Tolerable Heat

Tony-Award nominee and friends dance into downtown; ballet in the Hollywood Hills and Irvine; contemporary confabs at USC, downtown, Santa Monica, Cheviot Hills, El Sereno, and Costa Mesa; light explorations in the Downtown Arts District; a dancing musical moves to Costa Mesa, more dance this week, and a peek at next week.

Live This Week

Share the Joy

Nominated five times for her Tony Award worthy Broadway choreography (most recently for Gypsy), she also has her own eponymous company Camille A. Brown & Dancers. Brown opens the 2025-2026 Music Center Dance Series with I Am, the final piece in a trilogy. After the February premiere, New York Times reviewer Siobhan Burke described I Am as “sweeping the audience into its flow for a joyous 65 minutes.” Music Center, Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., Downtown; Fri.-Sat., Sept. 12-13, 7:30 pm, Sun., Sept. 14, 2 pm, $33-$98. Camille A. Brown & Dancers

 
Ballet both ways

For those who opine that SoCal is devoid of professional ballet, limited to exporting its best ballet talent to New York companies, the 2025 SoCal Ballet Festival begs to differ. Once again, the festival is a chance to sample the region’s professional ballet organizations and free-lance dancers as adept with classical repertoire as with contemporary movement. The classical component of the program includes excerpts from Giselle and Coppélia, plus Act I of Le Corsaire along with its demanding Pas de Trois. The contemporary contributions include a tango from José Costas, a pas de trois from Anaheim Ballet, a duet inspired by the film La La Land from Hollywood Ballet, a new work by Chasen Greenwood and his Realm Company, and dance from Ballet Project OC. SoCal ballet companies may be chamber-sized, but their growth in recent years is aided by the centralized presentation and shared audience exposure this festival provides. Irvine Barclay Theatre, UC Irvine, 4242 Campus Dr., Irvine; Sat., Sept. 13, 2 & 7 pm, $46-$91. SoCal Ballet Festival

 
Bowl dancing

Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev set Shakespeare’s star-crossed teens to music in very different ways, and the LA Phil brings both with help from New York’s Dance Theatre of Harlem. The evening has Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture and Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet Ballet Suite bookending Symphony No. 1 from prolific African American composer Adolphus Hailstork. The LA Phil is on its own with Tchaikovsky, but the exquisite DTH dancers take the stage for the Hailstork and the Prokofiev suite with artistic director Robert Garland choreographing both. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood; Thurs., Sept. 11, 8 pm, $13-$157.  https://my.hollywoodbowl.com/en/syos2/performance/10113

 
Triple whammy

For 20 years Visions and Voices has presented performances at USC, and this is also the ten year anniversary of the USC Kaufman School of Dance. Visions and Voices acknowledges both milestones with a triple bill of LA-based dance companies with ties to USC. JA Collective, Jordan Johnson and Aidan Carberry, are alums of the 2019 inaugural class at USC Kaufman Dance who have drawn national attention for how they “take the finite combination of four limbs each and weave it into thousands of beautiful, complicated connections.” The event is organized by Ana María Alvarez, artistic director of CONTRA-TIEMPO Activist Dance Theater. The third participant is LA’s preeminent street dance company Versa-Style Dance Company, a frequent USC visitor. Each company alone is worth a visit. All three together is quite an anniversary gift. USC Bovard Auditorium, 3551 Trousdale Parkway, University Park; Thurs., Sept. 18, 7 pm, free w/reservation at USC Decades of Dance

 
Into the light

The June premiere of A/VOID was forced to change the original venue when a downtown curfew followed provocative immigration arrest tactics that triggered protests and chaos. Fortunately, the premiere went forward and now, choreographer Comfort Fedoke and creative movement director Zoe Rappaport return with their dancers and light installation for another view of what reviewer Rachel Turner called “an immersive, healing experience featuring unique sounds, raw emotions from dancers and audience alike, and fluid dancing.” Chromasonic Field, 677 Imperial St., Downtown Arts District; Thurs., Sept. 11, 7 & 8:30 pm, Fri., Sept. 12, 8 pm also after party, $45-$65. https://experience.chromasonic.com/events

 
Shapings

A group of crows is a murder, but the far more seductive sounding Murmerations is a gathering of starlings and also can describe a collection of low, continuous sounds. It is also the title of the latest from creator, composer, performer and choreographer Sharon Chohi Kim who shares choreography credit with Stephanie Zalatel. The dancemakers promise a  “meditation on shape-shifting and collective intelligence” with help from performers Sara Sinclair Gomez, Molly Pease, and Kathryn Shuman.  REDCAT, Disney Hall, 631 W. 2nd St., Downtown; Fri., Sept. 12, 8 pm, $25, $20 students. REDCAT-Murmerations

 
Body images

Six choreographer/dancers–Renée Donovan, Bella Halek, Lydia McDonald, Steph Mizrahi, Elsie Neilson, and Ariel Scott–explore a range of relationships with one’s body in Dear Body, Love Me. For a preview, the show’s Instagram page @dearbody.loveme has more details and rehearsal footage. Stomping Ground, 5453 Alhambra Ave., El Sereno; Fri.-Sat., Sept. 12-13, 7 pm, $28.52 (w/fees) Dear Body, Love Me

