Old and new Taiwan collide in Costa Mesa, beach dancing in Venice, flamenco in Topanga Canyon, a movable dance fest from Frogtown to downtown, migrant workers remembered in Historic Filipinotown, choose danceable Burt Bacharach or Dean Martin and Peggy Lee’s songbooks in Santa Monica or Beverly Hills, more SoCal dance in a busy week, and a peek at next week.

Live This Week

Butterfly trafficking 

Two premieres and two audience favorites mark the return of BODYTRAFFIC to what has become something of a home venue for this contemporary dance company. After the company\’s success with her 2019 Snap, Micaela Taylor returns as the company’s first artist-in-residence with a world premiere described as a modern reconfiguration of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. The second premiere,The One to Stay With, was choreographed by Baye & Asa and debuted in the troupe\’s well received shows at New York’s Joyce Theater this past summer. Two legendary pop singers provide the soundtrack for the other two works: Dean Martin for Alejandro Cerrudo’s male trio Pacopepepluto and classic Peggy Lee for Matthew Neenan’s A Million Voices. Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills; Fri., Oct. 21, 7:30pm, Sat., Oct. 22, 2 & 7:30pm, $29-$99. The Wallis.

Kitchen Table at the Beach

Bring quarters for the parking meters, enjoy the boats along the marina channel on the way to this beachside dance event. The southernmost end of Venice Beach becomes a performance area for Invertigo Dance Theatre’s latest installment of its Kitchen Table Project. Dancers Chelsea Roquero, Jessica Emmanuel, Corina Kinnear, Camila Arana, Luke Dakota Zender and Jessica Dunn navigate the sand and the choreography by Laura Karlin and Haylee Nichele with help from Diana Wallace’s music. Charlie Beach, Venice; Sun., Oct. 23, 3pm to 5pm. Free. Info at Inverting Dance Theatre. Map.

On the tip of which tongue?

Ancient Chinese superstitions and religious rites collide with today’s urban Taiwan culture as the contemporary Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan returns. Superb dance is the starting point for 13 Tongues, then projections and elaborate costumes create a fantastical world that the company promises will be simultaneously exotic and familiar. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa; Wed., Oct. 26, 7:30pm, $39-$109. SCFTA.

Flamenco Trio

Celebrated dancer Fanny Ara brings vocalist/guitarist Ethan Margolis and pianist Vardan Ovsepian for an evening of flamenco. Corazón Performing Arts, 125 S. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga; Sun., Oct. 23, 8:30pm, $25-$40. Eventbrite.

His Burt Bacharach moves

With costumes by Isaac Mizrahi and the music of Burt Bacharach arranged by frequent musical collaborator Ethan Iverson, choreographer Mark Morris and his Mark Morris Dance Group return with The Look of Love. The familiar Bacharach songbook won’t have the inimitable voice of Dionne Warwick, but singer/actress Marcy Harriell will lend her considerable skills to the iconic tunes, perhaps tempting an audience sing-along? The BroadStage, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica; Thurs.-Fri., Oct. 20-21, 7:30pm, Sat., Oct. 22, 2 & 7:30pm, $60-$120. BroadStage.

Forces that comfort

Structured around the elemental forces of earth, water, fire, and air, Ananya Dance Theatre offers Dastak: I Wish You Me. In the Farsi language, the word dastak translates as “knockings”, forces that comfort and sustain in the face of injustice as this work takes a feminist exploration of the world facing BIPOC women. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Brentwood; Fri., Oct. 21, 8pm, $25, $15 students. Skirball.

Spooky ballet

Pairing Halloween and Burly Q, American Contemporary Ballet continues three weekends of performances. Now in a new home, the company sends its accomplished dancers into creepy-time with Inferno and into the tease with Burlesque, and promising a surprise coda. ACB Studios, Two California Plaza, 350 S. Grand Ave., Suite 2850, downtown;  Fri.-Sat., Oct. 21-22 & 28-29, 8pm, $60-$140. American Contemporary Ballet.

Like planes off LAX

Presented by Los Angeles Performance Practice, LAX Festival (Live Arts Exchange Festival) winds up a week of dance and performance downtown at MOCA Grand Avenue and in the Little Tokyo warehouse known as Frankie. At MOCA for Jasmine Orpilla, Mark Golamco, and Jobel Medina (Thurs., Oct. 20, 7:30pm). Then to Frankie for the rest of the fest Mireya Lucio (Fri., Oct. 21, 8pm)., Ajani Brannum, Vanessa Hernandez Cruz, and Jennifer Jonassen (Sat., Oct. 22, 1pm), Tova Katz and Diana Wynn (Sat., Oct. 22, 8pm), and the finale with Cassia Streb (Sun., Oct. 23, 8pm). Frankie, Mission Road Studio, 300 S. Mission Rd., downtown; Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), 250 S. Grand Ave., downtown; Info and ticket prices at LA Performance Practice.

