Ann HaskinsThis week's dance events include The Firebird paired with an edgy ballet from Josie Walsh.
5. BODYTRAFFIC speeds ahead
Sometimes the planets align in the best possible way. And so it is with L.A.'s own BODYTRAFFIC. It was a significant coup when the contemporary dance troupe's artistic directors, Lillian Barbeito and Tina Finkelman Berkett, persuaded New York's choreographer of the moment, Kyle Abraham, to create a new work for their 6-year-old company. But how could anyone predict that the premiere of Abraham's Kollide would, um, collide with the announcement that he'd been awarded one of this year's coveted MacArthur genius grants? The celebratory evening also includes works by Barak Marshall and Richard Siegal, both of whom Barbeito and Finkelman Berkett believe should be included in the category of genius dance-makers. At Broad Stage, Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica; Fri.-Sat., Oct. 11-12, 7:30 p.m., $32-$55. (310) 434-3200, www.thebroadstage.com.
Fanny Ara; Credit: Photo courtesy of Antonio Triana & Company
4. Flamenco is forever
Antonio Triana & Company take the stage for the October edition of Forever Flamenco!, the long-running, mostly monthly flamenco showcase with dancers Fanny Ara, Misuda Cohen and Manuel Gutierrez, singers Jose Cortes and Antonio De Jerez, plus guitarists Alfredo Caceres and Triana. At Fountain Theatre Box Office, 5060 Fountain Ave., Hlywd.; Sun., Oct. 13, 8 p.m., $40. 323-661-1525, www.fountaintheatre.com.
See also: 5 Artsy Things to Do in L.A. This Week
Festival Ballet in Josie Walsh's Texture of Time; Credit: Photo courtesy of Festival Ballet
3. Festival Ballet goes for a contemporary look
Twenty-first-century ballet confronts early last-century ballet as Texture of Time meets The Firebird, performed by Festival Ballet. L.A.-based contemporary-ballet choreographer Josie Walsh collaborated with composer Paul Rivera Jr. on Texture of Time, commissioned by this Orange County training company. That new work is paired with The Firebird, the 1910 ballet and the first in which Sergei Diaghilev commissioned composers to work with choreographers to create ballets for his Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo. At Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine; Sat., Oct. 12, 8 p.m.; Sun., Oct. 13, 2 p.m., $40, $37 senior, $30 child. 949-854-4646, www.thebarclay.org.
Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company in Keith Johnson's “Secret Dark World”; Credit: Photo by Fred Hayes
2. Ririe-Woodbury goes for gold
Led by its new artistic director, Daniel Charon, the venerable Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company celebrates its 50th anniversary and opens the Carpenter's dance series with local premieres. The program includes works by Charon; former artistic director Charlotte Boye-Christensen; Keith Johnson, a professor in CSULB's dance department; and Mexican choreographer Alicia Sanchez. At Richard & Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center, 6200 Atherton St., Long Beach; Sat., Oct. 12, 8 p.m. 562-985-7000, www.carpenterarts.org.
Sydney Dance Company; Credit: Photo courtesy of Sydney Dance Company
1. The Aussies are coming
Sydney Dance Company, Australia's contemporary-dance ensemble, makes it U.S. debut tour led by Spanish choreographer Rafael Bonachela. The program includes Bonachela's 2 One Another, winner of top Australian dance prizes. At Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine; Wed., Oct. 16, 8 p.m., $22.5-$45. 949-854-4646, www.thebarclay.org.
Follow us on Twitter at @LAWeeklyArts and like us on Facebook.
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.