diavolo Studios, 616 Moulton Ave., Lincoln Heights;  Sat., Oct. 4, 8 pm, Sun., Oct. 5, 6 pm; then Fri.-Sat., 8 pm, Sun., 6 pm, thru Sun., Nov. 23, 6 pm,  $51.74-$93.14. Diavolo – Escape

HomeLA & Genna Moroni – The Weight of a Dream at the MHA Site Office, 990 Hanley Ave., Crestwood Hills  Sat., Oct. 4, 7:30 pm, $35. HomeLA-Genna Moroni

Martha Graham Dance Company – Graham 100 at the Soraya, Cal State University Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge; Sat., Oct. 4, 8 pm, $59-$117. Graham 100

 
A Taste of Ireland at Irvine Barclay Theatre, UC Irvine, 4242 Campus Dr., Irvine; Thurs., Oct. 9, 7:30 pm, $59-$89. The Irvine Barclay. Also at The Alex Theater, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale; Sat., Oct. 11, 7 pm, $79-$89. https://www.thealex.com/shows

Will Rawls – Unmade at Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood; Sun., Oct. 5, Sat., Nov. 1, Sat., Dec. 6, Sat., Jan. 17, 2026, Sat., Feb. 5, 2026, noon to 4 pm, free. Hammer Museum

State Street Ballet – 31st Anniversary Gala at Music Academy of the West, 1070 Fairway Rd., Santa Barbara; Sat., Oct. 4, 5 pm, $350 and up. RSVP for Annual Gala — State Street Ballet

Rosanna Gamson/WorldWide – Blue (preview) at Pieter Performance Space, 2701 N. Broadway, Downtown; Sun., Oct. 5, 4 pm, free w/reservation at RGWW-Blue

 
Grupo Folklórico de UCLA – UCLA Fowler Museum, 308 Charles E Young Drive North, Westwood; Wed., Oct. 8, 6 pm, free w/reservation  Fowler folklorico

Works in Progress (WIP) Season 4 – Mamie Green & Emily Mast at Wende Museum, Glorya Kaufman Community Center, 10808 Culver Blvd., Culver City; Mon., Oct. 6, 7:30 pm, free w/reservation at WIP

Patagonia Tango Company – Furia Tanguera at the Alex Theater, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale; Fri., Oct. 3, 8 pm, $43-$103. . https://www.thealex.com/shows

Max 10 at the Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice; Mon., Oct. 6, 8 pm, $15,  MAX 10

Heidi Duckler Dance – 40 Years Off the Stage at The California Club, 538 Flower St., Downtown; Sat., Oct. 4, 5 pm, $400 and up.  Heidi Duckler 40th Anniversary

Little Boy/Little Man at the Geffen Playhouse,10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood; Thurs., Oct. 9, then Wed.-Thurs., 7:30 pm, Fri., 8 pm, Sat., 3 & 8 pm, Sun., 2 pm, thru Sun., Nov. 2, $45-$139.  Little Boy/Little Man

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Featured image:  Dare to Dance (D2D) – photo courtesy of the artist

Ann Haskins’ Blog appears at CulturalDaily.com