A biblical flood considered in Lincoln Heights, a quartet of dance troupes take the light rail in Santa Monica, new choreography downtown, a fish dances in Chinatown, Australian cirque in Santa Ana, and more SoCal dance this week.
5. A Latinx dance fest
Evolving out of a community Brazilian dance class taught by Marina Magalhães, this venue hosts the Dancing Diaspora Festival with two days of Latinx dance, music, classes and more. The first night closes with a performance and on the second night a jam closes the festival. Announced participants for the Saturday show include José Richard Aviles, Dana Fitchett, Allison Gray, Marina Magalhães, Bianca Medina,Vera Passos & Rachel Hernandez, Primera Generación Dance Collective, and Tatiana Zamir. All events are free, but given the venue’s limited space, come early. Once things fill up, folks will be turned away. A complete list of classes and other events at the website. Pieter 420 W. Avenue 33, #10, Lincoln Heights; performance: Sat., June 1, 8 p.m., jam: Sun., June 2, 5 p.m., free. https://pieterpasd.com.
4. Believing a myth
The relatively young company Psychopomp brings a quintet of dancers in Relics: Return To Clay inspired by cultural and religious aspects of the myth of the Great Flood. The dancers are Maijalisa Miltz, Kaycee Jannino, Andrew Corpuz, Abraham Meisel and Annelise Bucher. Artistic director Shenandoah Harris choreographed. Diavolo Dance Theater Studios, 616 Moulton Ave., Lincoln Heights; Fri., May 31, 8 p.m., $10-$13 in advance, $15 at door. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/relics-return-to-clay-tickets-61590268150.
3. Progressively new dance
Considerable dance is featured in the latest edition of this quarterly series showcasing new work and works in progress. Studio: Spring 2019 includes Lindsey Lollie with Wind Down danced in front of giant electric fans while in Muscle Memory, choreographer Sadie Yarrington promises to employ the audience as a chorus. Marina Magalhães draws on her Brazilian heritage in her new duet Apoio/Suppport, in Manecdotes, Rian James Alcid considers how male stereotypes affect boys in dance, and Jasmine Lin 林思穎 looks to her Taiwanese heritage in Morning Exercise. REDCAT, Disney Hall, 631 W. 2nd St., downtown; Sun.-Mon., June 2-3, 8:30 p.m., $15, $12 students. https://www.redcat.org/event/studio-spring-2019.
2. Tidal climate considerations
The reality of climate change as well as impacts on the environment and health are explored in Ebb & Flow: Chinatown 2019. Anchored by host Heidi Duckler Dance and its impressive architectural fish sculpture, this free, site specific event includes a day of dance workshops and community performances throughout the afternoon and concludes with a professional performance at 7:30 p.m. The evening’s choreographers include Moises Josue Michel, Candy Yi in collaboration with Chantal Cherry, Carissa Songhorian, JA Collective and the host company with Duckler’s new work titled Further. A complete schedule is at the website. Los Angeles State Historic Park, 1245 N. Spring St., downtown; performance: Sat., June 1, 7:30 p.m., free with reservations (strongly suggested) at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ebb-flow-chinatown-tickets-59920897016.
1. A third instigation
In Transit Dances III, instigator Donna Sternberg returns with four dance troupes to surprise and delight riders along a Santa Monica stretch of the Expo light rail line. The event is free with a Metro ticket. The fun begins at the 26th Street/Bergamot station and moves west to the 17th and the 4th Street stations. At each stop tour guides lead audience members to a performance site and after the performance the audience reboards and travels on to the next stop. Though focused in Santa Monica, the participating performers reflect SoCal’s extraordinary diversity including New Zealand dance from Nga Anahera Maori, Bollywood from Blue 13, and contemporary dance from both B. Dunn Movement and host company Donna Sternberg & Dancers. Route begins at 26th St./Bergamot Metro Stop (details and map at Santa Monica Expo Line), Santa Monica; Sat., June 1, noon & 1 p.m., free with metro ticket. www.dsdancers.com.
Other dance of note:
Danielle Agami and the dancers of her troupe Ate 9 conclude their season with a performance in an intimate setting, the living room at The Ruby Street, 6408 Ruby St., Highland Park; Thurs., 30, 8 p.m., $40 (includes a party). https://www.ate9dancecompany.com/.
