BWW Review: Pat Taylor's JAZZANTIQUA DANCE Illuminates The Brand Library
Another lovely early evening of pure dance bliss. Sun still shining on another ideal California spring day; the final performance in the three-part dance series by nine talented and soul-sharing dancers included Shari Washington Rhone, Justin Edmonson, Latrice Postell, Kacy Keys, Chris Smith, Tashara Gavin-Moorehead, Laura Ann Smyth, Alex Rasmussen and Bernard Brown; all a part of JazzAntiqua Dance & Music Ensemble. They performed mainly outside on the grounds surrounding the Library.
This was the third and final performance of the Brand Associates Dance series that included Nickerson-Rossi Dance, Tropicaleiza and 4 weekends of workshops.
Pat Taylor is a master at her craft. She created and is Artistic Director/Choreographer for the prestigious jazz dance company established in 1993. She not only chooses her music, dancers, production people, etc. to gel with her initial idea for a dance piece; she develops it with input from all the dancers as well, and creates through her emotions, her knowledge, love and history in Dance, and what she draws from each of her full-of-joy/life dancers... and they are into it!
The program consists of excerpts from a new work they are now continuing to develop, after a
three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, entitled “Songs My Mother Taught Me,” which, Pat Taylor explained, “celebrates music and reflections by renowned African-American women that are jazz artists, activists and engagers. It is a celebration of community, and a soul-stirring shout-out to living, learning and loving.
7th LA Dance Festival Announces April 2019 Dates
Celebrating its 7th year of bringing attention to the best contemporary dance in LA, Los Angeles Dance Festival (LADF) - this year partnering with the Luckman Fine Arts Complex and California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) gives the community programming over a month's time - and an annual gathering place where the public can experience curated programs featuring the wide range of concert dance that is produced here. LADF also offers ways for the public to participate directly with the creators who work in this vibrant art form.
Heidi Duckler Dance Presents EBB & FLOW: CULVER CITY
Los Angeles-based company, Heidi Duckler Dance (HDD) is proud to present Ebb & Flow: Culver City 2019. After a successful one day event in 2018, HDD was asked to bring the festival back to the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook for two days in 2019! The festival will take place at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook from 11 am - 7 pm on February 23 and 24, 2019.
REDCAT Presents World Premiere of New Work By Choreographer David Roussève
REDCAT, CalArts' downtown center for contemporary arts, is pleased to present the World Premiere of Herb Alpert Award-winning choreographer David Rousseve's newest work, Halfway to Dawn, for four performances from Thursday, October 4 through Sunday, October 7, 2018. Written, choreographed and directed by Rousseve, this vibrant dance-theatre work will be performed by his wildly diverse nine-member company REALITY. Halfway to Dawn illuminates the story of African American jazz composer Billy "Sweet Pea" Strayhorn. Relatively unknown, Strayhorn was Duke Ellington's main arranger/writing partner, instrumental to the creation of a vastly important body of work in American music history. Gay, out, and living in Harlem in the 1940's-60's, Strayhorn chose to lead a remarkably private life, allowing Ellington to take the spotlight and much of the credit for their joint oeuvre. The arranger/composer was also a passionate activist involved in civil rights causes (and a committed friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.). The core of Halfway to Dawn is Strayhorn's music as interpreted through a dynamic dance vocabulary melding jazz, modern/postmodern, and social dance forms. A surreal sonic design by d. Sabela grimes surrounds vintage recordings of Strayhorn's songs, while video art by Cari Ann Shim Sham* gives the production a rich visual dynamic. For more information on the work, please visit https://www.davidrousseve.com/halfwaytodawn.
BWW Review: LULA WASHINGTON DANCE THEATRE is an Entity All its Own at The Ford Theatre
Lula Washington, an L. A. native from Watts, along with her husband Erwin Washington and daughter Tamica Washington Miller, have been the incumbent founders, creators, directors and choreographers of the LULA WASHINGTON DANCE THEATRE since 1980. They began with the goal to motivate, educate, inspire, challenge and enrich the lives of young people so they could become successful, productive and competitive citizens. Thirty years later, and now a major dance company all over the world, their appearance here in Los Angeles at The Ford Theatre was an incredible ensemble of dance works choreographed by a variety of talented artists, including Lula and Tamica, and performed by one of the most powerful, strong and exciting company of dancers on the planet.
REDCAT's 2017 New Original Works (NOW) Festival Continues Until 8/12
REDCAT, CalArts' downtown center for contemporary arts, 14th annual New Original Works (NOW) Festival, a three-week celebration of Los Angeles' vibrant community of artists creating new contemporary performance works continues August 3-5 and August 10-12 at 8:30 pm. Each weekend premieres a triple bill, presenting a shared evening of dance, theater and multimedia work. Each program is premiered on Thursday evening and repeated Friday and Saturday evenings.
Announcing REDCAT's 2017 NOW Festival Line Up
REDCAT, CalArts' downtown center for contemporary arts, announces the 14th annual New Original Works (NOW) Festival, a three-week celebration of Los Angeles' vibrant community of artists creating new contemporary performance works. This year's festival runs over three weekends: Thursday to Saturday, July 27-29, August 3-5 and August 10-12 at 8:30 pm. Each weekend premieres a triple bill, presenting a shared evening of dance, theater and multimedia work. Each program is premiered on Thursday evening and repeated Friday and Saturday evenings.
OTHELLO Opens at Maynardville this Summer
Artscape's 2015 Shakespeare production at the Maynardville Open-Air Theatre will be the tragedy, OTHELLO, a play still as gripping today as it was when it was written 400 years ago.