Loading Up the Last of Summer Dance

Dance at a loading dock in Hollywood, two contemporary troupes tag team in Beverly Hills, scary ballet dancers downtown, a Canadian visitor in West L.A., and more SoCal dance this busy week.

5.  Canadians dance Beethoven

Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, sign language and ballet combine in 9, the calling card as Canada’s CAS Public & Kopergietery Contemporary Dance Company combine forces. After a hearing impaired dancer joined the company, CAS Public artistic director/choreographer Hélène Blackburn began considering the interwoven currents with the symphony composed when Beethoven was deaf. Theatre Raymond Kabbaz, 10361 W. Pico Blvd., W.L.A.; Fri., Oct. 26, 7:30 p.m., $25, $15 students. https://www.theatreraymondkabbaz.com.

CAS Public. Photo courtesy of the artists.
CAS Public. Photo courtesy of the artists.

4.  What’s in the works?

This edition of the quarterly Studio series features new and in-progress works drawing on dance, performance, music and multi-media. Mallory Fabian and Darby Kelley’s Thanks for Asking considers issues of race, femininity and friendship. In The Liminal Space and I, Palestinian/Jordanian Mohammad Al Tayyeb looks at cultural and gender identity while Austyn Rich’s Technical Foul explores parallels between sports violence and Black labor. Institut Idgaf looks at those who work, Elliot Reed Laboratories strive to create an onstage ecosystem, and Sola Bamis offers a livestream event. REDCAT at Disney Hall, 631 W. 2nd St., downtown; Sun.-Mon., Oct. 28-29, 8:30 p.m., $15, $12 students. 213-237-2800, https://www.redcat.org.

REDCAT Studio's Mallory Fabian & Darby Kelley. Photo by Tom E. Kelley.
REDCAT Studio’s Mallory Fabian & Darby Kelley. Photo by Tom E. Kelley.

3.  Making beautiful “Lines”

Always welcome visitors from San Francisco, choreographer Alonzo King and his contemporary company Alonzo King Lines Ballet are known for beautifully trained, long-limbed dancers who shine in King’s textured choreography. The company brings Sutra, a product of King collaborating with Grammy Award-winning Indian musicians Zakir Hussain on tabla and Sabir Khan on the Sarangi instrument and vocals. San Francisco critics praised Sutra as a masterful blending of eastern music and western dance. Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Bram Goldsmith Theater, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills; Thurs.-Sat., Nov. 1-3, 7:30 p.m., $35-$105. 310-746-4000. http://www.thewallis.org.

Alonzo King Lines Ballet. Photo by Chris Hardy.
Alonzo King Lines Ballet. Photo by Chris Hardy.

2.  Making Beverly Hills “The Company” town

In five short years, Jacob Jonas The Company has built a public and critical following for an athletic blend of ballet, street and contemporary dance. One of Jonas’ talents is incorporating dancers with different backgrounds and styles into a distinctive L.A. brew that still allows each particular style full reign. Its stature was further confirmed when this venue selected Jonas and his eponymous troupe as its 2018-2019 company in residence with the funding and heightened visibility that brings. These performances will be followed by a different show next spring, but for this opening sortie Jonas augments three of his own dances with commissioned works from guest choreographers Donald Byrd (who was one of Jonas’ mentors) and Latino choreographer Omar Román de Jesús. Wallis Annenberg Theater, Lovelace Theater, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills; Wed.-Fri., Oct. 24-26, 8 p.m., Sat., Oct. 27, 2:30 & 8 p.m., $35. http://thewallis.org/jacobjonas.

Jacob Jonas The Company. Photo courtesy of the artists.
Jacob Jonas The Company. Photo courtesy of the artists.

1.  Loaded up

Leave it to a troupe used to site specific performances in abandoned swimming pools, historic jails or the concrete banks of the L.A. River to eschew the stage at a formal theatre and choose instead to perform at the theater’s loading dock. Yet that is exactly what Heidi Duckler and her eponymous Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre will do in Loaded. The quartet of dancers—Raymond Ejiofor, Lenin Fernandez, Micaela Taylor and Himerria Wortham—get back up from live music composed and performed by Justin Scheid.  This venue’s last dance event of the season means summer is officially over, except for the Santa Ana winds, of course. Ford Theatres, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood; Sat.-Sun., Oct. 27-28, 5:30 p.m., $50, $25 students. https://fordtheatres.org.

Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre. Photo courtesy of HDDT.
Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre. Photo courtesy of HDDT.

