South Asian dance meets contemporary in Westwood and Santa Barbara; African diaspora meets modern dance in Beverly Hills; Chopin meets pointe shoes in Costa Mesa; ice skating meets roller blades in Irvine and La Jolla; California railroad history meets Chinese dance in Downtown LA; Arts Night meets up dancing all over Pasadena; more SoCal dance this week, plus a peek at what else is coming this month.
Live Performance This Week (ending October 15)
Rare visit
With a signature movement vocabulary blending West African, Caribbean, and modern dance, New York-based Ronald K Brown/Evidence arrives for a rare West Coast appearance. The noted choreographer brings four of his works, including Come Ye (2002) set to music by Nina Simone and Fela Kuti, Tender Warriors created for the centennial of drummer Max Roach, Clear as Tear Water, a solo created for dancer Toni Pierce-Sands, and the ever-energized Upside Down. At the Wallis, Bram Goldsmith Theater, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills; Thurs.-Sat., Oct. 8-10, 7:30 pm, $35.20-$101.70 (includes fees). Ronald K Brown/Evidence.
Last visit
Despite visa issues that delayed travel from Britain and cancellation of at least one East Coast tour stops, as of press time, choreographer Akram Khan and his Akram Khan Company are still coming as scheduled to SoCal, although the Santa Barbara show has been postponed from October 6 to October 20. Ironically, the visa issues arose shortly after Khan announced that this will be the last tour for his company after 25 years. Celebrated for his distinctive, mesmerizing blend of South Asian Bharatanatyam dance and contemporary movement, Khan’s final calling card is Thikra, a Night of Remembering, a ritualized nighttime gathering of women. Part of Khan’s power is the world his designers and composers create for his dancers to inhabit. Thikra has an original score by Aditya Prakash, scenography and costumes by Saudi artist Manal AlDowayan, sound by Gareth Fry, lighting by Zeynep Kepekli, and dramaturgy by Blue Pieta. At UCLA, Royce Hall, 10745 Dickson Ct., Westwood; Sat., Oct. 10, 8 pm, $45.08-$72.02. Akram Khan Company. Also at the Granada Theatre, 1214 State St., Santa Barbara; Tues., Oct. 20, 7:30 pm, $20-$100. UCSB.
Texas soul sounds
Instigated by superstar pianist Lang Lang who performed live onstage with choreography by Houston Ballet’s Stanton Welch, Sons de L’âme (Sounds of the Soul) premiered in Paris in 2013 to rapturous ovations. The ballet, set to two hours of Frédéric Chopin’s solo piano music, was next given a full performance this past April in Houston. This time with George Li at the piano. Now the ballet receives its third full performance as Houston Ballet opens this venue’s 2026-2027 dance season, again with Li onstage at the piano. At Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa; Thurs.-Fri., Oct. 15-16, 7:30 pm, Sat., Oct 17, 2 & 7:30 pm, Sun., Oct. 18, 1 pm, $44-$169. Houston Ballet.
Four by twos
A quartet of Pas de Deux with two alternating casts marks the latest from American Contemporary Ballet. Balanchine’s Rubies Pas de Deux, Sonatine and Episodes Finale join a new work by artistic director Lincoln Jones. Details, including casts for each show, are at the website. at Bank of America Plaza, CO-150, 333 S. Hope St., Downtown LA; Fri.-Sat., Oct. 9-10, 16-17, 23-24, 30-31, $65-$140. American Contemporary Ballet
Canadian visitors
Ice skating in a proscenium theater? Well, sort of. A little known 1990s prototype roller skate that allows for the athletic virtuosity of figure skating as well as contemporary moves and a bit of street dance, is the métier of Le Patin Libre. Led by Alexandre Hamel and Maude Poulin, the touring Montreal-based skaters stop off with Melt. At Epstein Family Amphitheater, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla Thurs., Oct. 8, 7:30 pm, $21-$55. Epstein Family Theater. Also at Irvine Barclay Theatre, UC Irvine, 4242 Campus Dr., Irvine; Sun., Oct. 11, 5 pm, $34-$115. The Barclay Theatre.
The country, not the state
From the eastern European country, the Georgian National Ballet arrives with the Georgian Orchestra and a repertoire of national dance under the banner Sukhishvili. At the Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale; Sat., Oct. 10, 7 pm, $64-$139. Georgian National Ballet. Also at the Ebell Theatre, 4401 W. 8th St., Hancock Park; Sun., Oct. 11, 7 pm, $99-$179. Georgian National Ballet-Ebell.
More than the Rose Parade
Pasadena goes arty with events, including dance throughout the city as it celebrates Art Night Pasadena. Available details on dance performers at different venues as well as non-dance activities are at the website. For one, The Pennington Dance Group hosts a rotating line up of local companies including Benita Bike DanceArts. At A Room to Create (ARC), 1158 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena; Fri., Oct. 9, 6 pm, free. Pasadena Art Night
Ordering off menu
Tired of the same old food truck choices? Try ¡ORDENA! The site-specific dancers and performers of Heidi Duckler Dance inject new menu flavors to transform a food cart into an invitation to order a dish of dance. At the Culver City Art Walk, Washington Blvd. between Helms Ave. & McManus Ave., Culver City; Sat., Oct. 10, 11:45 am, 12:45 pm, 1:45 pm, & 2:45 pm, free. Ordena!
