Dance Preview: BODYTRAFFIC (The Wallis)

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by Eve Meadows on May 27, 2018

in Dance,Theater-Los Angeles

FIVE NOT-SO-EASY PIECES

BODYTRAFFIC, the contemporary dance outfit headquartered right here in Los Angeles, has smartly scheduled three performances of this weekend’s upcoming showcase of exciting works — including a Company Premiere and a World Premiere — at The Wallis in Beverly Hills. The last four times I saw this exciting company (three at the Broad, once at Luckman) patrons were turned away in scores, so it’s highly recommended that you nab seats in advance for this exciting full-length program of five pieces, May 31-June 2, 2018.

Founded by Lillian Barbeito and Tina Finkelman Berkett in 2007, BODYTRAFFIC, unlike many modern companies, offers distinctive new works that clearly are born of non-conformist, creative thinking while remaining wholly accessible.

PROGRAM:

BEYOND THE EDGE OF THE FRAME
Synthesizing the worlds of design, fashion, and spectatorship, this works ignites the imagination and explores the complexities of the human condition.
CHOREOGRAPHY BY: Sidra Bell
MUSIC: Perc’s My Head is Slowly Exploding and Wicker & Steel
COSTUME DESIGN: Raquel Barreto
LIGHTING DESIGN: Burke Wilmore
DANCERS: Tina Finkelman Berkett, Joseph Davis, Natalie Leibert, Jessica Liu, Guzmán Rosado, Jamal White
PREMIERE: The Joyce Theater, New York, New York, 2012

FRAGILE DWELLINGS (Excerpt)
Choreographer and costumer Stijn Celis writes, “I wanted to make a work based on a dialogue with silence and emptiness… dedicated to the homeless Los Angelinos.”
MUSIC (performed by Hae-Sun Kang): Arvo Pärt – Da Pacem, Magnificat, and Nunc Dimittis; Boulez: Sur Incises; Messagesquisse; Anthèmes 2
SET & LIGHTING DESIGN: Erwin Redl
DANCERS: Joseph Davis, Natalie Leibert, Jessica Liu, Jamal White
PREMIERE: Luckman Fine Arts Complex, Los Angeles, California, 2011

A MILLION VOICES (World Premiere)
A Million Voices is inspired by the great music of Peggy Lee.
Lee’s music, in response to the political climate of her time, reminds us that even during dark times, life is worth enjoying.
CHOREOGRAPHY BY: Matthew Neenan
MUSIC (performed by Peggy Lee) by Robert Sour & Una Mae Carlisle,
Johnny Mercer & Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin, Mike Stoller & Jerry Leiber,
Adrian Zing & Benny Goodman, Arthur Hamilton
LIGHTING DESIGN: Burke Wilmore
COSTUME DESIGN: Company
DANCERS: Tina Finkelman Berkett, Lorrin Brubaker, Joseph Davis, Haley Heckethorn, Natalie Leibert, Jessica Liu, Guzmán Rosado, Jamal White

GEORGE & ZALMAN (Company Premiere)
CHOREOGRAPHY BY: Ohad Naharin
MUSIC (vocals by Bobby Smith): Arvo Pärt, composer; Charles Bukowski, lyrics
COSTUME DESIGN: Eri Nakamura
LIGHTING DESIGN: Yona Avi Bueno (Bambi)
DANCER: Tina Finkelman Berkett
PREMIERE: Mahol Shalem Festival, Jerusalem, Israel, 2006
(contains the use of strong language)

O2JOY
An exuberant homage to American jazz standards, o2Joy is, as its title suggests, an expression of sheer joy through music and movement.
CHOREOGRAPHY BY: Richard Siegal
MUSIC: Clark Terry, Oscar Peterson, Jimmy McHugh/Dorothy Fields, Gerald Marks/ Seymour Simons, Count Basie, Guy Wood/ Robert Mellin
(edited by David Karaganis)
COSTUME DESIGN: Rita DiLorenzo and Richard Siegal
LIGHTING DESIGN: Burke Wilmore based on a design by Kindred Gottlieb
DANCERS: Tina Finkelman Berkett, Joseph Davis,
Natalie Leibert, Guzmán Rosado, Jamal White
PREMIERE: The Joyce Theater, New York, New York, 2012

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photos by Christopher Duggan (O2Joy) and Karli Cadel (Fragile Dwellings)

BODYTRAFFIC
Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
Bram Goldsmith Theater
9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd in Beverly Hills
Thursday, May 31, 2018 at 7:30
Friday, June 1, 2018 at 7:30
Saturday, June 2, 2018 at 7:30
for tickets, call 310.746.4000 or visit The Wallis
for more info, visit BODYTRAFFIC

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