A Pinch of Salt and Sgt. Pepper

Foothill frolicking in Pasadena, a Beatles album celebrated in Costa Mesa, Cuban dance in Hollywood, beastly vehicles in Brentwood, a Russian ballet’s variations downtown, everyone into the water in Long Beach, and more SoCal dance this week.

5.  Turning up the volume

This installment of Congress Volume IIII spotlights several fast-rising choreographers and dancers. Announced performers include Jay Carlon recently in residence at L.A. Dance Project, street dancer Mykell Wilson, JA Collective (young Capezio award winners Aidan Carberry and Jordan Johnson), genre-straddling Melissa Schade, French-American choreographer/filmmaker Sara Silkin, Ate9 and BODYTRAFFIC alum Genna Moroni, burlesque proponent Miss Marquez, and SYTYCD hip hop alum Robert Green. Ryan Heffington’s Sweatspot, 3327 Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake; Fri.-Sun., June 14-16, 8 p.m., $25. https://legalize.dance/buycongress.   

JA Collective at Congress Volume IIII. Photo by Celine Kiner.
JA Collective at Congress Volume IIII. Photo by Celine Kiner.

4.  Going to the heights

With its signature blend of ballet and aerial dance, Luminario Ballet’s Choose Your Identity brings a cornucopia of greatest hits from its repertoire including the Led Zeppelin tribute LedZAerial and recreation of Bella Lewitzky’s TURF staged by former Lewitzky Dance Company’s John Pennington. Guest artists include aerialist/choreographer Dreya Weber and the Tawny Ellis Band. A prix fixe dinner is available next door at Cafe Faisdodo with advance reservation at 323-931-4636. Faisdodo, 5253 W. Adams Blvd., West Adams; Fri.-Sat., June 14-15, 8 p.m., Sun., June 16, 7 p.m., $25-$40.https://luminarioballet.org.

Luminario Ballet guest Dreya Weber. Photo by Paul Antico.
Luminario Ballet guest Dreya Weber. Photo by Paul Antico.

3.  Making a splash

A marine stadium is a most appropriate venue for the Global Waters Dances, part of a world-wide effort to bring attention to local and global water issues through simultaneous outdoor performances that celebrate this vital element too often taken for granted. Begun in 2011, this year’s festival boasts more than 150 cities that will have dance performances on the same day. Performances are free of charge and also available through live-streaming and uploads at http://globalwaterdances.org/. Participating LA-based dance companies include VIDA | Vannia Ibarguen Dance Arts, Dance4Oceans, Nannette Brodie Dance Company, Calliopus Contemporary Dance, and 7th Street Dance Company. Long Beach Marine Stadium, 5255 E. Paoli Way, Long Beach; Sat., June 15, 4 p.m., free. https://www.vanniaibarguen.com/news/gwdlongbeach2019.

Global Waters Dances. Photo courtesy of the artists.
Global Waters Dances. Photo courtesy of the artists.

2.  Hills alive with dance

Foothills Dancemakers is the moniker of a recently formed consortium of long-established modern dance companies that make their homes in the shadow of the San Gabriel mountains. For the organization’s debut concert, four respected choreographers–Benita Bike, John Pennington, Nancy Evans Doede and Hilary Thomas–bring their respective companies to the stage. Known for demystifying dance for new audiences, the five member chamber company Benita Bike’s DanceArt performs Plugged and On Beat 3, two works by BikeAn octet of dancers populate Pennington Dance Group and offer selections from Company of Orbs and a new work choreographed by Pennington who is respected for his teaching, choreography and history with the Lewitzky Dance Company. Focused on dance theatre works, Nancy Evans Dance Theatre showcases its six dancers in EvernessLe Gemelle, and There Between. Recognized for organizing the Pasadena Dance Festival among other outreach activities, Lineage Dance brings excerpts from Thomas’ Waking in the Mourning, and the quartet Midnight to 12:01. ARC Pasadena, 1158 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena; Sat., June 15, 8 p.m., Sun., June 16, 4 p.m., $20, $15 students & seniors. https://www.penningtondancegroup.org/tickets.

