L.A. Dance Project Returns To The Wallis As First Company-in-Residence

When Benjamin Millepied launched L.A. Dance Project (LADP) in 2012, he brought a new energy to the vibrant and growing Los Angeles dance community. Now, the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (The Wallis) welcomes L.A. Dance Project as its first Company-in-Residence during the 2017/18 Season. The Wallis will present two programs featuring the world-renowned company, one in the Fall that showcases four Los Angeles debuts on November 2 - 4, 2017 and one in Spring on April 5 - 7, 2018. Continuing the collaboration, LADP's artists will also participate in numerous education and outreach activities through the institution's arts education program GRoW @ The Wallis, engaging community and students throughout the season. Dance @ The Wallis programming is made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Wallis deepens its relationship with L.A. Dance Project, which made its debut on the Bram Goldsmith Theater stage during the 2015/16 season. "I am extremely proud to extend a warm welcome to Benjamin Millepied and L.A. Dance Project as our first Company-in-Residence," said Paul Crewes, The Wallis' Artistic Director. "The Wallis is a home for artists and audiences alike who want to explore, celebrate and embrace creativity. L.A. Dance Project is a perfect partner that aligns with these aspirations."

Under the artistic leadership of Millepied, LADP has quickly established itself on the international stage. LADP's mission is to foster dance-centered artistic collaborations across all disciplines, cultures and communities, as well as to support the development, creation and presentation of world-class dance in Los Angeles. "I am thrilled to find a new home in Los Angeles at The Wallis, one of the most exciting innovative performing arts centers," said Millepied. "This is a wonderful opportunity for L.A. Dance Project to extend its reach to a larger community and continue its path towards becoming a major dance company in America."

Single tickets are now available for $45 - $125. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit TheWallis.org/LADP, call 310.746.4000, or stop by in person at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts Ticket Services located at 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90210. Ticket prices subject to change.

The Wallis also offers three different options to subscribe to the 2017/18 season: the Premium Subscription Series; the Design-Your-Own option; and the new 3-show Flex Pass for $99, created for busy young professionals-39 and younger-giving the most flexibility to join The Wallis family of subscribers. Learn more at TheWallis.org/Subscribe.

About the Fall Program: November 2-4, 2017
LADP's Fall Program consists of four works that are Los Angeles debuts. Rising star Noé Soulier's Second Quartet, developed during a residency at the Luma Foundation in Arles, France, is a U.S. premiere. In Silence We Speak and Orpheus Highway, both developed through a Technical Residency Partnership with The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College, are West Coast premieres. Closer, one of Millepied's earliest and most iconic works, has been re-imagined for the LADP dancers and will be seen in Los Angeles for the first time. From the simple, sensuous, sinuous and emotionally taut duet of Closer to the visually dynamic Orpheus Highway danced by the whole company to a live piano score, to Noé Soulier's conceptual and slyly humorous Second Quartet, the Fall Program shows the journey LADP has taken, and points to where it is going.

Closer - Benjamin Millepied, LOS ANGELES PREMIERE
Intermission
Second Quartet - Noé Soulier, U.S. PREMIERE
Intermission
In Silence We Speak - Millepied, WEST COAST PREMIERE
Orpheus Highway - Millepied, WEST COAST PREMIERE

About L.A. Dance Project
L.A. Dance Project (LADP) is a dance company founded in 2012 by choreographer and dancer Benjamin Millepied and producer Charles Fabius, along with composers Nico Muhly and Nicholas Britell, and art consultant Matthieu Humery. LADP is a platform for the development, creation, support and presentation of world-class dance in Los Angeles. LADP seeks to foster dance-centered artistic collaborations across all disciplines, cultures and communities in Los Angeles and around the globe.

Since its founding, the company of the LADP has toured and given master classes at international venues and festivals including The Holland Festival, the Edinburgh International Festival, La Maison de la Danse, the Saitama Arts Center, Sadler's Wells Theatre, Shanghai and Bejing Opera Houses, Theatre des Champs Elysees and Theatre Du Chatelet. In the U. S., LADP has performed at Jacob's Pillow, Brooklyn Academy Of Music, New York City Center and The Joyce Theater. In Los Angeles, the company has performed at The Music Center's Walt Disney Concert Hall, MOCA, Union Station, The Theatre at Ace Hotel and The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.

About the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts:
Since opening its doors in October 2013, The Wallis has produced or presented more than 150 dance, theater, opera, classical music and family programs to an ever-expanding audience. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Paul Crewes and Managing Director Rachel Fine, The Wallis brings audiences world-class theater, dance and music, performed by many of the world's most talented and sought-after artists. Featuring eclectic programming that mirrors the diverse landscape of Los Angeles and its notability as the entertainment capital of the world, The Wallis offers original and revered works from across the U.S. and around the globe.

The mission of The Wallis is to create, present and celebrate unique performing arts events and educational programs that reflect the rich cultural diversity of our community. Nominated for 28 Ovation Awards, four L.A. Drama Critic's Circle Awards and the recipient of six architectural awards, The Wallis is a breathtaking 70,000-square-foot venue that celebrates the classic and the modern and was designed by Zoltan E. Pali, FAIA of Studio Pali Fekete architects. The building features the restored, original 1933 Beverly Hills Post Office (on the National Register of Historic Places) that serves as the theater's dramatic yet welcoming lobby, and houses the 150-seat Lovelace Studio Theater, GRoW at The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education (a gift of Gregory Annenberg Weingarten and Family and the Annenberg Foundation) and the contemporary 500-seat, state-of-the-art Bram Goldsmith Theater. Together, these structures embrace the city's history and its future, creating a performing arts destination for L.A.-area visitors and residents alike.

The Official Sponsors of The Wallis' 2017/18 Season include: Delta Air Lines (Official Airline Sponsor), Montage Beverly Hills (Preferred Hotel), Meridith Baer Home (Official Décor Sponsor) and Mercedes-Benz of Beverly Hills (Official Automotive Sponsor).

For the complete listing of all Dance @ The Wallis programs visit TheWallis.org/Dance.

Photo credit: Erin Baiano

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