Messiaen maximized in Beverly Hills; Bollywood on South Asian climate resilience in the Hollywood Hills; Greek finale in Malibu; a novel’s new episode in Heritage Square; diagnosing reality in Santa Monica; first of the season’s vampires in Hollywood; more SoCal dance this busy week, plus a peek at next week.
Live This Week
Adding duo to duet
Olivier Messiaen’s Harawi for a voice and piano gets physicalized as Grammy-award winning soprano Julia Bullock and pianist Conor Hanick are joined by choreographers/dancers Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber. Messiaen’s heartfelt lyrics were inspired by poetry in Quechua, an indigenous Andean language from Perú and Bolivia. This single performance is presented in collaboration with the prestigious Ojai Music Festival. The Wallis, Bram Goldsmith Theater, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills; Tues., Oct. 1, 7:30 pm, $39-$69. https://thewallis.org/show-details/harawi
Harawi with Julia Bullock and Bobbi Jene Smith & Or Schraiber. Photo courtesy of the artists
Counter punching climate change
The plight and resilience of South Asia as climate change batters with unprecedented weather disasters gets a powerful consideration in Blue13 Dance Company‘s latest, 100 Seconds to Midnight. Artistic director/choreographer Achinta S McDaniel and her dancers draw on moves from contemporary to ballet to Bollywood to tell their story. The Ford Theatre, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood; Sat., Sept. 28, 8 pm, $10-$65. https://www.theford.com/
Blue 13 Dance Company. Photo courtesy of the artists
Reconnection
From the reviews of the recent La Jolla Playhouse performances, Jenn Freeman’s dance/theater piece Is It Thursday Yet? effectively uses dance, narration, video and tape to tell the exterior story of the diagnosis of her Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at age 33, while dance evokes the interior story of her feelings and efforts to navigate a puzzling exterior world. A dancer/choreographer in her own right, Freeman called on Tony-winning choreographer Sonya Tayeh to shape this telling. The BroadStage, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica, Thurs.-Sat., Oct. 3-5, 7:30 pm, $40-$85. https://broadstage.org/
Jenn Freeman in “Is It Thursday Yet?” Photo by Matthew Murphy
Get the picture?
With the banner This Picture Reminds Me of You, artistic director Tina Finkelman Burkett and the superb dancers of BODYTRAFFIC open their 2024-2025 season with this hometown performance before leaving on a West Coast tour. The program includes Incense Burning On A Saturday Morning: The Maestro, a world premiere by Juel D. Lane paying tribute to Ernie Barnes, an LA visual artist known for his vibrant paintings and a style often described as “elongated and filled with movement.” From the repertoire, Michaela Taylor’s Snap set to music by James Brown, and company member Joan Rodriguez’ Bloquea’o with original music by Pedro Osuna complete the program. Wilshire Boulevard Temple, 3643 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-City; Thurs., Sept. 26, 7:30 pm, $60. Upcoming Shows
BODYTRAFFIC. Photo courtesy of the artists
Flow like a river
Blending theatre and dance, Nil Bosca references the legendary river to recount the story of Euphrate, the child of a French mother and Turkish father, whose literal and figurative travels lead her from one home in France to find another home in Turkey. The performance is in French with English subtitles. Theatre Raymond Kabbaz, 10361 W. Pico Blvd., WestLA; Thurs., Sept. 26, 8 pm, $40, $30 seniors/students. “Euphrate” by Nil Bosca — Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz
Nil Bosca. Photo courtesy of the artist
What happens next
Like a mini-series that provides a pause before new episodes, choreographer/artistic director Emma Andres and the dancers of Little Women Ballet return with the second episode in this three-part ballet version of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved novel Little Women. As with the first installment in May 2023, the company again performs in and among the Victorian manor houses of Heritage Square. The immersive performance sends the divided audience on different routes with a ‘goodie bag’ of items to be employed during the show. After the final bows, the audience gathers together to enjoy desserts and a chance to chat with performers. Heritage Square Museum, 3800 Homer St., Montecito Heights; Fri., Sept. 27, 6:30 pm, Sat.-Sun., Sept. 28 & 29, 3 & 6:30 pm, $60. Details at https://www.littlewomenballet.com/upcoming-events. Tickets at https://30098.danceticketing.com/r/events/
Little Women Ballet – Photo courtesy of the company
Pure pleasure
Under the banner Dance is Pleasure, Andrew Pearson brings his Bodies in Play for the last of two performances at this venue. This time, the movers are Pearson, Cristina Florez, Alex Rix (with choreography by Katelyn Sanchez), Melissa Schade, Marisa Ervin and Emma Vicaña. LA LGBT Center, Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center, 1125 N. McFadden St., Hollywood; Fri., Sept. 28, 8 pm, $25-58. https://ci.ovationtix.com/36684/production/1205350
Andrew Pearson’s Bodies at Play. Photo by Casey Kringle
Last dance with Greeks
This summer’s Getty Villa theater offering is a world premiere considering possibly the least known hero of the Trojan War. Tiffany Rea-Fisher provides the choreography for Classical Theater of Harlem’s Memnon, written by Will Power and directed by Carl Cofield. And no, Memnon is not a nickname for Agamemnon, a much better known and completely different fellow. These excellent late summer theatrical excursions provide a special experience, live and in an outdoor amphitheater, just as the Greeks intended. Getty Villa outdoor theater, 17985 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu; Thurs.-Sat., Sept. 26-28, 8 pm, $45 (Thurs.), $50 (Fri.), $55 (Sat.), $40 students & seniors (Thurs. only). Getty.
