Maybe it's the accolades from the New York press for the company's signature blend of African, jazz, contemporary, ballet and hip-hop. Maybe it's Lula Washington's heightened profile after her choreography for Avatar. Maybe it's just that after three decades as a vital part of the L.A. dance scene, the Lula Washington Dance Theater and its artistic director are gaining the wider following they have long deserved. The company steps into a new, major venue with a mixed-bill program that draws on music from Bob Dylan, the Beatles, James Brown and Peter, Paul and Mary for Ode to the Sixties, as well as Johan Sebastian Bach for The Bach Project . The new works include a tribute to tennis stars and sisters Venus and Serena Williams, demonstrating the distinctive artistic aesthetic that has made LWDT an integral part of L.A. dance for so long.

Sat., Feb. 6, 8 p.m., 2010

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