Briney sister trio brings fun to Downtown LA; contemporary triptych in Santa Monica; city-wide dance start up in Hancock Park and Hollywood; escape escapades in Lincoln Heights; fringe dancers in Hollywood; contemporary ballet in Downtown LA; dance-drenched Scottish musical in Pasadena; more So Cal dance this week, and a peek at next week.
Live Performance This Week (thru June 11)
Is it 3 or 4?
This year’s edition of a/o/x presents Sammy Macias, Steven Vargas, and Naked with Shoes (Anne Goodman and Jeffrey Grimaldo) presenting Latinx dance, theater, and experimental performance. The artists consider masculinity, recollection, and the ability to endure. Macias brings You Little Faker about outward personas masking internal vulnerabilities. In Shhhtrip, Vargas offers how the final conversation ending a relationship, replayed incessantly on a train trip can become a physicalized spiral of memory, regret, and grief. In Moving Still/Still Moving from Goodman and Grimaldo, four performers on a shared journey grapple with different obstacles, a work developed in the long-running Choreography/Performance Workshop initiated by the late, celebrated choreographer Rudy Perez. At Highways Performance Space, 1651 18th St., Santa Monica; Fri., June 5, 8 pm, $25.63, $20.50 student/senior (includes fee). a/o/x dance.
Insouciant siblings
Armed with insouciant physical comedy recalling Carol Burnett, sibling interactions reminiscent of the Marx Brothers, and just a dab of puppetry suggesting Mummenschanz, The Seaweed Sisters bring WEED OH NO! creating magical worlds rooted in fun, fantasy, and deep dance backgrounds. In their other lives, they are Jillian Meyers, Megan Lawson, and Dana Wilson, with impressive credentials in the commercial dance world including the film La La Land where Jillian also was assistant choreographer to Mandy Moore. As the Seaweed Sisters the trio became a YouTube video sensation, and at least annually has inhabited a strikingly different parallel universe to their individual professional film, touring, teaching, and choreographing commitments. Their adventures, chronicled over 12 years in videos and brief performances, come to the stage in this 70-minute live performance. At the Los Angeles Theater Center, 514 S. Spring St., Downtown LA; Fri., June 5, 8 pm, Sat., June 6 & 13, 2 & 8 pm, Sun., June 7 & 14, noon & 5 pm, $38.50-$60.50, $38.50-$110 Fri., June 5. Seaweed Sisters — WEED OH NO!.
Amplifying what Paris saw
Last June, Paris saw four days of outdoor dance performances that toured the city, an effort led by Benjamin Millepied, French-born choreographer whose Paris Dance Project was behind the event, and his LA Dance Project presents this expanded edition. This time, City of Dance runs for three weeks and tours eight al fresco sites from downtown to Santa Monica with stops at Century City, Hollywood and Mid-City. Set to Philip Glass’ score for Koyaanisqatsi, choreography is provided by Dmitri Chamblas, Jamar Roberts, Pam Tanowitz, Madeline Hollander, and Millepied. LA is used to being an outdoor sound stage for film and tv, why not for dance? At Marciano Art Foundation, 4357 Wilshire Blvd., Hancock Park on Thurs., June 4, 6:30 pm, free. Also at Outside Colburn School, 200 S. Grand Ave., Downtown LA on Fri., June 5, 12:30 pm, free; Hollyhock House, Barnsdall Art Park, 4800 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood on Sat., June 6, 4 pm, & on June 20, 11 am, free. Also at Tongva Park, 1615 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica on Sun., June 7, 4 pm, free. Also at Hollywood Forever, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood on Wed., June 17, 7 pm, free. Also at Gloria Molina Park at the Music Center, Block 4 (near City Hall), 200 N. Grand Ave., DowntownLA on Thurs., June 18, noon, free. Also at LA County Museum of Art, Plaza near Geffen Galleries, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-City on Sun., June 21, 3 pm, free. LA Dance Project — City of Dance.
Mesmerizing
From flashy appearances in the Emmy and the Grammy awards, and America’s Got Talent, to years of worldwide tours, the jaw-dropping, split second choreography of artistic director Jacques Heim and his LA-based Diavolo/Architecture in Motion has earned popular and informed acclimation. The company is home, reprising Escape that finds the dancers and gymnasts in a visceral exploration of individuals trying to break free. The tv appearances may have spread the word but can’t begin to capture the interplay of the movers and crescendo of powerful movement in a live Diavolo performance. This chance for the live experience of Diavolo should not be missed. At L’Espace Diavolo, 616 Moulton Ave., Lincoln Heights; Fri.-Sat., 8 pm, Sun., 6 pm, thru Sun., June 14, $39. Diavolo-Veterans Project.
Ballet bites
Excerpts from various ballets by George Balanchine are assembled by American Contemporary Ballet under the banner Spectacular Balanchine. Listed items on this terpsichorean tasting menu include Union Jack, Western Symphony, Who Cares?, and Stars and Stripes. In conjunction with the current series, artistic director Lincoln Jones offers his perspectives on How to Watch Ballet using three parts of George Balanchine’s Who Cares? American Contemporary Ballet, 333 S. Hope St., CO 150, Downtown LA; Spectacular Balanchine — Thurs.-Sat., 8 pm, thru Sat., June 20, $65-$105. How to Watch Ballet — Sun., June 7, 1:30 pm, $40. American Contemporary Ballet.