Classical (ballet) and non-classical (everything else) dance are among the seven performance categories in this year’s Music Center Spotlight program. Drawn from all over SoCal, two high schoolers selected as finalists in each category perform. The ballet finalists in this 31st edition are Petra Johnson from Duarte and Darrion Sellman from Reseda. The non-classical dance finalists are Lilah Horton from Santa Ana and Zack Sommer from San Diego. Well known prior Spotlight participants include Misty Copeland now dancing with American Ballet Theater as well as singers Adam Lambert and Josh Groban. Music Center Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown; Tues., June 4, 7 p.m., $20. https://www.musiccenter.org/spotlightfinale.
The Wooden Floor has built a reputation for the high quality of its dance performances and the organization’s positive off-stage impact in the lives of its young dancers. Founded to provide a safe haven and after school activities, dance became an important focus and 36 years later remains so. Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Dr., Irvine; Thurs.-Fri., May 30-31, 8 p.m., Sat., June 1, 2:30 & 8 p.m., $15-$30, $7.50-$15 students & children under 13 years. http://thebarclay.org/.
The interplay of the architecture contained in R.M. Schindler’s famous concrete “Slab-Tilt” Schindler House in West Hollywood and artist Alison Knowles’ 1960’s intermedia piece The Play House is grist for Shelter or Playground-The House of Dust at the Schindler House, a series of performative investigations. The four month exhibit launched with a day of performances from an international roster of choreographers including locally-based Milka Djordjevich. Djordjevich’s work is the only dancemaker who received a repeat showing, twice a month but performances end this weekend. Details on the architecture and avant garde movement that inspired this event and the extended endeavor that incorporates Djordjevich’s performances at https://makcenter.org. Schindler House, 835 N. Kings Rd., West Hollywood; Sat., June 1, 3 p.m., free. https://makcenter.org.
For its spring show LA Unbound brings a mix of hip hop, tap, jazz, contemporary dance and more to the stage. El Portal Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood; Sat., June 1, 4 & 8 p.m., $16-$29. https://ci.ovationtix.com/371/production/1010235.
Under the banner Pinnacle, students from the Trudi Zipper Dance Institute perform works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and Benjamin Millepied. Ramón C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts, Grand Arts High School Concert Hall, 450 N. Grand Ave., downtown; Sun., June 2, 6 p.m., $10. https://www.colburnschool.edu/calendar/.
The latest edition of Santa Ana Sites, the city-sponsored arts performance series brings the Austalian contemporary circus company Circa to town with Circa: What Will Have Been. No wild animals, just talented performers doing wild things to entertain. The Yost Theater, 307 N. Spurgeon St., Santa Ana; Thurs.-Fri., May 30-31, 8 p.m., $20 general, $15 Santa Ana residents, $25 at door, $12 students. https://www.santaanasites.com/.
Dancer Bertha Suarez provides the dance component of Numi Opera’s inaugural production Der Zwerg (The Dwarf). Based on Oscar Wilde’s story The Birthday of the Infanta, the choice of this rarely performed opera reflects what the opera company’s founder/artistic director Gail R. Gordon describes as “bringing modern relevance to lesser-known operas of all eras.” Theater at the Ace Hotel, 929 S. Broadway, downtown; Thurs., May 30, 7:30 p.m., Sun., June 2, 2 p.m., $35-$75. 888-929-7849, https://www.numiopera.org/purchase-tickets.
In advance of the June 15 opening of tap-filled musical Dames at Sea, this venue is sponsoring a 4-1/2 hour Time-Step Marathon. Tappers will be welcomed to a portable tap surface on the sidewalk outside the theater and given a 15-minute time slot to demonstrate their time step or talk about their favorite dance step. Sign ups are required and slots will be filled on a first come first serve basis. Video of famous tap dancers will fill any gaps to ensure ongoing entertainment. Register with Diane Siegel at diane.siegel@sierramadreplayhouse.org. A live feed over Facebook will carry the performances. Sierra Madre Playhouse (under the marquee), 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre; Sat., June 1, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m., free. http://www.sierramadreplayhouse.org/.