[alert type=alert-white ]Please consider making a tax-deductible donation now so we can keep publishing strong creative voices.[/alert]
This week’s dance events include Chester Whitmore’s big band salute, the return of Szalt, puppets mixed with contemporary dance with Voices Carry, Inc and Pilobolus, a French visitor mixes with an L.A.’s Lux Aeterna, a new Wild Art party, flamenco and Irish dance.
5. Where did all the vowels go?
Led by Stephanie Zaletel, the all-female troupe Szalt (dance co) has been fine-tuning FLWRS, its consideration of the female development in performances all over the country since its premiere in May 2015. Szalt dancers Lindsey Lollie, Sarah Prinz, Julia Planine-Troiani, Jordan Saenz, and Zaletel bring FLWRS to the Live Arts Exchange (LAX) Festival. Bootleg Theater, 2220 Beverly Blvd., Echo Park; Fri.-Sat., Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 8 p.m., Sun., Oct. 2, 7 p.m.; $20. https://www.artful.ly/los-angeles-performance-practice/store/events/10028.
4. Ties that bind
Puppetry meets contemporary dance to explore universal human connections as artistic director Madeline Leavitt and her Voices Carry, Inc. premiere Strings Attached. The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles, 1238 W. 1st St., downtown; Thurs.-Sat., Oct. 6-8 & 13-15, 8:30 p.m., Sun., Oct. 9 & 16, 7:30, $30, $20 students & seniors. 213-481-2273, http://stringsattached.brownpapertickets.com.
Photo by Sylvia Spross
3. Swingin’ with the big bands
The big band era from the 1930’s to the 1950’s fuels Lord of the Swing as the 20 piece Opus One Big Band led by tap dancer and bandleader Chester Whitmore is joined by tap and swing dancers. Ford Theatres, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood; Sat., Oct. 1, 7 p.m., $38-$100, students & children $28. 323-461-3673. http://fordtheatres.org.
2. Dance diplomacy
Two dance companies—one from France, one from L.A.—perform over two nights with an innovative overlapping. L.A.-based Lux Aeterna led by Jacob “Kujo” Lyons brings Lyons’ blend of contemporary dance, street dance and circus arts to Punctum Saliens (Starting Point) while Paris-based Compagnie Par Terre led by Anne Nguyen presents an excerpt from Autarcie (…) also mixing contemporary dance with break dancing. On Thursday, roles reverse with Nguyen and her dancers presenting the entire Autarcie (…) while Lyons and his band dance an excerpt. Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz, 10361 W. Pico Blvd., W.L.A.; Wed.-Thurs., Oct. 5-6, 7:30 p.m., $35, $25 students. 310-286-0553, http://theatreraymodkabbaz.com.
Photo courtesy of Lux Aeterna Dance Company
2. What happened next?
The curtain rises after a disaster crests and media attention has pivoted elsewhere. Invertigo Dance Theatre‘s nine dancers are joined by two musicians and a raft of blue trash bags to mourn the trauma and celebrate the resilience of the community grappling with an upended world. As 15th anniversary commemorations of 9/11 continue, After It Happened seems even more timely than ever. Ford Theatres, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood; Fri., Sept. 30, 8:30 p.m., $35-$75, $18 students, $15 children. 323-461-3673. http://fordtheatres.org.
Other dance of note:
Photo by Ian Douglas
Part shadow act, part dance, part circus and part concert, Shadowland is a collaboration between the acrobatically inclined dance troupe Pilobolus and Steven Banks, lead writer for the animated series SpongeBob SquarePants. Valley Performing Arts Center, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge; Sun., Oct. 2, 3 p.m., $38-$58. 818-677-3000, http://ValleyPerformingArtsCenter.org.
This art party premiere includes dance and other performance by Murphy Martin, Allison Honeycutt, Jessica Hemingway, Rebecca Lemme, Aubree Lynn, Laura Jean Anderson, Andrea Gise, Moira McDonald, Craig Gibson and Wild Art Group led by Allison Keating. Thymele Studio, 5481 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood; Sat., Sept. 30, 9 p.m., free with no host bar. http://wildartgrop.org.
Photo by Lois Greenfield
Known for tight-knit dancing and the wry humor that infuses choreographer David Parsons’ dances, the New York-based contemporary ensemble Parsons Dance arrives. Smothers Theatre, Pepperdine University, 24255 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu; Wed., Oct 5, 8 p.m., $20-$40. 310-506-4522, http://arts.pepperdine.edu.
Spanish flamenco dancer Farruquito brings Improvisao celebrating flamenco’s roots in the spontaneous combustion possible between dancer and musicians. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa; Thurs., Sept. 9, 8 p.m., $39-$89. 714-556-2787, http://scfta.org.
This week’s JAM Session offers a cultural journey through Irish social dances as Céili Rua deciphers the Irish jig. Ford Theatres, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood; Mon., Oct. 3, 7 p.m., free but reservations recommended. http://fordtheatres.org.
Top photo: Invertigo Dance Theatre, Photo by Souheil Michael Khoury
Ann Haskins has written about dance for L.A. Weekly since shortly after it began publishing. She also has written about local and national dance for Pointe Magazine, Dance Spirit Magazine, Dance Teacher Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine, L.A. View, Coast Magazine, the Daily News, and the Herald Examiner. Among her broadcast projects, Ann hosted Inside Theater on KCRW-FM and contributed dance and theater features to both KLON-FM and KUSC-FM. She has received two Horton Awards from the Los Angeles Dance Resource Center for her coverage of dance in Los Angeles.