Contemporary dance festival’s final sparks in West LA; a hip-hop Underground Railroad to Mexico arrives in Pasadena; clowns pas de deux in Atwater Village; fireworks dance across SoCal skylines this week, plus a peek at next week.
Live Dance This Week (thru July 9)
Odyssey Dance Festival #1
Launching the final weekend of the Dance at the Odyssey Summer Edition, Maggie Ogle tackles the emotional and sensory landscape of neurodivergent experiences in a two part work. Shelf Life considers the suppression of self to fit neurotypical norms, while processes that help neurodivergent individuals flourish take their turn in Is This Okay? A Q&A follows the performance. At the Dance at the Odyssey Summer Edition, Odyssey Theater Ensemble, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West LA; Thurs., July 2, 8 pm, $25 ($3 credit card fee). Dance at the Odyssey
Maggie Ogle – Photo by Gregory Crosby
Odyssey Dance Festival #2
In Gambiarra: Imaginary Solutions for Love, choreographer Cora Laszlo has dancers explore the territory between improvisation and gambiarra, a Portuguese word for inventive solutions to problems. Part of Dance at the Odyssey Summer Edition, Odyssey Theater Ensemble, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West LA; Fri., July 3, 8pm, $25 ($3 credit card fee). Dance at the Odyssey
Tanz Tanz Revolution – Photo by Natasha Tilly.
Odyssey Dance Festival #3
The finale event in this summer’s edition of Dance at the Odyssey Festiva concludes with a shared concert. Emily O’Rourke and Eva Silverton, co-founders of Tanz Tanz Revolution bring Sonder, roughly defined as the realization that others have lives as complex as our own. Choreographer Katie Tuchi ponders how what is precious is yet impermanent in Doubting Thomas. Dance at the Odyssey Summer Edition, Odyssey Theater Ensemble, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West LA; Sun., July 5, 2 pm, $25 ($3 credit card fee). Dance at the Odyssey
Send in the clowns
Created and directed by Hank Jacobs, who also acts as the “ringmaster,” The Great Clown Bank Show is described as a “burlesque on income inequality in 15 circus acts.” Promising a blend of dance and circus, including a clown pas de deux, the show will include a weekly guest circus act. At the Open Fist Theater Company @ the Atwater Village Theater, 3269 Casitas Ave., Atwater Village; Fri., 9 pm, Sat., 8 pm (except Sat., July 4, 5 pm), Sun., 7 pm, thru Sat., Aug. 1, $35.25, $31.25 seniors, $22.25 students. The Great Clown Bank Show
Mexodus. Photo by Thomas Mundell
Southbound escaping
Choreographer Tony Thomas provides the moves as the award-winning hip-hop musical Mexodus unearths the story of a southbound Underground Railroad that led 4,000 to 10,000 enslaved people to seek freedom in Mexico. The two-person show began at Berkeley Repertory Theater which also nurtured the hit Motown musical Ain’t Too Proud about The Temptations. Mexodus moved east including its recent highly successful, off-Broadway run. Thomas is the choreography part of the artistic team led by creators/performers Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson and director David Mendizábal. At the Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena; opens Wed., July 8, 8 pm, then Thurs.-Fri., 8 pm, Sat., 2 & 8 pm, Sun. 2 pm (beginning July 19, thru Sun., Aug. 2, $40-$127. Mexodus
Sign of summer
Part public performance, part participatory dance party, and free! The outdoor Tuesday Night Dance series hosts the first of two Tuesdays devoted to Bollywood dance. Next Tuesday, Bollywood part 2. See the website for dance styles coming up on Tuesdays thru Aug. 25. Line Dance Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Argyros Plaza, 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa; Tues., July 7, 6:30 pm. free. Tuesday Night Dance.
A Peek at Next Week (July 10-16)
OC Tap Festival Concert – A Night in Time at Shorebreak Resort, 500 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., Huntington Beach; Sun., July 12, 8 pm, $25-$45. OC Tap Festival Concert
Carole Kim – Sqrm at the Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice; Sat., July 11, 3 pm, Sat., July 18, 3:30 pm, $16.74. Carole Kim
Sanchita Sharma – Routing at the Daredevil Arts Festival, Electric Lodge,1416 Electric Ave., Venice; Sat., July 11, 4:30 pm, Sun., July 12, 2 pm, $16.74. Sanchita Sharma
Kick Boom Theater – Anatomy of a Back at the Daredevil Arts Festival, Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice; Sun., July 12, 3:30 pm, Fri., July 17, 9 pm, $16.74. Kick Boom Theater
Hannah Ponturo – 1518: The Dancing Plague at the Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice; Sat., July 11, 6:30 pm, Sun., July 19, 2 pm, $16.74. Hannah Ponturo
GĒR Collective. Photo courtesy of the artists
GĒR Collective – Lot Vol. II at location in NorthEast LA, address provided with ticket reservation; Sun., July 12, 8 pm, $15. GER Collective
Indigenous Dance – Journey Through Cahuenga at the Ford Theatre, 2850 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood; Sun., July 12, 11:30 pm, $13 (+$2 fee). Journey Through Cahuenga
Dance DTLA – Salsa at the Music Center, Jerry Moss Plaza, 135 N. Grand Ave., Downtown LA; Fri., July 10, 17, 24 & 31, Aug. 7 & 14, 7-11pm, free. Dance DTLA
Featured Image: Cora Laszlo-Dance at the Odyssey – Photo by Rachel Keane
Ann Haskins’ Blog appears at CulturalDaily.com