Ghostly love
Dawson Walker, Avery Zerr and Ayesha Orange are the dancers in the dance/opera Paul Salerni’s Haunted. Salerni scored the work for baritone, violin, piano, percussion and a trio of dancers, with a libretto by former California poet laureate Dana Gioia that captures a doomed love affair laced with a ghost story. At the Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre; Fri.-Sat., June 5-6, 8 pm, $35. Paul Salerni’s Haunted.
Scottish dance in mythical Scotland
Extended time in Scotland strongly influenced Alexandra Silber’s new adaptation of Lerner & Loewe’s Brigadoon. The playwright, joined by director/choreographer Katie Spelman, draws on Scottish dance to strengthen authentic Scottish presence in this musical about an American duo who stumble upon a magical Scottish village that appears only once a century. Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molina Ave., Pasadena, Tues.-Wed. & Fri., 8 pm, Thurs., 7 pm, Sat., 2 & 8 pm, Sun., 2 pm, thru Sun., June 14, 7:30 pm, $63-$152. Pasadena Playhouse — Brigadoon.
A range of dance
This edition of the Spectrum Dance Invitational Summer Edition offers three shows. The website and ticket link does not include information on who has been invited for this installment. At Studio Theater, Spectrum Dance Center, 22661 Lambert St., Unit 204, Lake Forest; Fri.-Sat., June 5-6, 8 pm, Sun., June 7, 7:30 pm, $30. Spectrum Dance Invitational.
Shag on over
Dancers who know their stuff are a big part of the musical Shag with a Twist. Led by Shag (Josh Agle), a Tupperware party in the 1960s becomes the scene of the murder, a mystery that must be solved amid the pupu platters and bouffant hair styles. Guests are encouraged to come in their best ‘mod’ fashion and enjoy the fun. At the Grand Annex Music Hall, 434 W. 6th St., San Pedro; Sat., June 6 (may be sold out), Aug. 29, Sept. 26, & Oct. 3. $55.20-$65.87. Shag with a Twist.
A Modern Quartet
Timed to coincide with First Friday on nearby Abbot Kinney Blvd., this edition of High Voltage is devoted to a curated evening of Modern Dance from Kate Coleman, Imani Foreman, Madison Schneider, and Paula Thomson. At Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice, Fri., June 6, 8 pm, $15. High Voltage.
Sign of summer
Part public performance, part participatory dance party, and free! — the outdoor Tuesday Night Dance series hosts two more Tuesdays all devoted to Broadway dance. See the website for other dance styles coming on Tuesdays thru Aug. 25. At Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Argyros Plaza, 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa; Tues., June 9 & 16, 6:30 pm. free. Tuesday Night Dance.
Hollywood Fringe Festival #1
Performer Damaris Perez offers multiple opportunities to view her solo performance, Dance Show. At LA City College, Caminito Theater, 855 N. Vermont Ave., East Hollywood; Thurs., June 11 & 18, 8 pm, Tues.-Wed., June 23-24, 7 pm, free. Damaris Perez.
Hollywood Fringe Festival #2
In her solo dance theatre piece Split, Between Two Nervous Systems, Dimple Kaur explores migration, women, the cost of staying strong, and those who have had to reinvent themselves. At the Hudson Main Stage, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood; Tues., June 9, 6:30 pm, Sun., June 14, 6:15 pm, Sat., June 20, 4:30 pm, $20. Dimple Kaur.
Hollywood Fringe Festival #3
Shakespeare’s King Lear and his third daughter Cordelia receives a Korean reconsideration from Jiyoung Choi. Set in 13th century Korea, this Cordelia has been trained in the sword with different plot potentialities in K-Cordelia: Sword of the Wind. At the Hollywood Fringe Festival, Hudson Theaters, 6539 Santa Monica Boulevard, Hollywood; Thurs., June 11, 8:15 pm, Sat., June 13, 3:30 pm, Tues., June 16, 8:30 pm, $20. Jiyoung Choi.
Hollywood Fringe Festival #4
Argentine tango proves an effective salve for the mental health in Ruthie Danziger‘s solo show My Great Turnaround at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, the Zephyr Theater, 7456 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood; Fri., June 5, 3:30 pm, Thurs., June 18, 7:30 pm, $18. Ruthie Danziger.
Hollywood Fringe Festival #5
Blending physical theatre, dance and devised performance, Kelly Bourma brings a tribute to women everywhere in Your Mother Called. At the Broadwater Black Box, 6233 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood; Tues., June 9, 11 pm, Sat., June 13, 7 pm, Sun., June 14, 4:30 pm, $15. Kelly Bourma.
A Peek at Next Week (June 12 to 18)
LA Dance Project at the Ojai Music Festival, Greenberg Center, Ojai Valley School Lower Campus, 703 El Paseo Rd., Ojai, Fri.-Sat., June 12-13, 3:30 pm, $65 + $12 fee. LA Dance Project at Ojai Music Festival.
Contra-Tiempo — Roots of Loving Us at Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre; Sat. June 13, 2 & 8 pm, $35. Contra-Tiempo.
Paris Moon — Emerge at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, Cat’s Crawl, (Main Space), 660 N Heliotrope Dr., East Hollywood; Mon.-Tues., June 15-16, 6 pm, Wed., June 17, 7 pm, $30. Paris Moon.
Yaron Lifschitz Circa — Eternity at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Judy Morr Theater, 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa; Thurs.-Fri., June 18-19, 7 pm, Sat., June 20, 3 & 7 pm, $54- $79. Eternity.