LA’s flagship street dancers bring the heat to Long Beach; story ballets in Pasadena; contemporary survival considered in Santa Monica; immersive flamenco dance theater in Irvine; legendary dances in Orange and Downtown LA; puppets and contemporary in Brentwood; more SoCal dance this week, and a peek at next week.

Live This Week (thru March 19)

Guarding street and stage

Whether on the stage, the street, or the battle arena, Versa-Style Street Dance Company is a force to be reckoned with. Led by founders Jackie Lopez, aka Miss Funk, and Leigh Foaad, aka Breeze-lee, the ensemble can boast an enviable track record generating performers and performances that capture the power of the street in any venue, including a concert setting. Under the banner Tribute: Guardians of Street Dance, the ensemble brings new works and energized  favorites. At the Carpenter Center, Cal State University Long Beach, 6200 E. Atherton St., Long Beach; Fri., March 13, 7 pm, $15. Versa-Style Street Dance.

Lifeboat anyone?

In Songs from a Sinking Ship, the San Francisco-based Flamenco Arts International casts flamenco dancers, singers, and musicians as the crew and passengers grappling with the existential realities aboard a doomed ship. FAI’s introduction of a storyline and theatrical elements of projections, video, and lighting effects into the highly improvisational art of flamenco is adventurous and already getting positive attention. A workshop production of Songs From a Sinking Ship garnered two Isadora Duncan award nominations, San Francisco’s equivalent of New York’s Bessie awards. After this, the show returns to San Francisco for a May performance. At the Irvine Barclay Theatre, UC Irvine, 4242 Campus Dr., Irvine; Fri., March 13, 8 pm, $34-$140. Flamenco Arts International.

Lots to say

The latest from choreographer Jacob Jonas, Keeping Score, is a triptych, divided into two shows. Thursday evening opens with the 75 minute part 3 with parts 1 and 2 (about 90 minutes plus intermission) presented Friday evening. Sunday presents the first two sections at 2 pm and part three at 6 pm. The dozen dancers of Jacob Jonas/The Company are excellent and known for their stamina, yet given the often hyper-physical nature of Jonas’ choreography, perhaps even they need time to recuperate before essaying the third section. The work is described as growing out of Jonas’ experience after his stage 4 cancer diagnosis and also seeks to address larger issues of endurance and growth. At the Broad Stage, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica; Thurs.-Fri., March 19-20, 7:30 pm, Sun., March 22, 2 & 6 pm, $35-$65. Jacob Jonas.

What’s next?

Still basking in the success of its site specific episodes of the Louisa May Alcott novel danced among the historic houses of Heritage Square, plus two full theatrical performances, Little Women Ballet Company dances before announcing its next moves in this Inaugural Showcase. Artistic director Emma Andres’ reveal of the next full-length ballet accompanies four excerpts from Little Women, new ballets based on Anne of Green Gables and Le Grande Bleu, and new works from company members Kassandra Vogel and Ludmila Malakhov. At Pasadena Civic Ballet, 253 N. Vinedo Ave., Pasadena; Sat., March 14, 7 pm, $25-$65. Little Women Ballet.

Ballet double bill

Continuing its commitment to ballets by George Balanchine, American Contemporary Ballet offers a double bill with live music under the banner Balanchine: Twin Masterpieces. ACB touts that these have never been performed together before, a fact that may reflect the ballets’ structural similarities. Set to Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins, Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco captures Bach’s first and second violins in two female dancers with the corps articulating the orchestra. Created in 1941, a time Balanchine’s fledgling ballet company was shy on male dancers, Barocco has a cast of 11 women and one man called upon for strong partnering skills in the middle movement. With music by Leo Delibes, Balanchine created La Source in 1961 as a pas de deux for Violette Verdy and John Prinz, and later expanded the work, surrounding the duo with an all-female corps de ballet. The company includes several seasoned dancers including Maté Szentes and Madeline Houk, who know their Balanchine. At the ACB Studios, Bank of America Plaza, 333 S. Hope St., Downtown LA; Thurs.-Sat., 8 pm, thru Fri., March 27, $65-$140. American Contemporary Ballet.

Something timeless, something new

Bringing to life the legacy of a modern dance legend, the Paul Taylor Dance Company arrives with a program showcasing two celebrated works plus four commissions from other choreographers. Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Taylor’s Esplanade joins his World War II-themed Company B, along with commissioned works by Hope Boykin, Robert Battle, Lauren Lovette, and Amy Hall Garner. At the Musco Center for the Arts, Chapman University, 415 N. Glassell, Orange; Wed., Mar. 18, 7:30 pm, $25-$68. Musco Center.

Let’s get together

The Volta Collective, in partnership Freak Nature Puppets, explores family dynamics and communal rituals in the immersive performance Dis-Order. At the Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Brentwood; Thurs.-Fri., March 19-20, 8 pm, $40, $30 seniors, students, children 2-17. Volta Collective — Dis-Order.

Up on the roof

Hosted by Heidi Duckler Dance, the intermittent film festival 4D Dance Films brings rooftop dance cinema from student filmmakers, followed by audience-voted awards. The next edition, with independent dance filmmakers, comes in April. At the Bendix Building Rooftop, 12065 Maple Ave., Suite 1101B, Downtown LA Arts District; Fri., March 13, 7 pm, free with reservation at 4D Dance Films.

A Peek at Next Week (March 20-26)

Indigo Dance Company — Don’t You Remember? At Highways Performance Space, 1651 18th St., Santa Monica; Fri.-Sat., March 20-21, 8 pm,  $27.68. Indigo Dance Company.

Pilobolus — Other Worlds Collection at the Irvine Barclay Theatre, UC Irvine, 4242 Campus Dr., Irvine; Wed., March 25, 8 pm, $34-$140. Pilobolus.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at the Music Center, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., Downtown LA; Wed.-Fri., March 25-27, 7:30 pm, Sat.-Sun., March 28-29, 2 & 7:30 pm, $55-$184. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater,

Festival Ballet — Don Quixote at the Irvine Barclay Theatre, UC Irvine, 4242 Campus Dr., Irvine; Sat., March 21, 7 pm, Sun., March 22, 2 pm, $54-$74. Festival Ballet – Don Quixote.

Sona Lewis at LA Women’s Theatre Festival, Barnsdall Park, 4800 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; Thurs., March 26, 6:30 pm, $60 (2 for $100). LA Women’s Theatre Festival.

Ebell+LA Festival — Powered by Women at The Ebell, 741 S. Lucerne, Hancock Park; Sun., March 22, 11 am – 4 pm, free w/reservation. Ebell+LA Festival.

State Street Ballet — Recess at Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St., Santa Barbara; Sat., March 21, 2 & 7:30 pm, Sun., March 22, 2 pm, $39-$127. State Street Ballet.

Cirque Kalabanté — Afrique en Cirque at the Carpenter Center, Cal State University Long Beach, 6200 E. Atherton St., Long Beach; Sat., March 21, 8 pm, $43.75-$63.75. Cirque Kalabante-Carpenter. Also at the Soraya, Cal State University Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge; Sun., March 22, 3 pm, $46-$94. Cirque Kalabanté.

Hamid Rashmanian’s Song of the North (puppets) at Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena; Sat., 2 & 7 pm, Sun., 2 pm, thru March 29. $29-$42. Hamid Rashmanian’s Song of the North.

Student Dance Concert — Echoes of Expression at University Theatre, Cal State University Dominguez Hills, 1000 E. Victoria St., Carson; Thurs.-Sat., March 25-28, 8 pm, $15-20. Echoes of Expression.