The cast of Classical Theatre of Harlem’s “Memnon.” Photo by Craig Schwartz Photography
A theater adds dance
Under the new artistic and executive director Matthew Cook, this well-known theater venue expands its offerings, adding programs of music, film and a Dance @ The Playhouse series. First up, the popular Afro-Brazilian dance company Viver Brasil. Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 West Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre; Sat., Sept. 28, 11 am, $12, https://www.sierramadreplayhouse.org/
Viver Brasil in Cor da Pele with Dancers L to R Nagode Simpson, Ajah Muhammad, Rachel Hernandez, Ashley Blanchard, Bianca Medina – Photo by Gia Trovela
Will there be blood?
Twilight Saga meets Faust, with a twist, in Blood/Love: A Vampire Popera. The immersive rock musical opens this week at the aptly named Crimson, a Hollywood pop up gothic nightclub. Running through November 2, the vampire-meets-rock-star event injects a devilish romance into the spooky season. The Crimson, 6356 Hollywood Blvd., First Floor, Hollywood; Thurs.-Sat., Sept. 26 – Oct. 19, 7 & 9:30 pm, then Wed.-Sat, Oct. 23 – Nov. 2, 7 & 9:30 pm, $59-$119. https://bloodlove.com/
Blood/Love. Photo by Graham Washatka
It’s all dance
For this year’s opening event, Laguna Dance Festival teams two very different choreographers who take an audience Behind the Dance. Festival director and contemporary ballet choreographer Jodie Gates is joined by Jacques Heim, creative director of Diavolo and choreographer for Cirque du Soleil’s Kà. The two artists delve into how choreographers make distinctively different dance. The Forum Theater, 650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach; Thurs., Sept. 26, 6:30 pm, $50. https://lagunadancefestival.org/
Jacques Heim with Diavolo Architecture in Motion. Photo by George Simian
A time to sow
Timed for just after the autumn equinox and facilitated by Nguyen Nguyen and Joyce Lu, Every Body Equinox is a Pieter-sponsored event combining guided movement in a community garden with an opportunity to plant seeds for the fall in Pieter’s plot in the garden. El Sereno Community Garden, 5466 Huntington Dr. North, El Sereno; Sun., Sept. 29, 4-6 pm, free w/reservation at https://www.pieterpasd.com/
Inland benefits
A performance and sit down dinner are part of Inland Pacific Ballet‘s Fall Dance Fest 2024. The annual fundraiser supports upcoming IPB productions and previews the season to come. Scheduled works include Laurence Blake’s Stars and Stripes, selections from next spring’s Shrek the Musical, and a new work from Arturo Fernandez, ballet master for Alonzo King LINES Ballet in San Francisco. Inland Pacific Ballet Academy, 9061 Central Ave., Montclair; Sat., Sept. 28, 6 pm, $125. https://ipballet.org/fall-fest
Inland Pacific Ballet. Photo by Hannah Cox
All electric
Timed to coincide with First Friday events on nearby Abott Kinney Boulevard, High Voltage offers an eclectic, ever-changing line-up of performers, often including dance and movement performers. Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice; Fri., Oct. 3, 8 pm, $10. https://www.electriclodge.org
National Bunraku Theater. Photo courtesy of the artists
They got no strings
Apparently word got out that the exquisite puppets and masterful puppeteers of Japan’s National Bunraku Theater were visiting. The show was sold out three weeks ago. Check with the theater regarding any waiting list. JACCC Aratani Theatre, 244 S. San Pedro Street, Little Tokyo; Sat., Sept. 28, 7:30 pm, $35-55 (sold out as of press time). https://my.jaccc.org/fy25-performing-arts/240928-national-bunraku-theater
A Peek at Next Week (October 4-10)
Benita Bike’s DanceArt at LA Mission College, AMP Theater, 13356 Eldridge Ave., Sylmar; Wed., Oct. 9, 7 pm, free. www.danceart.org
LA Dance Project – Romeo & Juliet Suite at the Wallis, 9390 N Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills; Thurs.-Sat., Oct. 10-12, $49-$109. https://tickets.thewallis.org/overview/19231
LA Dance Project. Photo by Josh Rose
Lineage Dance – Healing Blue at Lineage Performing Arts Center, 920 E. Mountain St., Glendale; Sun., Oct. 6, 5 pm, $25. https://www.lineagepac.org/
Max 10 at Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice; Mon., Oct. 7, 7:30 pm, $10. https://www.electriclodge.org/
Featured Image: Blue13 Dance Company – photo by Rose Eichenbaum
Ann Haskins Blog appears at CulturalDaily.com
