Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts to Present Luminario Ballet of Los Angeles & More in February

February 2023 offerings at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts include Try/Step/Trip, a spoken word musical performed through the language of step dance that blurs the lines between hip-hop and dramatic performance; The Wallis debut of Luminario Ballet of Los Angeles in a program that features The Last Supper, a rollicking tale for the ages about Jesus, Judas, and Mary Magdalene's visit to the Coachella Music Festival in 2017; Grammy Award-winning Pacifica Quartet with special guest Anthony McGill, Principal Clarinet of the New York Philharmonic; and Sunday Funday, including two, delightful, free, family programs - Broadway Babies, which introduces children to the magic of musical theater, and a free Flamenco dance class for the entire family as part of Dance Sundays with Debbie Allen & Friends. (Details below in chronological order.)

Thursday, February 2 - Sunday, February 5, 2023 (times noted below)

Lovelace Theater, Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts

The Wallis Presents

DAHLAK BRATHWAITE: TRY/STEP/TRIP

Written & Composed by Dahlak Brathwaite

Choreographed by Toran X. Moore

Assistant Choreography by Freddy Ramsey, Jr.

Orchestrations & Additional Compositions by Teak Underdue

Directed by Roberta Uno

Try/Step/Trip is a spoken word, multi-character musical performed through the language of step dance. The story follows the journey of an anonymous narrator as he re-imagines his experience in a court-ordered drug rehabilitation program. Inspired by Brathwaite's own history, Try/Step/Trip layers characters, poetic verse, and dialogue over music to create a theatrical piece that blurs the lines between hip-hop and dramatic performance. Try/Step/Trip emerges from the belief that the subjugation of Black people is an American ritual; that the criminal justice system now functions as a normalized rite of passage for too many young Black males. "[Brathwaite's] presence is breathtaking, and chilling...ripping through your mind with just a microphone" (Sacramento News & Review).

Times: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 8 pm; Sunday, 2:30 pm

Tickets: $40-$50 (prices subject to change)

Sunday, February 12, 2023

Promenade Terrace, Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts

Sunday Funday - includes two events:

11AM - Broadway Babies

Broadway Babies introduces your little stars to the magic of musical theatre. Belt your hearts out to your favorite show tunes. Puppets! Bubbles! Instruments! Costumes! Everything it takes to put on a big Broadway show!

12PM - Dance Sundays with Debbie Allen & Friends - Flamenco Dance Class

A free Flamenco dance class is featured as part of The Wallis's popular Dance Sundays, an exhilarating series of free, monthly, outdoor, dance events for the whole family produced in conjunction with three-time Emmy Award-winner Debbie Allen. All ages and dance levels welcome.

Tickets: FREE

Friday, February 17 & Saturday, February 18, 2023, 7:30 pm

Bram Goldsmith Theater, Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts

LUMINARIO BALLET OF LOS ANGELES

Making its Wallis debut, Luminario Ballet of Los Angeles presents two works, including Heroes, Sheroes, and Eros, in which a collective of Luminario Ballet choreographers and special guests explore the tangled paths of history/herstory/ourstory. Additionally, the repertory ballet, aerial, and modern dance company performs The Last Supper, a rollicking tale for the ages about Jesus, Judas, and Mary Magdalene's visit to the Coachella Music Festival in 2017 that explores such themes as personality, Black Lives Matter, relationships, sexuality, drug addiction, betrayal, and resolution through explosive, emotional choreography across a range of dance styles. Founded in 2009 by Judith FLEX Helle and the Charles Evans Foundation NY, Luminario has toured globally and also performed locally-commissioned work with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall and across numerous mediums, such as music videos, television, film, virtual reality, and, soon, NFTs.

Tickets: $29-$79 (prices subject to change)

Thursday, February 23, 2023, 7:30 pm

Bram Goldsmith Theater, Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts

Anthony McGill & THE PACIFICA QUARTET

Recognized for its virtuosity, exuberance, and daring repertory choices, the Grammy Award-winning Pacifica Quartet - Simin Ganatra (violin), Austin Hartman (violin), Mark Holloway (violist), Brandon Vamos (cello) - has achieved international recognition as one of the finest chamber ensembles performing today. Formed in 1994, the ensemble quickly won chamber music's top competitions, including the 1998 Naumburg Chamber Music Award. For its Wallis debut, the quartet is joined by the brilliantly multi-faceted Anthony McGill, principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic and an exceptional soloist in his own right. These spectacular musicians will bring the beauty and depth of chamber music to their Wallis debut.

DVOŘÁK Quartet in F Major, Op. 96 American

BEN SHIRLEY High Sierra Sonata
BRAHMS Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, Op. 115

Tickets: $39-$99 (prices subject to change)

About Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts:

Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is a dynamic cultural hub and community resource where local, national and International Artists share their artistry with ever-expanding audiences. The campus, located in the heart of Beverly Hills, CA, is committed to robust and distinctive presentations and education programs curated with both creativity and social impact in mind. Distinguished by its eclectic programming that mirrors the diverse landscape of Los Angeles and its location in the entertainment capital of the world, The Wallis has produced and presented more than 350 theater, dance, music, film, cabaret, conversation, and family entertainment programs since its doors opened in October 2013. Hailed as "au courant" (LaLa Magazine), The Wallis was lauded by Culture Vulture, which proclaims, "If you love expecting the unexpected in the performing arts, you have to love The Wallis." Its programming has been nominated for 79 Ovation Awards and nine L.A. Drama Critic's Circle Awards. The campus itself, a breathtaking 70,000-square-foot facility, celebrating the classic and the modern, has garnered six architectural awards. Designed by acclaimed architect Zoltan E. Pali (SPF:architects), the restored building features the original 1933 Beverly Hills Post Office (on the National Register of Historic Places), which serves as the theater's dramatic yet welcoming lobby, and includes the contemporary 500-seat, state-of-the-art Bram Goldsmith Theater; the 150-seat Lovelace Studio Theater; an inviting open-air plaza for family, community and other performances; and GRoW @ The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education, where learning opportunities for all ages and backgrounds abound. Together, these elements embrace the city's history and its future, creating a performing arts destination for L.A.-area visitors and residents alike. Michael Nemeroff is Chairman of The Wallis' Board of Directors.

For more information about The Wallis, please visit: TheWallis.org.

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