In the beginning, there was Martha Graham, who begat Merce Cunningham and Paul Taylor. Taylor begat David Parsons. And that's how modern dance rolls. Just as Cunningham and Taylor began their careers as dancers with Graham's dance company and then went on to establish their own troupes and their own choreographic legends, Parsons was a star dancer with Taylor for nine years before starting his own troupe, the Parsons Dance Company, in 1985. He's best-known for Caught, his ingenious duet for dancer and strobe light. Impeccably timed, the strobe catches the dancer in flight creating the illusion that the dancer is suspended in the air. Parson's dozen dancers are gorgeous and ripped, technically able to meet the demands of choreography with this high-grade lineage, but also able to mine the easygoing humor that makes Parsons' work accessible to a wide audience. There are signs the begats continue, since former Parsons dancer Robert Battle now helms a revitalized Alvin Ailey Dance Company, which comes to town next week. Valley Performing Arts Center, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge; Saturday, March 22, 8 p.m.; $25-$65. (818) 677-3000, www.valleyperformingartscenter.org.

Sat., March 22, 8 p.m., 2014
(Expired: 03/22/14)

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