Hip-hop was unknown in Brazil, when a teenaged Bruno Beltrao began exploring street dance in his hometown of Niterói, near Rio de Janeiro. Less than a decade later, a major newspaper anointed Beltrao Brazil’s 2002 choreographer of the year. Now 30, with an international reputation for his inventive blending of hip-hop and contemporary dance, Beltrao brings his all-male troupe, Grupa de Rua , to two SoCal venues on its first U.S. tour. The calling card is H3, a work described by U.K. The Guardian as “raw 21st-century expression,” which showcases Beltrao's distinctive blending of dance genres, as well as his dexterity applying his moves to music that ranges from the driving rhythms of hip-hop to minimalist combinations of sounds, as well as stretches of complete silence. (Also at Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine; Sat., Jan. 16, 8 p.m.; $23. (949) 854-4646, thebarclay.org, ticketmaster.com.)

Jan. 19-23, 8:30 p.m., 2010

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