Part dance, part theater and refreshingly light-hearted, casebolt and smith's O(h) is a welcome alternative to the dark-hued worlds of melancholia, depression and manipulative violence in which so many modern dance companies and their choreographers languish. As casebolt and smith, the L.A.-based duo of Liz Casebolt and Joel Smith follow e.e.cummings' lead eschewing capital letters, but arrive home armed with a fistful of fine reviews from the premiere of O(h) at New York's Joyce Theater to various festivals. In O(h), they segue easily from dance to commentary to song in an hour-long excursion brimming with humor including a send up of Tina Turner's intro to “Proud Mary” and a primer on modern dance gesture that wryly debunks modern dance taking itself too seriously. Just in case, the last 10 minutes is a delirious summary of what the audience saw during the first 50 minutes of the show. For a preview go to www.caseboltandsmith.com. For the show, go to the Actors Company Theatre, 916a N. Formosa, W.Hlywd.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m., Sun, 5 p.m.; Jan. 13-Feb. 19; $30, $22 seniors & students. (800) 838-3006 or www.caseboltandsmith.com.

Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 5 p.m. Starts: Jan. 13. Continues through Feb. 19, 2012

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