On the floor
For more than two decades, Tablao Zano Flamenco has been a popular component of Santa Barbara’s active flamenco scene. Led by guitarist Andres Vadin, the ensemble includes dancers Kayla Lyall and Carlos Menchaca percussionist Diego Alvarez, singer Joselito de Jerez, and Vadin. At Center Stage Theater, 751 Paseo Nuevo, Santa Barbara; Sat., Oct. 10, 7:30 pm, $27-$62. Tablao Zano Flamenco.
Good connections
Connected with Invertigo Dance Company, the admirable, long-running program Dancing Through Parkinson’s brings Circe & The Gang to the stage. At Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts Center, Vista Del Mar Child & Family Services, 3200 Motor Ave., Palms; Sat., Oct. 10, 8:30 pm, Sun., Oct. 11, 3:30 pm, $25. Dancing Through Parkinson’s.
Keeping on campus
As part of this museum’s continuing presentation of campus performance groups, Grupo Folklórico de UCLA offers a free performance. At Fowler Museum, UCLA, 208 Charles Young Dr. N, Westwood; Wed., Oct. 14, 6 pm, free w/reservation at Grupo Folklórico de UCLA
On the Rails
Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang drew on the 1867 Chinese Railway Workers strike as the backdrop for The Dance and the Railroad where dance-infused Chinese opera becomes a bond for two striking railroad workers building the transcontinental railroad. The western portion was built by a labor force, at least 80% of which were Chinese immigrants. They faced harsher duties, longer hours, made less than half the pay of white workers, and in 1867, went on strike over working conditions after an explosion killed one white and five Chinese workers. The play requires actors who also can meet the dance demands of classical Chinese opera. Presenters Artists at Play & Latino Theater Company found those actors/dancers in Tony Jin and Scott Keiji Takeda, who appeared together this summer in East West Players’ Hwang’s updated Flower Drum Song where Chinese opera dance also played a central role. The duo now reapply those Chinese opera and dance skills in this new revival of another Hwang work. At LA Theater Center, 514 S. Spring St., Downtown LA; Thurs.-Sat., 8 pm, Sun., 2 pm, thru Nov. 1, $48 (+fee). The Dance and the Railroad.
A Peek at Next Week (Oct. 16-22)
Victoria Marks — A Deer Walks into a Dance at UCLA, The Nimoy, 1262 Westwood Blvd., Westwood; Fri.-Sat., Oct. 16-17, 8 pm, $38.08-$48.67. Victoria Marks.
Shanghai Ballet — The Butterfly Lovers at the Irvine Barclay Theatre, UC Irvine, 4242 Campus Dr., Irvine; Fri., Oct. 16, 8 pm, $54-$205. Shanghai Ballet.
CONTRA-TIEMPO Activist Dance Theater — Roots of Loving Us at Epstein Family Theater, 9480 Innovation Lane, La Jolla; Fri., Oct. 16, 7:30 pm, $30-$55. CONTRA-TIEMPO.
Vanessa Hernández Cruz, Sarai, & Marissa Mahoney at the Wende Museum Community Center, 10858 Culver Blvd., Culver City; Fri., Oct. 16, 7 pm, free w/reservation. Tickets.
Dimitri Chamblas — Ulysse Marion at REDCAT, Disney Hall, 631 W. 2nd St., Downtown LA; Tues.-Wed., Oct. 20-21, 8 pm, $27, $22 students (+2 fee). Dimitri Chamblas.
Erotica Diabolica at Highways Performance Space, 1651 18th St., Santa Monica; Fri, Oct. 16, 8 pm, Sat., Oct. 17, 3 & 8 pm, Sun., Oct. 18, 7 pm, $25.63 (includes fee). Erotica Diabolica.
Blue 13 — Pouring Salt Over Ink at the LA Arboretum, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia; Sat., Oct. 17, 5:30 pm, $30-$35. Blue 13.
Kaufman Center Dance — 10th Anniversary at USC, Glorya Kaufman International Dance Center, 849 34th St., University Park; Sat., Oct. 17, 4-8 pm, free with reservation. Kaufman Center Dance.
LA Dance Film Festival at SV Studios, 3424 N San Fernando Rd Ste 3, Atwater; Sat., Oct. 17, 2-7 pm, $40. LA Dance Film Festival.
West Coast Ballet — Dracula at Agoura Hills Performing Arts Education Center, 28545 W. Driver Ave., Agoura Hills; Sat., Oct. 17, 1 & 7 pm, Sun., Oct. 18, 5 pm, $35-$75.55. West Coast Ballet Dracula.
Ichinosuke Umekawa — nihon buyō (Japanese Classical Dance) at George J. Doizaki Gallery, Japan American Cultural and Community Center Lobby, 244 S. San Pedro St., Little Tokyo; Sun., Oct. 18, 2 pm, free with reservation at Classical Japanese Dance.
Heidi Duckler Dance — 41st Anniversary Celebration at Los Angeles Law Library, 301 W. 1st St., Downtown LA; Sat., Oct. 17, 5 pm $300+. Heidi Duckler Dance.
Luminario Ballet — Le Ballet Jazz Noir at the Avalon Hollywood, 1735 Vine St., Hollywood; Sun., Oct. 18, 8 pm, $40-$125. (gala at 5:30 pm + show, $450-$650). Luminario Ballet.
Pointworks — Compositions: An Evening of Katie Jenkins at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., San Diego; Sun., Oct. 18, 7:30 pm, $27.70-$79.90. Pointworks.