Dancing on Hiatus

Contemporary ballet in East L.A.; Balinese dance in Westwood; new works and 30 troupes in Santa Monica; Mexican folkloric in Hollywood, the end of NOW, a start up showcase and high rise ballet downtown, and more SoCal dance this week.

5. The last of 2017 NOW

A known incubator for cutting edge dance and other performing arts, REDCAT’s New Original Works (NOW) Festival concludes with a trio of artists for the last of NOWS’ three weekends. Gina Young’s Butch Ballet has no ballet, but boasts a cast of gender nonconforming and non-binary performers celebrating female masculinity. Artaud in the Black Lodge considers psychic connections between Artaud, Wiliam S. Burroughs and David Lynch. Luis Lara Malvacías and Jeremy Nelson continue their commitment to structured improvisational duets that proceed through the alphabet from A to Z. REDCAT, 631 W. 2^nd St., downtown; Thurs.-Sat., Aug. 10-12, 8:30 p.m., $20, $16 students. 213-237-2800, http://redcat.org.

REDCAT New Original Works (NOW) Festival’s Luis Lara Malvacías & Jeremy Nelson. Photo by Laura Fuchs.

4. 2017 Mix Match opens

Opening night of the Mix Match Festival presents an array of styles with a sampling of the 30 companies performing during the four day festival. Now in its 11^th year, the host company Hart Pulse Dance knows how to put on a festival. A complete list of the performers at http://HartPulseDance.com. Miles Memorial Playhouse, 1130 Lincoln Blvd., Santa Monica; Thurs.-Sat., Aug. 17-19, 7:30 p.m., Sun., Aug. 20, 2 p.m., $18. http://HartPulseDance.com.

Mix Match Festival. Photo courtesy of the festival.

3. A line up of New Shoes

The latest edition of New Shoes showcases emerging and established choreographers and ensembles including Jamie Carr/Authenticity: Grooves, Madison Clark, Belle Jessen/indigo projects, Keri Prokopidis, Pia Vinson, and Amanda Kay White. They tackle subjects that include vulnerability, intimacy that doesn’t quite fit, memories of the past, being in the present, grieving, and learning from experience. Highways Performance Space, 18^th Street Arts Center, 1651 18^th St., Santa Monica; Fri.-Sat., Aug 11-12, 8:30 p.m., $20, $15 students & seniors. 310-315-1459, http://highwaysperformance.org.

New Shoes’ Amanda Kay White. Photo by Emily Duncan.

2. Gamelon for a new century

A five-part kinetic sculpture developed by artist/composer Aaron Taylor Kuffner in consultation with Balinese master gamelon makers, the Gamelatron Bunganya Dewa (translates from Indonesian as Flowers of the Gods) is the centerpiece of these special 30-minute performances by dancer/choreographer/musician I Nyoman Wenten to improvised music from Kuffner. The dancing is this one day, the installation is on view through Aug. 13. UCLA Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood; Sat., Aug. 12, 2 & 4 p.m., free. http://hammer.ucla.edu.

Gamelatron Bunganya Dewa’ I Nyoman Wenten. Photo courtesy of the artist.

1. What dancers do on summer break

L.A. based choreographer Raiford Rogers takes advantage of high quality dancers on hiatus during the summer to assemble his Raiford Rogers Modern Ballet, including familiar faces from Los Angeles Ballet like Kate Highstrete, Liz Walker and Chelsea Paige Johnson. Also returning is the commanding Bobby Briscoe. This time Rogers’ architectural choreography enjoys live music from the Jacaranda Chamber Orchestra playing Stravinsky’s Concerto in D for Strings, Zbynek Mateju’s Still Life and a new work set to Mateju’s Joshua Tree Symphony. Rogers’ returns after more than a year. This concert marks his welcome return and the return of some striking dancers before a scheduled tour to the Czech Republic next year. Luckman Fine Arts Complex, Cal State University Los Angeles, 5151 State University Dr., E.L.A.; Sat., Aug. 12, 8 p.m., $40-$60, $25 students. http://luckmanarts.org.