A romantic tragedy incarcerated downtown, Irish jigs in Malibu, sacrificial spring rites downtown, nomadic movements in West LA, a two-fer launched in the Arts District, toe-shoed men in Long Beach, more SoCal dance this busy week, and a peek at next week.
Live This Week
All together now
The Dance at the Odyssey festival moves into week four with Goblin Party in the premiere of Nomad. Mizuki Sako and Tulsi Shah provide the choreography and Hyoin Jun directs a consideration of the distinctive life of nomadic tribes. Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West LA; Fri.-Sat., Feb. 2-3, 8 pm, Sun., Feb. 4, 2 pm, $25. Full festival at www.OdysseyTheatre.com
Dance at the Odyssey – Goblin Party – Photo by George Simian
Sacrifice to spring
Opening the 1984 Olympic Arts Festival in LA, a brutal, visceral version of Rite of Spring on a stage covered in aromatic peat launched a little-known German choreographer, Pina Bausch, into international fame along with her company Tanztheater Wuppertal. That stunning production from the late choreographer has been recreated by a company of 30 dancers drawn from a dozen countries in Africa. The performances, under the auspices of the Pina Bausch Foundation, take the stage this weekend. The program also includes Common Ground(s), choreographers Germaine Acogny and Malou Airaudo’s response to Bausch’s Rite. Acogny is the founder of Senegalese École des Sables and Airaudo is a former dancer with Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch. The Music Center, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown; Thurs.-Sat., Feb. 8-10, 7:30 pm, Sun., Feb. 11, 2 pm, $35-$152. https://www.musiccenter.org/
Choreography by Pina Bausch – Photo:©Oliver Look courtesy of The Music Center
Romeo & Juliet go to jail
The choreographer who transformed Swan Lake into a tale of ballet men in feathered knickers arrives with his 2019 Matthew Bourne’s Romeo & Juliet. Shakespeare’s star-crossed central lovers remain, as does Prokofiev’s seductively dissonant score, but the action has been moved from Verona, Italy to a dystopian prison and Juliet’s vile cousin Tybalt is now a sexually abusive warden. Bourne does darker with the best, yet still sets a standard for drawing out the poignant moments and bits of light in his shadowy retellings. Music Center, Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown; Tues.-Fri., 8 pm, Sat., 2 & 8 pm, Sun., 1 & 6:30 pm, thru Sun., Feb. 25, $35-$155. https://www.centertheatregroup.org/
Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet courtesy of the artists
Launching
The latest edition of LA Dance Project’s Launch has a shared stage. Making their official west coast debut, the ten-member Summation Dance/LA brings On our way home choreographed by Taryn Vander Hoop. A multi-generational cast explores issues of personal mental health and caring for others. Derion Loman features five dancers in considerations about clothing, the memory of the people who wore it, and the residual energy a garment holds. LA Dance Project, 2245 E. Washington Blvd., Arts District; Thurs.-Sat., Feb. 1-3, 8 pm, $25-$48 including fees. https://ci.ovationtix.com/35353/production/1183302
Summation Dance NYC, “Hunt”, BAM 2014 – Photo by Christopher Duggan
Men in tutus
The secret of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo is they are serious ballet dancers who happen to be men in toe shows as they offer seriously funny send-ups of classical ballets from Swan Lake to Don Quixote. They may play the classical ballets’ plots for laughs, but they can go toe to toe (pun intended) with any professional ballet company. Carpenter Performing Arts Center, Cal State University Long Beach, 6200 E. Atherton St., Long Beach; Sat., Feb. 3, 8 pm, $55. https://www.carpenterarts.org
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo in “Swan Lake” – Photo by Zoran Jelenic
Sunset salon
For this edition of the salon series Truth or Consequences, Heidi Duckler Dance promises a stimulating mix of dance, music, performance and art. Announced participants include current artist in residence Jobel Medina, Dorian Wood, Jeonghyeon Joo, Santiago Villarreal, M A Harms, David Eskenazi, and the artistic director of the Arpana Dance Company Ramya Harishankar. The Bendix Building, 1206 Maple Ave., Arts District; Sun., Feb. 4, 5 pm, $35, $20 students. https://heididuckler.org/
Heidi Duckler Dance – Photo courtesy of the artist
Stepping up
Enjoy the energized versions of traditional and contemporary Irish dance in Jig from the Trinity Irish Dance Company. Pepperdine University, Smothers Theater, 24255 Pacific Coast Hwy.; Tues., Feb. 6, 8 pm, $25-$55. https://arts.pepperdine.edu/events/2023-2024-season/trinity-irish-dance-co.htm
Trinity Irish Dance Company. Photo courtesy of the artists
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., Feb. 2, 8 pm, $10. https://www.electriclodge.org/
Max 10. Photo courtesy of the artists.
Ten for ten
The mostly monthly program Max 10 gives ten performers ten minutes each onstage. Hosted by venue director Joel Shapiro and curated by the staff, dance is a mainstay in the line up of performances. A post-show reception gives a chance to chat with the artists. Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice; Mon., Feb. 5, 7:30 pm, $10. https://www.electriclodge.org/
A Peek at Next Week
Dance at the Odyssey Week 4 – how i became kinder, and kinder at the Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West LA; Fri.-Sat., Feb. 9-10, 8 pm, Sun., Feb. 11, 2 pm, $25. https://odysseytheatre.com/
FOOTHILLS DANCEMAKERS (Benita Bike’s DanceArt, Pennington Dance Group, Nancy Evans Dance Theatre and Lineage Dance) at Lineage Performing Arts Center, 920 E. Mountain St., Pasadena; Sat., Feb. 10, 7:30 pm, Sun., Feb. 11, 4 pm, $25, $20 students & seniors. https://www.lineagepac.org/
Nancy Evans Dance Theatre. Photo by Shana Skelton.
Compañía Nacional de Danza at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex, Cal State University Los Angeles, 5151 State University Dr., East LA; Thurs., Feb. 15, 8 pm, 55-$195. https://luckmanarts.org/events/compania-nacional-de-danza/
AIM by Kyle Abraham at the Wallis, Bram Goldsmith Theater, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills; Fri., Feb. 9, 7:30 pm, Sat., Feb. 10, 2 pm, $49-$79. https://thewallis.org/
A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham. Photo courtesy of the artists
Brigham Young University International Folk Dance Ensemble – Journey: Reflections at Irvine Barclay Theater, UC Irvine, 4242 Campus Dr., Irvine; Tues., Feb. 13, 7 pm, $23-$31. https://www.thebarclay.org/
2024 Chinese Spring Festival at the Irvine Barclay Theater, UC Irvine, 4242 Campus Dr., Irvine; Sun., Feb. 11, 4 pm, $28-$128. https://www.thebarclay.org/
Featured Image: Pina Bausch’s Rite of Spring – photo by Maarten Vanden Abeele
Ann Haskins Blog appears at CulturalDaily.com
