Ann HaskinsThis week's dance events include the return of Dance Camera West dance film festival and Eifman Ballet's sensual bio-ballet Rodin.
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*5 Artsy Things to Do in L.A. This Week
*Our Calendar Section, Listing More Great Things to Do in L.A.
5. A moving and movable Dance Film Fest
L.A.'s internationally recognized festival of dance on film, Dance Camera West, begins with this year's events moving among downtown's Music Center, West L.A.'s Getty Center, Santa Monica's Annenberg Beach House and mid-Wilshire's L.A. County Museum of Art. This year's theme Get Wet is carried out with a live performance involving a water feature at most venues prior to the screening of festival films. Parties on the opening and closing days as well as the screenings offer multiple chances to chat with the filmmakers. For a complete listing of events and venues go to www.dancecamerawest.org. At the Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave., dwntwn.; Thurs., May 2, 7 p.m.; $15; Reception at 9 p.m., $20; Also at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), 5905 Wilshire Blvd., mid-Wilshire; Fri., May 3, 3 p.m., 5 p.m.; 7:30 p.m., $15. 323-857-6000, www.lacma.org. Also at The Getty Museum, 1200 Getty Center Drive, W.L.A.; Sat., May 4, 4 p.m., free. 310-440-7330, www.getty.edu/museum/. Also at Annenberg Community Beach House, 415 Pacific Coast, Santa Monica; Sun., May 5, 5 p.m., $20 afternoon, panel discussion free with reservation. 310-458-4904, www.annenbergbeachhouse.com. For a complete listing of events, venues & tickets go to www.dancecamerawest.org.
4. Ultimate “stay-cation”
After years of drawing audiences to historic jails, abandoned underground streetcar facilities and operating laundromats, Heidi Duckler and her entourage of dancers, actors, writers and musicians are traveling to their audiences, aided by a mid-century trailer. Dubbed the Duck Truck, the vintage Oasis trailer will become the stage for Heidi Duckler Dance Theater performance At the Oasis. The Duck Truck made its official debut last week at the West Hollywood Park. This week it moves to Krispy Kreme Donuts in South L.A. on Friday night and on Saturday the Oasis is at a vacant lot in Culver City before moving next week to the East L.A. Civic Center. Check www.heididuckler.org for complete schedule and to buy tickets. At Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, 4034 Crenshaw Blvd., So. Central LA; Fri., May 3, 8:30 & 9:30 p.m.; Also at Culver City, Parcel B, 9300 Culver Blvd.; Sat., May 4, 8:30 & 9:30 p.m.; $15, $10 seniors. 323-291-4133.
Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre's At the Oasis; Credit: Photo: Kaitlyn Pietras
3. Eifman Ballet sculpts Rodin
Fascination with the blurring lines among reality, imagination and psychosis has made choreographer Boris Eifman both artistically significant as well as hugely popular internationally and locally in his company's six prior Southland visits. Cinematic in style, passionate in both choreography and what he selects as his subject matter, Eifman returns with his Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg to unveil his Rodin. As usual, Eifman focuses on both Auguste Rodin's obsessive creative impulses that produced masterworks like The Thinker and The Kiss as well as the French sculptor's passionate involvement with Camille Claudel who was his muse, lover, and a sculptor in her own right but destined to devolve into madness. The duality of artistic and amorous excess isn't unique to Rodin, but as usual, Eifman has focused on someone whose turbulent sculptures changed the course of that art form, created some of the most recognized sculptures in the world while he lived a life brimming with dramatic material which Eifman almost gleefully mines. At the Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts, 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa; Fri.-Sat., May 3-4, 7:30 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., May 4-5, 2 p.m., $29-$119. (714) 556-2787, www.scfta.org.
Bradley Michaud in 4-Headed Dance; Credit: Photo: Method Dance
2. If two heads are better than one, what about four?
Choreographer Keith Glassman curated the fourth edition of the new works series 4-Headed Dance and contributes choreography along with Bradley Michaud, Anna B. Scott and Waewdao Sirisook. Scott set her Spiritual to the 1911 gospel hit of the same name. The performers are d. Sabela Grimes, Jahanna Blunt and Amy Shimson Santos. Michaud offers Cedars danced by his Method Dance members Chelsea Asman, Nicole Cox and Jessica Harper. Sirisook explores conflicting cultural messages in the solo Lanna Dream. Glassman turns to septuagenarian Klyda Mahoney for Portrait of a Three Hundred Year Old Woman with help from L.A. poet Pat Payne and live saxophone by Charles Sharp. At Highways Performance Space, 1651 18th St., Santa Monica; Fri.-Sat., May 3-4, 8:30 p.m., $20, $15 students & seniors. 310-315-1459, www.highwaysperformance.org.
1. Home invasion
Rebecca Bruno joined forces with the Dance Resource Center and Pieter Studios to organize HomeLA, a new series with independent dance makers and musicians performing in private homes before small guest audiences. A bit of site specific performance, a bit of new age salon, the debut effort includes 14 artists engaging the distinctive architecture and ambiance of a private home in Mt.Washington, the address of which will be provided to guests who rsvp to home LA.hello@gmail.com or call 530-204-8565. Performers include Melanie Rios Glaser, Alexx Schilling, Maya Gingery, Nick Duran, Rikki Rothenberg, Amanda Furches, Jil Stein, Selen Ermanav, Flora Wiegmann, Ronit Kirchman, Perin Hailey McNelis, Meg Wolfe, Kate Hunt and Julio Montero. Details at www.pieterpasd.com/home.html. At Mt. Washington residence, location to be disclosed to guests who RSVP; Sat., May 4, 6 p.m., $10. LA.hello@gmail.com, 530-204-8565.
See also:
*5 Artsy Things to Do in L.A. This Week
*Our Calendar Section, Listing More Great Things to Do in L.A.
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