Mark Stefanos
Jacob Jonas The Company captivated audiences with “ANT,” a bold, immersive pop-up performance held at a studio soundstage in Echo Park last Thursday and Friday, July 24 and 25.
The celebrated LA-based nonprofit dance ensemble’s nature-inspired production featured three parts. The first, “RAIN,” and the third, “COYOTE FOX WOLF DRAGONFLY BUTTERFLY BEE EAGLE RAVEN HAWK,” were choreographed by JJTC Artistic Director Jacob Jonas. The second piece, “TOUCH, PULSE, SEND,” was guest-choreographed by New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Peter Walker. The latter two performances were world premieres, and were introduced with readings from JJTC Poet in Residence Nathan Birnbaum.
Jonas told LA Weekly that “ANT” began with a conversation with Walker in Central Park this past spring after performing at Dance Against Cancer, a one-night-only annual performance to benefit the American Cancer Society at New York City Center.
Says Jonas, they were “reflecting on our lives, creative paths, and what it means to keep going. We spoke about feeling small in the midst of great systems — like ants — but still showing up with purpose, vision, and love for the craft.”
Full Cast performs in “COYOTE FOX WOLF DRAGONFLY BUTTERFLY BEE EAGLE RAVEN HAWK” (Kate Kondratieva)
“Not long after, I was in Colorado,” Jonas continued, “creating by a river during a residency, and noticed an ant crawling peacefully along my body. It was a quiet sign — a reminder that even in solitude, we’re part of something larger.
“That moment echoed our conversation. The piece became a metaphor: for shared labor, underground networks, and the subtle power of collectivity. It’s also a response to this moment in Los Angeles — to activate nontraditional spaces like vacant soundstages and reimagine how live work can live here.
“ANT is about smallness and scale. Intimacy and effort. What we build when we build together.”
The performances’ inspiration from the intricate, communal world of ants created a dynamic interplay of movement and storytelling. They were filled with primal, emotionally charged choreography, both startlingly athletic and narratively deep, consistent with JJTC’s commitment to pushing artistic boundaries.
This was all brought together in a warm, smoky soundstage that they transformed from a vacancy into a venue, building the lighting, sound and seating themselves. The result was an intimate and immersive setting where most of the audience sat engaged, cross-legged surrounding the performance floor or staggered behind.
Full Cast performs in “COYOTE FOX WOLF DRAGONFLY BUTTERFLY BEE EAGLE RAVEN HAWK” (Elen Glazova)
The production “required close collaboration with dancers, designers, and our creative partner ENTIRE STUDIOS, and the courage to trust intuition over convention,” said Jonas. “The result was an ephemeral gathering shaped by process, space, and shared risk.”
A brief pause between the second and third dance pieces featured several short dance films from JJTC’s films.dance platform.
The performing artists for “ANT” were Alexa Donnelly, Paulina Donnelly, Alyse Rockett, Emma Rosenzweig-Bock, Nic Walton, Jill Wilson and Jarrett Yeary, with the three pieces costumed by Entire Studios. “TOUCH, PULSE, SEND” featured music composition by Eighth Blackbird and “COYOTE FOX WOLF DRAGONFLY BUTTERFLY BEE EAGLE RAVEN HAWK” had music composition by Patrick Watson.
Jonas and JJTC have many projects upcoming. “Next is FOG, a two-night program at the Kirk Douglas Theatre this August in partnership with Ate9,” he updated. “This fall, we host our first Gala, followed by EYE in December — a new immersive work. We’re also releasing Cemented Beauty, a book of personal writings and images. And in March, we premiere Keeping Score at The Broad Stage — our most ambitious work to date.”
Stay tuned at jacobjonas.org and on Instagram @jacobjonasthecompany and @__jjtc__.
Alexa Donnelly, Alyse Rockett and Emma Rosenzweig-Bock perform in “COYOTE FOX WOLF DRAGONFLY BUTTERFLY BEE EAGLE RAVEN HAWK” (Elen Glazova)