Los Angeles’ own Deborah Brockus, Artist Director of BrockusRED, presents the Los Angeles Dance Festival 2022 in celebration of Art Month in California. This is the 10th Anniversary for the Los Angeles Dance Festival which has featured more that 150 LA based dance companies and artists while providing a platform for highlighting the city’s diversity and unique creativity in 5 different performance spaces. Dance in Los Angeles continues to thrive and following two years of pandemic forced virtual showings, the 2022 festival returns to in-person, live onstage performances.
The Los Angeles Dance Festival 2022, produced by Brockus Projects Dance Company and presented by the Luckman Theatre located in the Luckman Fine Arts Complex on the campus of California State University, Los Angeles, will pay tribute to two major forces in the Los Angeles dance community, Bella Lewitzky and Lula Washington. These two incredible women produced work that has survived throughout the years and inspired multiple dancers here and around the world to move the art form forward into the future.
Pennington Dance Group – “Encounters” – Photo by Nate Lubben
Performances will begin April 2, 2022 on the Luckman Theatre’s main stage showcasing works by Bella Lewitzky, Lula Washington (Lula Washington Dance Theater), Sean Greene (The Searchers) , John Pennington, (PENNINGTON DANCE GROUP), Maura Townsend (Maura Townsend Dance), Deborah Brockus (BrockusRED) and Seda Aybay (Kybele Dance Theatre). Located in the Luckman Theatre Lobby will be materials about Bella Lewitzky and a trailer for the documentary about the life, influence and impact of California-based artist and activist Bella Lewitzky. Bella, Citizen Artist is Produced and Directed by Bridget Murnane and presented by BAM Moves. There will also be materials paying tribute to all the companies that have been featured in Los Angeles Dance Festival over the years.
Kybele Dance Theater in “DediKodu” by Seda Aybay – Photo by Cheryl Mann
The Festival continues with Fringe Showcases at the Brockus Project Studios on Friday, April 22nd at 8pm, Saturday, April 23rd at 8pm, and Sunday, April 24th at 7pm. In addition, the festival will feature site specific works, master classes and discussions scattered throughout the month of April at Brockus Project Studios and online @losangelesdancefest. Keep an eye out for more detailed information on Fringe coming soon!
Maura Townsend Dance – Photo courtesy of the artist
The Los Angeles Dance Festival 2022 is supported in part by a grant from the City of LA Department of Arts and Culture. Brockus Project Dance Company is supported by the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Cultures, City of Long Beach Arts Council, City of West Hollywood, City of Culver City Arts Foundation, Center for Cultural Innovation.
Sean Green – The Searchers
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More information on the documentary Bella, Citizen Artist:
“…one of the greatest American dancers of our age” (Walter Terry)
Bella Lewitzky
Bella Lewitzky was a talented, strong, out-spoken artist, who dedicated her creative life to protect the rights of every American citizen. Designated one of America's Irreplaceable Dance Treasures by the Dance Heritage Coalition and awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Clinton, Lewitzky’s life demonstrates how a “uniquely Californian” artist with vision and tenacity can change the lives of her fellow citizens.
This is the story of a strong, talented, out-spoken artist, who gave her creative life to protect the rights of every American citizen. Born while her parents were members of the socialist Llano Del Rio Colony in 1916, raised on a chicken farm in Highland, Lewitzky became the star of the Lester Horton Dance Group, the first American inter-racial dance company. Based in Los Angeles in the 1930’s and 40’s she was the primary developer of the Horton technique. Her students included Alvin Ailey and Carmen De Lavallade who went on to form the Alvin Ailey company in New York. The Horton technique is taught world-wide, and unlike modern techniques developed in the eastern United States, is based on Native American dance. In Lewitzky, Horton found the body upon which he would build his technique, a uniquely west coast modern dance.
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About the Los Angeles Dance Festival 2022
WHAT: Los Angeles Dance Festival 2022 celebrating dance in LA – created by LA Choreographers working in the contemporary genre. This is a multi-level festival in with a Luckman Theatre main stage showcase, fringe showcase at Brockus Project Studios joining together in celebration of Art Month in CA.
WHEN and WHERE: Main Stage Showcase April 2nd at 8 PM @ Luckman Theater located in The Luckman Fine Arts Complex at Cal State LA, 5151 State University Drive, Los Angeles, CA, 90032 California State University, Los Angeles. TICKETS: Free – Link to make reservations HERE. Theater Information: info@luckmanarts.org or Phone 323-343-6600
Fringe Showcases: April 22nd 8pm, 23rd@ 8pm, 24th@ 7pm at Brockus Project Studios – 618 B Moulton Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90031 Keep an eye out for more detailed information on Fringe coming soon!
For more information about the Los Angeles Dance Festival 2022, please visit their website or email LAdancefestival@gmail.com. One can also phone 562-412-7429
Written and compiled by Jeff Slayton for LA Dance Chronicle from information provided by Los Angeles Dance Festival 2022.
Feature image: BrockusRED – Dunes choreography by Deborah Brockus – Photo by Tony Mierzwicki
