Ann HaskinsAfter her vibrant expansion of the Los Angele Dance Festival, choreographer and BrockusRED artistic director Deborah Brockus’ latest venture, Women Rising: Choreography From a Female Perspective, unites 10 L.A.-based dance companies directed by female choreographers to mark the centennial of the 19th Amendment confirming U.S. women’s right to vote. In recent years, the dearth of female choreographers and artistic directors has been decried, but Brockus realized that wasn’t so true here.
Luminario Ballet in Bella Lewitzky’s “Turf” (Chee)
From Bella Lewitzky starting in the 1940s to the sampling gathered here, women-led companies are an L.A. fixture, not an exception. Each of the 10 assembled choreographers can command a whole evening of her own, making this special event an unmatched tasting menu of some of L.A.’s best dance troupes that just happen to be led by women.
The companies include Achinta S. McDaniel’s Blue13, Sarah Elgart’s Elegant Elbow, Genevieve Carson’s L.A. Contemporary Dance Company, Kitty McNamee, Pat Taylor’s JazzAntiqua, Seda Abay’s Kybele Dance Theatre, Judith FLEX Helle’s Luminario Ballet, Victoria Brown & Sarah Rodenhouse’s MashUP Contemporary Dance Company, Rosanna Gamson/World Wide, and Brockus’ own BrockusRED. In a sly tribute to L.A.’s female legacy, Luminario perform a work by Lewitzky.
The Ford Theatre, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood Hills; Fri., Aug. 16, 8:30 p.m.; $30-$65, $25-$45 students, $20-$40 children. fordtheatres.org/calendar/brockus-project-dance.
Blue13 (Anne Slattery)
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