How Are We Feeling?

A modern dance icon’s twisty 60th in Costa Mesa and Northridge; social media and personal feelings in the Arts District; colonial considerations in Little Tokyo; Afrofuturistic perspectives in Westwood; Israel’s innovative modern dance company downtown; contemporary dance fest finale in West LA; more SoCal dance this week, plus a peek at next week.

Live This Week

Turbulent times

The unsettled state of the world provides grist for Choose the Face that best describes how you’re feeling, the newest from choreographer Laurie Sefton and her Laurie Sefton Creates. The program also includes More Please (2014) and The Mythology of Self considering the impact of social media. The always strong line up of dancers includes Carmen Callahan, Hunter Wayne Foster, Leah Hamel, Enya Kollek,  Harry Louis, Leah McCall, Zachary Medina, Megan Pulfer, and Jane Zogbi. LA Dance Project, 2245 E. Washington Blvd., LA Arts District; Thurs.-Sat., Feb. 20-22, 8 pm, $35 presale, $40 at door. https://ci.ovationtix.com/35353/production/1189190

 
A curtain closer

Curated by Barbara Mueller-Wittmann, the 2025 Dance at the Odyssey festival closes with the multi-genre Clay Collective. Led by Gheremi Clay, this eclectic ensemble brings a fusion of hip hop and contemporary dance. The Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., WLA; Fri.,-Sat., Feb. 14-15, 8 pm, Sun., Feb. 16, 2 pm, $25. https://odysseytheatre.com/

 
Graham to “Gaga”

Founded in 1964 with help from the legendary choreographer Martha Graham, Israel’s Batsheva Dance Company established an international reputation that has continued to grow since groundbreaking choreographer Ohad Naharin assumed stewardship of the company in 1990. Known for his distinctive dance approach known as ”Gaga,” Naharin has cultivated a generation of movers, this time launching them in his latest, MoMo, with 70-minutes of music drawn from the Laurie Anderson/Kronos Quartet album Landfall, Philip Glass, Arca, and Maxim Waratt. Music Center, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown; Fri.-Sat., Feb. 14-15, 7:30 pm, Sun., Feb. 16, 2 pm, $49-$163. https://www.musiccenter.org/

 
Where did the time go?

For six decades Twyla Tharp has brought her ever innovative brand of dance to everything from modern dance to ballet companies to Broadway and to her own touring troupes. Tharp and her dancers celebrate her Diamond Jubilee at two SoCal venues. No surprise, Tharp eschewed any ‘greatest hits’ program, instead selecting her Olivier-nominated Diabelli Variations that tackled Beethoven’s masterpiece, and a new dance set to Philip Glass’ Aguas da Amazonia, arranged and performed live by Third Coast Percussion. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa; Sat., Feb. 15, 7:30 pm & Sun., Feb. 16, 1 pm, $44.07 – $134.47. https://www.scfta.org/. Also at Cal State University Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge; Feb. 22, 8 pm, Sun., Feb. 23, 3 pm,  $47-$128. https://thesoraya.org/en/

 
Going to ground

The ongoing salon series presented by Heidi Duckler Dance opens 2025 withTruth or Consequences: Close to the Ground, curated by dancer/choreographer Jasmine Albuquerque. On the program: dance by B Grosse, Maija Knapp, and Albuquerque, who also provides a short 2018 film shot in Bolivia, plus poetry from Nandi Zulu. The Bendix Building, 1206 Maple Ave., Suite 1100B, LA Arts District; Sat., Feb. 15, 6 pm, $40 presale, $50 at door. https://heididuckler.org/events-cal/

 
Part 3 of 3

The Brooklyn-based arts collective Tribe brings Black Hole, the final third of choreographer Shamel Pitts’ BLACK. Known for combining multidisciplinary performance elements viewed through a lens of Afrofuturism, the work considers the journey of three people of African heritage. The dancers include Tushrik Fredericks, Marcela Lewis, and Pitts. UCLA Glorya Kaufman Dance Theater, Kaufman Hall, 120 Westwood Plaza, Westwood; Sat., Feb. 15, 8 pm, $38.08. Shamel Pitts’ BLACK HOLE – Trilogy And Triathlon | CAP UCLA