            Other dance of note:

A bit of the devil and a bit of a tease as American Contemporary Ballet offers two new works from artistic director Lincoln Jones to compositions by Charles Wuorinen. Dante’s Divine Comedy inspired Inferno, with the world of Gypsy Rose Lee the source for Burlesque. ACB Studios, The Bloc, 700 S. Flower St., Suite 3200, downtown; Fri., Oct. 26, 8 p.m., Sat., Oct. 27, 7:30 & 10 p.m., Tues., Oct. 30, 8 p.m., Wed., Oct. 31, 7:30 & 10 p.m., $45-$90. 213-878-9020,  https://www.acbdances.com.

American Contemporary Ballet's "Inferno". Photo by Jared Zagha.
American Contemporary Ballet’s “Inferno”. Photo by Jared Zagha.

The long-running favorite Forever Flamenco with its roster of artistic directors and recurring line up of some of the L.A.’s best flamenco performers is a mostly monthly one-time only Sunday performance. Breaking that pattern, this installment titled Family Gypsy Song offers a Thursday show before the usual Sunday event.  Dancers Fanny Ara and Cihtli Ocampo are joined by guitarist Ethan Margolis, singers Antonio de Jerez with guest artists Juan Bacán, Miguel Funi Hijo, and Gypsy vocalists from from Lebrija, Spain. Fountain Theater, 5060 Fountain Ave., Silverlake; Thurs. & Sun., Nov. 1 & 4, 8 p.m., $40-$50, $30 seniors & students. http://www.fountaintheatre.com.

Forever Flamenco's Cihtli Ocampo. Photo by Elazar Harel.
Forever Flamenco’s Cihtli Ocampo. Photo by Elazar Harel.

The glorification of firearms, the influence of guns, school shootings and excessive police force are tackled by choreographer Lyndsi Zapata and her SiZa Dance Company in their new work keep and bear. Live Arts, 4210 Panamint St., Glassell Park; Fri.-Sat., Oct. 26-27, 8 p.m., $15. sizadanceco.ticketleap.com/siza-keep-and-bear.

SiZa Dance Company. Photo courtesy of the artists.
SiZa Dance Company. Photo courtesy of the artists.

Flamenco dance and music take center stage at the free event Flamenco Alhambra 2018. Sage Granada Park United Methodist Church, 1850 W. Hellman Ave., Alhambra; Sat., Oct. 27, 7 p.m.; free. 626-230-5435.

In Everything is nothing and Nothing is everything Alicia McDaid promises to channel characters from popular culture. Pieter, 420 West Avenue 33, Unit #10, Lincoln Heights; Sat., Oct. 27, 8:30 p.m., non-monetary donation for free bar or free boutique.  https://pieterpasd.com/.

Alicia McDaid. Photo by Jaclyn Campanaro.
Alicia McDaid. Photo by Jaclyn Campanaro.

From the small screen to the live stage, the NBC competition tv show World of Dance Live Tour opens. Carousal Dance Company performs at the 7:30 p.m. pre-show. Saban Theatre, 8440 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills; Thurs., Nov. 1, 8 p.m., $38-$125. https://wheremusicmeetsthesoul.com.

Multiple fairy tales show up in Through the Pages from the training company Redondo Beach Ballet. Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Redondo Beach; Sat. Oct. 27, 3 & 6 p.m. $30-$35. www.redondoballet.com.

Taking a seasonal approach for its gala, Luminario Ballet Company and its dancers and aerialists offer a masquerade ball. Performance of ballet and aerial dance compliment the wine, food and silent auction as the troupe celebrates its tenth anniversary. Black tie and masked attire are requested. The Jonathan Beach Club, 850 Palisades Beach Rd., Santa Monica; Sat., Oct. 27, 5 p.m., $300-$500. https://luminarioballet.org.

Luminario Ballet Company. Photo courtesy of the artists.
Luminario Ballet Company. Photo courtesy of the artists.

A harbinger of upcoming centennial activities celebrating the life and legend of the late modern dance choreographer Merce CunninghamClouds and Screens, includes two large works by Andy Warhol and Charles Atlas, both artists associated with Cunningham’s company. The installation also includes two early videos of Cunningham’s work with more to come during the exhibition’s run. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-City; Sun., Oct. 28-March 31, $25, $21 students & seniors (museum admission). http://www.lacma.org/event/memprev_merce2.

Merce Cunningham. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Merce Cunningham. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Disney takes a whack at the seasonal favorite with Disney The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. Opening at its flagship theater, at selected screenings the film is preceded by live dancing with Los Angeles Ballet performing at Thursday’s premiere. A complete line up of dance companies and screenings at https://elcapitantheatre.com/communitydanceperformances.  El Capitan Theatre, 1755 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood; opens Thurs., Nov. 1, $16-$18, $13 students. https://elcapitantheatre.com.

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