Remembering the migrant

The interconnection between Mexican migrant workers and Filipino migrant workers is on the mind of choreographers Jay Carlon, Micaela Tobin, and Carlo Maghirang. The trio explore that interrelationship in this performance aptly timed for October which is Filipino American History Month. FilAm Arts Teatro, 2220 Beverly Blvd, Historic Filipinotown; Sun., Oct. 23, 2pm, $15. Jay Carlon.

And when we were five

Andrew Pearson and his dancers offer a performance and celebration for the 5^th anniversary of bodies in play. Diavalo Studios, 616 Moulton Ave., Lincoln Heights; Fri., Oct. 21, happy hour at 7pm, performance at 8pm, free with reservation at Bodies In Play.

What emerged

Director Megan Pulfer and her contemporary Emergent Dance Company offer a gala performance with special guests Laurie Sefton Creates. The dancers reprise Sefton’s highly praised Mythology of Self considering the impact of social media during the pandemic lockdown. Rose Center Theater, 14140 All American Way, Westminster; Sat., Oct. 22, 7pm, $30-$45. RCT Booktix.

What the architect found

The latest from choreographer Heidi Duckler, The Body of the People, is also the theme of the 37^th celebration of Heidi Duckler Dance. Known for architecture-inspired site specific work drawing on dance, music, song, text, film and any other medium that strike’s her fancy, Duckler here draws inspiration from this church designed by architect Paul R. Williams. The company sited prior performances at the legendary Ambassador Hotel and equally famous Perino\’s Restaurant, both designed by Williams. The evening includes performance, awards, and other benefit activities surrounded by Williams’ architecture. Founder’s Church of Religious Science, 3281 W 6th St, Koreatown; Sat., Oct. 22, 5pm, $250. Eventbrite.

Next gen

They may not yet have quite the polish of the veterans, but Versa-Style Next Generation offers the high energy moves of some of the rising street dance stars in Live True Dance Free. Inner City Arts, 720 Kohler St., downtown; Sat., Oct. 22, 2 & 8pm, $15. Versa Style Dance.

Tangled tales

In Because You’re Worth It, choreographer Tokie Wang takes a swizzle stick with a female perspective to the tales of Cinderella, Narcissus, and the Emperor’s New Clothes, creating a mall-like shopping environment dubbed \”Fairyland,\” where she sends the audience “shopping” in the different stories/departments. Sharon Disney Lund Theater, CalArts, 24700 McBean Parkway, Valencia; Sat.-Sun., Oct. 22-23, 8pm,  CalArts.

A gem of a setting

The jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels, LA’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), and LA Dance Project teamed up for Dance Reflections presenting a trio of works from Dimitri Chamblas, Gisèle Vienne, and Benjamin Millepied. Chamblas’ Slow Show assembles 50 amateur dancers for a work occupying the MOCA Geffen plaza. Vienne’s CROWD and Millipied’s Be Here Now at the LADP studios added an extra show, but as of press time, that too was sold out. Contact the venue regarding any waiting list. Vienne & Millepied at LA Dance Project, 2245 E. Washington Blvd., Arts District; Wed.-Thurs., Oct. 26-27, $45, $35 age 35 & under, $25 students. LA Dance Project, OvationTix. As of press time, Chamblas still had reservations for the outdoor performance at MOCA Geffen, Aileen Getty Plaza, 152 N. Central Ave., Little Tokyo; Tues., Oct. 25, 6 & 7pm, free with ticket. MOCA.

What’s on the card?

The Obie award-winning duo Abigail Browde and Michael Silverstone aka 600 Highwaymen arrive for several weekends of immersive performance under the distinctively unwieldy title A Thousand Ways (Part Three): An Assembly. Described as  experimental theater creations, each roughly one hour event draws on elements of dance, performance, and civic engagement as each audience of 16 people read from assigned cards before being drawn in further, becoming part of each singular performance. UCLA Royce Hall Rehearsal Room, Royce Hall, Sat.-Sun., Oct. 22-23, Feb. 4-5 & 11-12, noon, 1:30, 3pm, 4:30, 6 & 7:30pm. $29.97. CAP UCLA.

So grand

Lots of music and dance plus other family-friendly activities as Grand Avenue Arts returns. Along Grand Ave., Temple to 6^th St., downtown; Sat., Oct. 22, 11am – 4pm., free. Grand Avenue Arts.

A Peek at Next Week

Bodyweather-Four Solo Dancers Dani Lunn, Hyoin Jun, DaEun Jung, Destefano DeLuise at Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice; Fri.-Sat., Oct. 28-29, 8pm, Sun., Oct. 30, 3pm, $15. Info at Bodyweather, tickets at Eventbrite.

Kybele Dance Theater at Theatre Raymond Kabbaz, 10361 W. Pico Blvd., W.L.A.; Thurs., Nov. 3, 8pm, $25-$50. Theatre Raymond Kabbaz.

Marjani Forté-Saunders–Ever Present: Garden of Unicorns at Getty Museum, 1200 Getty Center Dr., Brentwood; Sat., Oct. 29, 6pm, free with timed admission. Getty.