 
R-E-S-P-E-C-T

For this year’s Costa Mesa ARTVenture Community Arts Day, OC contemporary company Backhausdance presents Dance for Kindness. Choreographer/artistic director Jennifer Backhaus and her dancers promise to involve the audience exploring themes of kindness, human connection, anti-bullying, empathy and respect. Outdoor Stage, Lions Park Event Lawn, 1846 Park Ave., Costa Mesa; Sat., Sept. 13, 2:15 pm, free. Backhausdance

Autumn festivities

This venue’s latest family-friendly event presents Kim Eung Hwa & Korean Dance Company in Hangawi (Autumn Festival) in Korea. Pre-concert activities include art making and other activities. Comfortable shoes, hats and sunscreen are advised. The Ford Theatre, 2850 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood; Sun., Sept. 14, 10 am (pre-concert activities), 11:30 am (performance), $13. Hangawi: Autumn Festival of Korea

 
In the mind

A public performance event concludes a week of workshops exploring Afro-diasphoric and street dance under the banner The Remembrance: Decolonizing Minds, Bodies and Spirits. Aminah Jackson, Shantel Ureña, and G’bari Gilliam oversee the final event produced by Kaya Taino Morales. Highways Performance Space, 1651 18th St., Santa Monica; Sat., Sept. 13, 7 pm, $24. The Remembrance

Dancing the culture

The annual Heartbeat of Mexico celebration of Mexican and Mexican-American culture features a mix of dance and mariachi groups on two stages. Announced dance includes folkloric groups Relámpago del Cielo, and Técnica Arte y Folklorico, along with danza Atzeca group Xipe Totec. Musco Center for the Arts, Chapman University, 415 N. Glassell, Orange; Sun., Sept. 14, noon, free w/reservation at Heartbeat of Mexico

 
Diverse Dancing 

Known for his prowess on the guitar, Benise is also known as a consummate showman, with dancers playing a central role as he plays music ranging from  Spanish flamenco to salsa, samba to the waltz. A frequent SoCal visitor, this tour’s banner is 25 Years of Passion at three SoCal venues. Fox Performing Arts Center, 3801 Mission Ave., Riverside; Sat., Sept. 13, 7:30 pm, $57-$123. https://www.bandsintown.com/e/1033584986. Also at Lobero Theatre,  Santa Barbara; Fri., Oct. 10, 7:30 pm, $46.50-$102.50. https://www.lobero.org/events/benise-25-years-of-passion-2025/. Also at Fred Kavli Theatre, Bank of America Performing Arts Center, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks; Sat., Oct. 11, 7:30 pm, $33-$113. https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0B006174D9C42537

Taking form

The public performance component of Invertigo Dance Company’s Dancing Through Parkinsons program brings its dancers to the stage in A Form to Return. Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts Center, 3200 Motor Ave., Cheviot Hills; Sat., Sept. 13, 7 pm, Sun., Sept. 14, 2 pm. $25  DTP-Concert

New chance for “What if?”

Exploring what would have happened if, after finding Romeo dead, she had decided not to die with him, the Tony-nominated & Juliet opens in Costa Mesa for several more weeks. Preview clips at the venue website capture the rock concert feel of Jennifer Weber’s choreography, but not the wry humor threaded through the Max Martin songbook. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Dr., Sept. 9-21, Tues.-Fri., 7:30 pm, Sat., 2 & 7:30 pm, Sun., 1 & 6:30 pm, $54-$184. https://www.scfta.org/events/2025/juliet

A Peek at Next Week (Sept. 19-25)

TWIG Group – Dust Dance at Highways Performance Space, 1651 18th St., Fri.-Sat., Sept. 19-20, 8 pm, $25. TWIG Group

Flower of the Season – Sky at Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice; Fri.-Sat., Sept. 19-20, 8 pm, Sun., Sept. 21, 3 pm, $20. Body Weather Laboratory

Limón Dance Company at Irvine Barclay Theatre, UC Irvine, 4242 Campus Dr., Irvine; Thurs., Sept. 25, 8 pm, $34-$140. https://www.thebarclay.org/Online/mapSelect.asp

 
HMG The Company – Continuim at The Alex Theater, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale; Fri., Sept. 19, 7 pm, $29-$79. https://www.thealex.com/shows

San Pedro Festival of the Arts at Peck Park (upper lawn next to the Community Center), 560 N. Western Ave., San Pedro; Sat., Sept. 20, 1-4:15 pm, free. San Pedro Festival of the Arts

Nora Chipaumire – Dambudzo at REDCAT, Disney Hall, 631 W. 2nd. St., Downtown; Thurs.-Sat., Sept. 25-27, 8 pm, $27, $22 students. REDCAT Nora Chipaumire

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Featured image:  Camille A Brown & Dancers – photo by Sherylynn Tsushima

Ann Haskins’ Blog appears at CulturalDaily.com