Foothills Dancemakers' Pennington Dance Group. Photo by Denise Leitner.
Foothills Dancemakers’ Pennington Dance Group. Photo by Denise Leitner.

1.  He gets by with a little help from his friends

Commissioned in 2017 for Liverpool England’s 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ groundbreaking (and mind-bending) recording, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Mark Morris Dance Project’s Pepperland arrives in SoCal. With his deep musicality, terrific dancers and always eye-catching moves, expect Morris to bring humor and a 21st century take on the album’s iconic title track plus With a Little Help from My FriendsWithin You Without YouPenny LaneA Day in the LifeWhen I’m Sixty-Four, and several new compositions inspired by the original. The matinee offers a buy one adult, get a child ticket free special. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa; Fri., June 14, 7:30 p.m., Sat., June 15, 2 & 7:30 p.m., $29-$119. https://www.scfta.org/events/2019/pepperland-mark-morris.

Mark Morris Dance Project's "Pepperland". Photo by Gareth Jones.
Mark Morris Dance Project’s “Pepperland”. Photo by Gareth Jones.

          Other dance of note:

In Fake Autobiographies: The Love Story of… Sophia Wang and Brontez Pernell, the interwoven stories of this interracial couple are presented by their Brontez Purnell Dance Company. From their meeting in the 1960s through the civil rights, free speech and anti-war struggles of the time, the pair are followed into that era’s aftermath. Pieter Performance Space, 420 W. Avenue 33, #10, Lincoln Heights; Sat. June 15, 8:30 p.m., admission is a non-monetary contribution to the free bar and/or boutique. https://pieterpasd.com.   

Brontez Purnell Dance Company. Photo by Robbie Sweeny.
Brontez Purnell Dance Company. Photo by Robbie Sweeny.

The classical ballet Raymonda and George Balanchine’s Raymonda Variations are compared and contrasted in this lecture demonstration by American Contemporary Ballet.  An artist reception follows the performance. Thurs.-Sat., 13-15, 8 p.m., Sun., June 16, 2 & 5 p.m. $45-$105. https://www.acbdances.com/balanchine.

American Contemporary Ballet. Photo by Will Davidson.
American Contemporary Ballet. Photo by Will Davidson.

Taking a page from  the animal vehicles in Hindu lore, Malathi Iyengar and her Rangoli Dance Company bring Vahanas: God’s Own Vehicles to the Getty Family Festival. The performance is one of the day’s events inspired by the current exhibition Book of Beasts: The Bestiary in the Medieval World running through Aug. 18. Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Dr., Brentwood; Sat., June 15, 10:30 a.m., free entry, paid parking. http://getty.edu/.

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

Signaling the start of summer, Cuban choreographer and educator Kati Hernandez opens this season’s JAM Sessions  Hernandez will bring on Cuban dance moves with help from live traditional percussion provided by Lazaro Galarraga and Bobby Wilmore. The Monday summer series offers an array of free dance classes that take participants around the world without leaving town. Find the full line up at https://www.fordtheatres.org/. Come prepared to dance or to enjoy those who are doing the dancing. Ford Theatres, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood;  Mon., June 17, 7 p.m., Free (reservations strongly recommended).  https://secure.ticketsage.net/websales.aspx?u=fordtheatres&pid=329564.

JAM's Katie Hernandez. Photo courtesy of the artist.
JAM’s Katie Hernandez. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Hoofers rejoice! The tap-filled musical Dames at Sea opens for a four week run. Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre; Fri.-Sat., June 14-15, 21-22 & 28-29, 8 p.m., Sun., June 16, 23 & 30, 2 p.m., $45, $40 senior, $25 21 & under. http://www.sierramadreplayhouse.org/.

"Dames at Sea" Photo courtesy of the artists.
“Dames at Sea” Photo courtesy of the artists.

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