A Santa Monica dance festival mixes it up; contemporary companies team up in Culver City; a South Asian protegé steps up in Santa Clarita; ten minute tastes in Venice; dancing musicals in Hollywood and Downtown, more dance this week, and a peek at next week.
Live This Week
Something familiar, something less so
Under the banner Fog, this shared concert combines the innovative moves of Jacob Jonas/The Company with Danielle Agami’s Ate 9. A known figure in local dance, Jonas and his dancers recently staged pop-up events in warehouses and film soundstages. This time, Jonas premieres Grip, promising a trio with a score by Live Footage performed live. The show marks Agami’s return after departing LA two years ago. She arrives with a new work, new dancers, and an original score performed live by Yuka Honda. The collaborative effort is another instance of this venue’s emergence as a home for dance. Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City; Fri.-Sat., Aug. 29-30, $57.75. Jacob Jonas/Ate9
Jacob Jonas/The Company. Photo courtesy of the artists
A bit of this, a bit of that
An end of summer certainty, the 16th Annual MixMatch Dance Festival returns with an eclectic line up of dance. Hosted by Amanda Hart and her HartPulse Dance Company, look for genres and styles ranging from jazz to ballet, contemporary to street, tap to belly, along with pole, lyrical, hip hop, folk, and dance on film. Too many to list here. Check the website for a complete rundown. Highways Performance Space, 1651 18th St., Santa Monica; Fri.-Sat., Aug. 29-30, 7 pm, Sun., Aug. 21, 2 pm, $25.99 (w/fee). MixMatch Dance Festival
MixMatch Dance Festival. Photo courtesy of the artists
Going solo
A protegé of Rangoli Dance Company founder/director Malathi Iyengar, Yamuna Samendra Lech makes her solo debut in Arangetram. Sharon Disney Lund Dance Theater, CalArts, 24700 McBean Parkway, Santa Clarita; Sat., Aug. 30, 5 pm, information at Rangoli
Max 10. Photo courtesy of the artists.
It’s a ten
Ten performers, including dancers, each with ten minutes to win over the audience. It’s the mostly monthly, first Monday series, Max 10. Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice; Mon., Sept. 1, 8 pm, $15, Max 10
& Juliet. Photo by Matthew Murphy
Two chances for “What if?”
Exploring what would have happened if, after finding Romeo dead, she had decided not to die with him, the Tony-nominated & Juliet opens for a month-long run downtown before moving to Costa Mesa for several more weeks. Preview clips at the venue website. Ahmanson Theater, Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave., Downtown; Tues.-Thurs., 7:30 pm, Fri., 8 pm, Sat., 2 & 8 pm, Sun., 1 & 7 pm, thru Sun., Sept. 7, $51-$259. Center Theater Group- & Juliet Also at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Dr., Sept. 9-21, Tues.-Fri., 7:30 pm, Sat., 2 & 7:30 pm, Sun., 1 & 6:30 pm, $54-$184. https://www.scfta.org/events/2025/juliet
Shucked. Photo courtesy of the artists
Let the corn puns begin
This is the first time a dancing corn cob chorus line has been included among upcoming dance events, but it is one of the highlights of Shucked, the Tony-nominated musical about a farm town where the corn is dying and a swindling ‘corn doctor’ offers dubious help. A bit like The Music Man with corn instead of a boys band. The reviews from the Broadway run suggest lots corn puns, some hopeful fun, and Sarah O’Gleby’s choreography, including that corn cob kickline. After this national tour moves on, it returns in November for an Orange County run. An extended YouTube clip from Good Morning America (Shucks on GMA) provides a corny taste. Pantages Theater, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; then Tues.-Thurs., 7:30 pm, Fri., 8 pm, Sat., 2 & 8 pm, Sun., 1 & 6:30 pm, thru Sun., Sept. 7, $44-$246. https://www.broadwayinhollywood.com/events/detail/shucked
A Peek at Next Week (Sept. 5-11)
Sabela Grimes at Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre; Sat., Sept. 6, 7:30 pm, $12-$35. D. Sabela Grimes
Nannette Brodie Dance Theatre & Andy Vaca’s Jazzworks – Together Again at Martha B. Knoebel Dance Theatre, Cal State University Long Beach, address, Long Beach; Fri.-Sat., Sept. 5-6, 8 pm, $ 35. Tickets
Tchaikovsky a Love Letter at Musco Center for the Arts, Chapman University, 415 N. Glassell, Orange; Fri., Sept. 5, 7:30 pm, $43-$123. Get Seats!
Dance Theatre of Harlem. Photo by Rachel Neville.
Dance Theatre of Harlem at the Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood; Thurs., Sept. 11, 8 pm, $13-$157. https://my.hollywoodbowl.com/en/syos2/performance/10113
Westside Story – LA Opera – West Side Story preview at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave., Downtown; Sat., Sept. 6, 11 am – 2 pm, free w/reservation at Season Kick-off Event RSVP
Featured photo: Ate9 – photo by Victoria Sendra
Ann Haskins’ Blog appears at CulturalDaily.com
