A sunset ritual in Lincoln Heights, ballet stars in Costa Mesa, 30 troupes onstage in Santa Monica; ballet in Malibu, diagramed dance in El Segundo, dance inspired by indigenous peoples and dance blending hip hop with ballet in Hollywood, and more SoCal dance.
5. When stars align
Orange County’s respected training company Festival Ballet presents its pre-professional dancers in a gala performance amply seasoned with ballet stars including American Ballet Theatre’s Misty Copeland, New York City Ballet’s Tiler Peck and Royal Ballet’s Laura Cuthbertson who recently graced the Hollywood Bowl and the Music Center. Other scheduled luminaries include ABT’s Alexandre Hammoudi, NYCB’s Ashley Boulder and Gonzalo Garcia, and San Francisco Ballet’s Yuan Yuan Tan and Vitor Luis. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa; Fri., Aug. 18, 6 p.m., $65-$80. https://www.scfta.org/events/detail.aspx?id=16572.
4. When the suns sets
The start time shifts slightly each week since Lisa Wahlander’s The Impermanent Sky is a ritual performance geared to begin at sunset and be performed in relation to the change in light from sunset to dusk. Composer Jeremy Zuckerman composed the score. Doors open at 7 p.m. and given the nature of the performance, there is no late seating. Pieter Performance Space, 420 W. Avenue 33, Lincoln Heights; Sun., Aug. 20, 7:13 p.m., Aug. 27, 7:04 p.m. free with non-monetary donation of food or beverage, but reservations required. https://eventbrite.com/e/the-impermanent-sky-tickets-35674971801.
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3. Festive “Mix” up
Enjoy an array of dance styles and genres as 30 companies perform during the four-day Mix Match Festival. Now in its 11th year, the host company Hart Pulse Dance knows how to put on a festival. This year’s participants include Jess Harper & Dancers, Lamonte Goode/Cyberyoga, Jacksonville Dance Theatre, Gunta Liepina, Chelsea Johnson and Dancers, Compass Dance Company, James Hansen/Assemblage, Alexandra Brannon, Young Choreographers Project, OdDancity, Mindy Krasner, AkomiDance, Arpana Dance Company, Life In Motion Dance Company, Maha and Company, Chad Michael Hall, Contemporary Arte In Movement, Juli Kim, Kairos Dance Company, 3rd Shift Dance and the host company. Most perform multiple shows. Complete details at http://HartPulseDance.com. The Miles Memorial Playhouse, 1130 Lincoln Blvd., Santa Monica; Thurs.-Sat., Aug. 17-19, 7:30 p.m., Sun., Aug. 20, 2 p.m., $18. http://HartPulseDance.com.
2. Street dance meets ballet
From his start as a street dancer on the Venice Beach boardwalk, Jacob Jonas’ distinctive blend of street dance, acrobatics and ballet has fueled his rise on the local and national dance scene. His Jacob Jonas The Company acknowledges many shared sensibilities with Lux Aeterna’s Jacob “Kujo” Lyons, a local pioneer in modern dance excursions into hip hop and acrobatic movement who was recruited for this event premiering Jonas’ newest On Me. Lyons joins the other dancers who segue from classical ballet to contemporary to acrobatic counter-balancing to street moves and back again. The new work is set to an electronic soundscape by Tim Hecker, who takes the stage with his musicians for the other half of this shared show. Another offering in the new Music Center on Location series. Details at http://fordtheatres.org. Ford Theatres, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood; Sat., Aug. 19, 8:30 p.m., $35-$75. 323-461-3673. http://fordtheatres.org.
1. Oh Canada!
Canadian choreographer Aszure Barton made a strong first impression last year with her powerful, theatrical work Untouched for Los Angeles Ballet. L.A. has another chance to see Barton’s work, this time with her own Aszure Barton & Artists. The calling card is Awáa (the title translates as “one who is a mother” in a Canadian indigenous language). The 90-minute work follows a half dozen men focused on a single woman and generally has received high praise from critics since Awáa’s premiere in 2012. This is the first event in the new Music Center pairing with the Ford Theatres under the banner Music Center on Location. Details at http://fordtheatres.org. Ford Theatres, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood; Fri., Aug. 18, 8:30 p.m., $25-$45. 323-461-3673. http://fordtheatres.org.
Other dance of note:
Part of the Goerthe Institute’s month-long series Getting to Know European Dance continues with Dirty Vestiges conceived and performed by Simone Aughterlony & Michael Günzburger. The work contains nudity..and dirt. Human Resources, 410 Cottage Home St., downtown; Thurs.-Fri., Aug. 17-18, 8 p.m., free. http://humanresourcesla.com/
For the past two months, the thought objects in Matthew Ritchie’s NOEMA have been explored by Flora Wiegmann as diagrams or scores to translate into movement. The result is a collection of choreographies and scores presented in this final performance. Ritchie’s NOEMA, a product of a five year collaboration with the Getty Research Institute, is also on view. El Segundo Museum of Art (ESMOA), 208 Main St., El Segundo; Sun., Aug. 20, 3 p.m., free. http://esmoa.org.
Come to watch or join in with Caribbean dancing in this edition the JAM series. Ford Theatre, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood; Mon., Aug. 21, 7 p.m., free. http://fordtheatres.org.
Channel an inner Rudolf Valentino. It’s tango at Dance Downtown LA. A beginner lesson precedes the free dance portion. Participate or just watch and enjoy the moves. Grand Park, 200 N. Grand Ave., downtown; Fri., July 18, 7 p.m., free. http://musiccenter.org/dancedtla.
Malibu’s annual summer Concert on the Bluffs features dancers from the New York City Ballet, musicians from the L.A. Phil, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and the Malibu Coast Chamber Orchestra led by conductor Scott Hosfeld. Bring chairs, blankets, and pack a picnic or pick among the food trucks. Malibu Bluffs Park, 24250 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu; Sun., Aug. 20, 5 p.m., $35, $15 students & seniors, free age 5 & under. http://concertonthebluffs2017.brownpapertickets.com.
Ballet Folklorico de Los Angeles takes the stage as part of the library’s free performance series L.A. Made. Los Angeles Central Library, 630 W. 5th St., downtown; Sun., Aug. 20, 2 p.m., free. 213-228-7000, http://lapl.org.
With the title Shake it Off, this free series screens popular dance films throughout August, this week’s films are Dirty Dancing (Tues.) with Patrick Swayze strutting his dance chops with Jennifer Grey, Jerry Orbach and an award-winning soundtrack followed by Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, and Gabrielle Union as the competitive world of cheerleading is captured in Bring It On (Wed). Complete film line up at http://hammer.ucla.edu. . UCLA Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood; Dirty Dancing: Tues, Aug. 22, 7:30 p.m., Bring it On: Wed., Aug. 23, 7:30 p.m., free. http://hammer.ucla.edu.