Contemporary ballet flows deep in Beverly Hills, Butoh marks the season in Venice, flamenco in Hollywood and Los Feliz, ballet keeps the memory alive in Santa Monica and downtown, Hollywood fringes, more SoCal dance this busy week (June 9 to 15), and a peek at next week.
Live This Week
Drawing the LINES
The San Francisco-based contemporary dance company Alonzo King/LINES Ballet has an international reputation for the liquid, catlike qualities of its dancers and artistic director Alonzo King’s distinctive blend of pointe shoe and contemporary ballet choreography known to morph in an instant from elegant to explosive. This visit, the company brings Deep River. The 2022 premiere marking the company’s 40th anniversary prompted San Francisco Chronicle reviewer Rachel Howard to write “how these Black Christian spirituals could meld so naturally with dance imagery that suggests influences from both yogic philosophy and Islam, is a striking reminder of the universality King has reclaimed for ballet.” The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills; Fri.-Sat., June 9-10, 7:30 pm, $39-$125. https://thewallis.org/show-details/alonzo-king-lines-ballet-deep-river
Vocalist Lisa Fischer and the LINES dancers. Photo by Jamie Lyons
Rising to a double challenge
The challenge of her first full-length ballet Memoryhouse already had been undertaken for her Barak Ballet when Melissa Barak assumed the additional challenge as the new artistic director of Los Angeles Ballet. Memoryhouse was folded into LAB’s season under its new director and takes the stage this week. The title and much of the ballet’s structure is drawn from British-German composer Max Richter’s 2002 album. Barak kept the album’s 18 racks in order, retaining the electronic voices, sounds, and touches that are part of the original recording. Media material describes the work as an abstract consideration of World War II and particularly, the holocaust. At a time when the lies that fueled Nazi Germany are being shamelessly voiced again, such considerations remain sadly needed. Broad Stage,1310 11th St., Santa Monica; Thurs.-Sat., June 15-17, 7:30 pm, $50-$75. https://broadstage.org/
Oguri. Photo courtesy of the artist
Seasonal bloom
This edition of the Flower of the Season 2023 performance series from Body Weather Laboratory offers a solo performance by Butoh master Oguri with music by Paul Chavez. Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice; Fri.-Sat., June 16-17, 8 pm, Sun., June 18, 3 pm, free. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/638765202917
Something new, something evergreen
A new ballet from artistic director Lincoln Jones and George Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco are the double bill for the latest program from American Contemporary Ballet. American Contemporary Ballet Studios, Two California Plaza, 350 S. Grand Ave., suite 2850, downtown; Thurs.-Sat., June 15-17 & 22-24, 8 pm, Sun., June 18 & 25, 2 pm, $40-$110. https://www.acbdances.com/season-xi-concerto-barocco
American Contemporary Ballet. Photo by Will Davidson.
Prayer and paella
This benefit for the church building fund includes a flamenco performance by Claudia de La Cruz Flamenco Institute and a paella brunch. St. Casimir’s Roman Catholic Church, 2718 Saint George St., Los Feliz; Sat., June 10, 4:30 pm, $60 advance purchase only. https://www.elrocio.net/events.html
Claudia de La Cruz Flamenco Institute. Photo courtesy of the artists
Claiming their spotlight
Talented and polished, dancers are among the SoCal high school aged finalists performing at this year’s Spotlight Grand Finale. Ballet finalists are Campbelle Malicse and Chase Rogers. The dance finalists are Aubrey Abella and Calli Perryman. Two finalists in classical and non-classical voice, classical and jazz music, and acting also will perform. Music Center, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown; Thurs., June 8, 7 pm, free with reservation at https://www.musiccenter.org/tickets-free-events/tmc-arts/spotlight-grand-finale/
The Music Center’s “Spotlight” 2019. Photo courtesy of the artists.
Hollywood Fringe Festival #1
Highly physical flamenco dance and guitar are what Flamencodanza brings to the stage. Hudson Theatres, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood; Fri., June 9 & 16 & Sat., June 10, 6 pm, Sat., June 17, 8:30 pm, $18. https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/browse
Hollywood Fringe Festival #2
Dance and physical theater bring Japanese anime comes to life in THE GUARDIANS OF WONDER. Performers are Rena Kaneta, Emika Kamieda, Shio Yamazaki, Stella Takasegawa and Mizuki Kimura. Kaneta also is credited with the sword fight choreography. McCadden Theater, 1157 N. McCadden Pl., Hollywood; Fri., June 9, 6 pm & Sat., June 10, 9:30 pm, free. https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/9985
Hollywood Fringe Festival #3
Drawing on dance, capoeira and physical theater, Palmares recounts a 1675 power struggle between Brazil’s largest community of fugitive or freed slaves with Portuguese enslavement efforts in Brazil. The Broadwater Main Stage, 1076 Lillian Way, Hollywood; Sat., June 10, 8 pm, Fri., June 16, 6:30, Sat., June 17, 12:30 pm, Sun., June 25, 1 pm, $20. https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/5543
Hollywood Fringe Festival #4
With bases in San Diego and Boston, the tap and creative percussion troupe DrumatiX promises a high-energy, family friendly show. Broadwater Main Stage, 1076 Lillian Way, Hollywood; Sat., June 17, 4:30 pm, Sun., June 18, 12:30 pm, Wed., June 21, 9 pm, Sat., June 24, 2 pm, $18, $12 seniors & kids under 12 years. https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/browse
A Peek at Next Week
Los Angeles Dance Festival/International Exchange performances at Korean Cultural Center, 5505 Wilshire Blvd., Koreatown; Thurs., June 22, 7 p.m., https://www.kccla.org/ Also at BP Studios, 618 B Moulton Ave., Lincoln Heights; Fri.-Sat., June 23-24, $15, leave date and e-mail at venmo@BrockusProjectStudios.
Dance @ the Holden with Nate Holden Performing Arts Center, 4718 W. Washington Blvd., Mid-City; Bernard Brown/bbmoves and Laurie Sefton Creates on Fri., June 16, 8 pm, $30. JazzAntiqua Dance Ensemble and Josette Wiggan Presents… on Sat., June 17, 8 pm, $30. https://www.itsmyseat.com/ert/
Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Photo by Rachel Neville
Complexions Contemporary Ballet at The Music Center, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown; Fri.-Sat., June 16-17, 7:30 pm, Sun., June 18, 2 pm, $34-$138. https://www.musiccenter.org/
The Piñata Dance Collective in Cuatro Vientos: Middle of Nowhere at Highways Perf
Featured photo: Adji Cissoko and Robb Beresford in LIGHTENED – Alonzo King LINES Ballet – Photo by RJ Muna
Ann Haskins Blog appears at CulturalDaily.com
