After three decades as a vital part of the L.A. dance scene, the artistic director Lula Washington and her namesake Lula Washington Dance Theater are gaining the wide following they have long deserved. Nothing like accolades from the New York press to gain local respect for this company's signature blend of African, jazz, contemporary, ballet and hip-hop and Washington's profile was heightened by her choreography for the N'avi in Avatar . Undoubtedly, more attention will be paid as LWDT shares the Hollywood Bowl stage with Grammy-winning jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard and unveils her latest dances to Blanchard's new CD Choices. The evening also includes Cameroonian bass virtuoso Bona and African jazz from Femi Kuti, who brings his own dancers.

Wed., July 7, 8 p.m., 2010

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