September 13 – 14, 2025, one of Los Angeles’ most prolific producers of dance, Deborah Brockus, presented Women In Concrete at Vista Hall in West Hollywood’s Plummer Park. The majority of the pieces were choreographed by Brockus, but there were works by Maura Townsend, Mallory Fabian and Paige Amicon, Cantilever Collective, and the late Christine Baltes. Overall, the performances were wonderful and the choreography strong, but the Vista Hall is not furnished with the production equipment that would have made this evening shine even brighter. That said, Women in Concrete was an extremely enjoyable evening.
The title, Women in Concrete, came from Brockus noticing that even where there is primarily concrete or cement covering the ground, beautiful flowers manage to break through cracks and bloom. Choreographers in large cities like Los Angeles do the same. In spite of the harsh working conditions they manage to make amazing art. And, as it so happens, the majority of dance companies in LA are run by women.
Rebecca Lee in “William the Octopus” by Deborah Brockus – Photo by Denise Leitner.
The program began with Brockus’ short, quirky, off-the-wall and surrealistic William the Octopus performed with the appropriate seriousness by Mara Hancock, Rebecca Lee, Denali Huff, Brian Burns, Arturo Gonzalez, Jolyn Lambey and Raven Smith. Lambey dances seductively atop a wooden table while Burns lurks beneath. Hancock and Huff’s waists are wound by pick fabric and remove oranges from within their bras. A woman, Lee, walks across the stage with a wash bucket on her head – and there is twerking!! The images from Brockus’ mind came fast and flashed by almost as quickly, leaving the viewer to think “What?” in a very lovely and interesting way.
Brockus has created other dances like Edges, Lines and Corners and The Great Beyond that do not fit the mold of her usual pieces and it is one of the reasons I admire her and I loved this work.
Paige Amicon in IHW, choreography by Mallory Fabian and Paige Amicon – Photo by Denise Leitner.
The very talented dance artists Mallory Fabian and Paige Amicon joined forces to create IHW performed powerfully on this night by Amicon. Dressed in a halter top with hands embroidered on her breasts, a beige skirt with a ruffled boarder and what appeared first to be red bike rider gloves, Amicon drifts onstage as if lost in thought. She removes the top revealing another black halter and slowly peels off red gauze tape from her hands.
With quiet movement phrases, strong acting and quiet moments, Amicon’s character begins to reveal her true self without destroying the mysterious world in which she inhabits. This is one of the works on the program that good lighting production would have greatly enhanced.
Alondra Zitlaly Perezin “We Matter” by Maura Townsend – Photo by Denise Leitner.
We Matter was one of the strongest works by Maura Townsend that I have seen. It was gratifyingly performed by Norianna Galindo-Ramirez, Madeline Gruenler, Esther Madrigal, and Alondra Zitlaly Perez while utilizing four metal folding chairs. The search for sisterhood and acknowledgement are the words that repeatedly formed in my mind while watching this dance. Townsend made great use of the chairs creating multiple settings and environments for the performers. The work was beautifully constructed and the movement phrases gelled seamlessly with the reconfiguration of the chairs while the dancers resisted over emoting which made their performances even stronger.
Jolyn Lambey, Mara Hancock, Rebecca Lee in “Surge” by Deborah Brockus – Photo by Denise Leitner.
Brockus’ Surge (an excerpt for Always Ever Amber) was a short, and sassy trio that greatly showcased the talents of Mara Hancock, Jolyn Lambey, and Rebecca Lee to music by the Greene String Quartet. The work was filled with difficult turns made even flashier by intricate arm work.
Janell Burgess in “Samba Pa Ti” by Christine Baltes – Photo by Denise Leitner.
Dressed in a simple but sexy black dress, Janell Burgess was a vision of beauty and sensuousness in Christine Baltes 1998 Samba Pa Ti. It was a joy to watch Burgess perform to the music of Santana, bringing together American jazz with a Spanish flair. She was a temptress personified and her dancing abilities are at the top of her game. Burgess has reached what every dancer strives for, maturity as a performer coupled with the control of their technique. Her solo was one of the highlights of the evening.
Arturo Gonzalez in “American Dream” by Deborah Brockus – Photo by Denise Leitner.
Two works by Brockus, American Dream and James were attached with no pause in-between making it a bit confusing at first. American Dream was a powerful work illustrating how that dream is not within reach of all people in this country. Performed to poetry by Deborah Brockus, The U.S. Constitution, and spoken word by Langston Hughes, we first see a man, Arturo Gonzalez, struggling with finding his place in life. A gorgeous solo is performed by the statuesque Jolyn Lambey and joined by the as beautiful Rebecca Lee.
BrockusRED in “American Dream” by Deborah Brockus – Photo by Denise Leitner.
We see characters isolating Gonzalez as he searches to find where he fits in while Brockus brought to the forefront the tapestry of cultures that strive to coexist in this country. There is an intense revolution of sorts, but one feels that the struggle is still ongoing.
Mara Hancock, Jolyn Lambey, Arturo Gonzales, Denali Huff, Rebecca Lee, Raven Smith in “James – Love Is” by Deborah Brockus – Photo by Denise Leitner.
What should have closed the evening, Brockus’ James brought out the best of her entire company BrockusRED. The movement was some of her finest combining jazz and contemporary dance, the simple black costumes were perfect, and the audience was blown away by the performances of Mara Hancock, Jolyn Lambey and Rebecca Lee. This work was full out dancing and it brought down the house.
Kaitwan Jackson, Andrea Burr, Kya Bliss, and Himerria Wortham in “Table Talks” by Cantilever Collective – Photo by Denise Leitner.
Kya Bliss, Andrea Burr, Kaitwan Jackson, and Himerria Wortham make up the Cantilever Collective, and their Table Talks proves that they know how to create a dance work. I had seen a version of this work at a showcase performance at Brockus Project Studios, but it has changed totally and very much for the better. The four choreographers took the best from that showing and expanded it into an investigation of each of the characters’ lives. I could see this piece growing into an evening-length work with an entire set.
There is a wonderful moment that some may have missed where Kya Bliss is in the middle an intense solo, seated on a low white chair. Without her reacting, Burr and Wortham kneel beside the chair as Bliss stands. The chair is gently pushed away as Bliss sat down again onto their locked arms. It was a very subtle but unique move.
All four of these dancers are easy to watch perform. They are physically very different and each has their own style of moving, yet together they bring unity.
BrockusRED in “Ritual” by Deborah Brockus – Photo by Denise Leitner.
The program closed with the very active and primitive-like Ritual (excerpt from As Ancient and Young as Spring) by Brockus. This too, showcased the company’s strong technical abilities, especially the women, but it did not have the punch left by the section of James titled In the Name of Love. Ritual fits into the longer work but weakens when presented on its own. The dancers, however, earned the round of applause that the audience gave them.
Kudos to Deborah Brockus for continuing to provide a venue for choreographers to present their work. Now, we just have to get the LA audiences to support her endeavors.
For more information about Brockus Project Dance, please visit their website.
Written by Jeff Slayton for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: BrockusRED in James, In the Name of Love by Deborah Brockus – Photo by Denise Leitner.