 
Cirque goes full circle

As a youth in Guinea, Yamoussa Bangoura became enamored of cirque, going on to a career with Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Éloize, and Cavalia. Now he heads his own Cirque Kalabanté which brings Afrique en Cirque to town for one performance with Afro-jazz, percussion, and kora musical accompaniment. Cal State University LA, Luckman Fine Arts Complex, 5151 State University Dr., East LA; Sun., Feb. 16, 6 pm, $25-$65. https://theluckman.org/

 
Influential events

Originally commissioned for the Egyptian Pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale, the film installation Drama 1882 from Wael Shawky considers the events that countered a revolt against European colonial influence, resulting in Britain cementing its control of Egypt for another seven decades. Adapting the storied events into the form of an opera and performed in classical Arabic, Shawky choreographed, wrote, scored, and directed. This event is the latest in the museum’s Wonmi’s WAREHOUSE Programs. Related events include a conversation with Shawky and assistant curator Alex Sloane on Sat., Feb. 22 at 3 pm. WAREHOUSE, MOCA Geffen Contemporary, 152 N. Central Ave., Little Tokyo; Thurs., Feb. 20 – Sun., March 16, 11 am, free w/reservation at https://moca.ticketapp.org/portal/product/288/events

 
With friends like these

Directed by legendary choreographer Matthew Bourne, with additional choreography from Stephen Mear, and headlined by Bernadette Peters, Lea Salonga, and a lineup of British and American musical theater luminaries, LA has the U.S. premiere of Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends before it goes to Broadway. Music Center, Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown; official opening Thurs., Feb. 13, then Tues.-Fri., 8 pm, Sat., 2 & 8 pm, Sun., 1 & 6:30 pm, $25 – $195.50. https://www.centertheatregroup.org/

A Peek at Next Week

Tanz Tanz Revolution – Deception of a Fall at Highways Performance Space, 1651 18th St., Santa Monica; Fri.-Sat., Feb. 21-22, 8 pm, $20.50. https://www.highwaysperformance.org/

The Soft Creates – Spotlight at Stomping Ground LA, 5453 Alhambra Ave., El Sereno; Sat., Feb. 22, 7 pm, $10. https://www.stompinggroundla.org/events/soft-creatives-spotlight

Marjani Forté-Saunders – Uplifting Black Legacy at Annenberg Beach House, 415 Pacific Coast Hwy., Santa Monica; Thurs., Feb. 27, 7 pm, free w/reservation at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/uplifting-black-legacy-tickets-1223981554779

Rhythm India: Bollywood & Beyond at Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 18000 Park Plaza Dr., Cerritos; Sat. Feb. 22, 8 pm, $40-$80. https://ccpa.cerritos.gov/

 
World Ballet Company – The Great Gatsby at Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Dr., Irvine; Tues.-Wed., Feb. 25-26, 7:30 pm, $68-$114. https://www.thebarclay.org/Online/default.asp

UCI Dance Department – Dance Visions at UC Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus  Thurs.-Fri., Feb 20-21 8 pm, Sat. 22, 2 & 8 pm, $34, $30 seniors, $13 students. https://www.thebarclay.org/Online/default.asp

Bereishit Dance Company – Balance & Imbalance / Judo at USC, Bovard Auditorium, 3551 Trousdale Pkwy, University Park; Sun., Feb. 23, 6 pm, free. https://visionsandvoices.usc.edu/

Boston Conservatory at Berklee – Commercial Dance Showcase 2025 at El Portal Theater, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood; Wed., Feb. 26, 7 pm., requires registration. https://bostonconservatory.berklee.edu/commercial-dance/commercial-dance-showcase-2025

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Featured image: Laurie Sefton Creates – photo by Trqcy Kumono

Ann Haskins’ Blog appears at CulturalDaily.com