Arts & Culture

UCLA Live Presents an International Array of 07/08 Dance Events, from Contemporary Companies to Masters of World Music and Dance

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Showcasing many of today’s most innovative and boundary-breaking companies, UCLA Live’s 2007/2008 Dance Series includes a mix of exemplary contemporary troupes and a selection of vital performers in world music and dance. From October 2007 into May 2008, these diverse presentations will showcase dancers and choreographers spanning the globe from Germany, Vietnam, Belgium, Bali, New York, Spain, Quebec, Peru, Georgia and Tunisia. The companies and the works they present encompass a range of North American, United States and Los Angeles premieres and debuts.

Dancer Pina BauschThese eclectic dance performances begin in October with the L.A. premiere of Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company’s “Blind Date,” a landmark political work examining the corrosion of tolerance and social progress. In November, performing in L.A. for the first time in eight years, German-born dance pioneer Pina Bausch and her Tanztheater Wuppertal return with the highly anticipated “Ten Chi,” a choreographic travelogue of modern Japan. UCLA Live also presents two L.A. debuts: Vietnamese choreographer-performer Ea Sola’s “Drought and Rain Vol. 2,” a vital reflection on the Vietnam War for 12 young dancers from the Vietnam National Opera Ballet—Hanoi; and The State Ballet of Georgia with celebrated ballerina Nina Ananiashvili who returns to L.A. to star in “Giselle” and a mixed repertory program. In April, Montreal’s high-energy La La La Human Steps performs the U.S. premiere of “Amjad,” melding film and live music with director-choreographer Edouard Lock’s demanding technique and breakneck speed—often on pointe. From Belgium, Ultima Vez returns in May with the L.A. premiere of “Spiegel” (Mirror), a retrospective of intensely physical works by choreographer and filmmaker Wim Vandekeybus. 
UCLA Live’s World Music and Dance Series heralds a global spectrum of talent. From Gamelan Cudamani, a creative force in the ceremonies of its native Bali, and the explosive footwork of legendary Seville-based Ballet Flamenco Eva Yerbabuena, to the return of ever-popular Peru Negro and the U.S. premiere of Leila Haddad and The Ghawazee Musicians of Luxor, Upper Egypt with “Gypsy Dances from Rajasthan to the Nile,” this is an unequalled opportunity to experience passionate music and movement drawn from the spiritual heart of each company’s country of origin.
All performances will be held at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus. Series and Choose-Your-Own subscriptions consist of multiple events sold at a discount when applicable, and are on sale now. Single tickets are on sale as of July 23 (July 16 for current subscribers and donors). To purchase tickets visit www.UCLALive.org or call         310-825-2101           .
UCLA LIVE’S 07/08 DANCE SERIES
LOS ANGELES PREMIERE
Friday–Saturday, Oct. 12–13, 2007, at 8 p.m., Royce Hall
Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company—“Blind Date”
Choreographer Bill T. Jones’ “Blind Date” is an explosive meditation on the threatened ideals of tolerance, religious discretion and social progress in the current political climate of toxic certainty. With an eclectic score by composer Daniel Bernard Roumain, this provocative work has been called a milestone in the artist’s celebrated career.
 
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Thursday–Saturday, Nov. 8–10 at 8 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 11 at 2 p.m., Royce Hall
Pina Bausch Tanztheater Wuppertal—“Ten Chi”
German-born dance pioneer Pina Bausch and Tanztheater Wuppertal return to Los Angeles for the first time in eight years with the highly anticipated “Ten Chi.” This choreographic travelogue, which explores the sounds, sights, joys and paradoxes of modern Japanese culture, is considered a stunning masterpiece by the visionary artist who forged a new “dance theater” genre by fusing elements of American musical theater, vaudeville and political cabaret.
 
LOS ANGELES DEBUT
Friday–Saturday, Jan. 25–26, 2008, at 8 p.m., Royce Hall
Company Ea Sola—“Drought and Rain Vol. 2”
Raised in Vietnam during the war and trained in Paris, choreographer-performer Ea Sola creates vital, enthralling contemporary works grounded in the traditional culture, music, dance and history of Vietnam. With 12 young dancers from the Vietnam National Opera Ballet—Hanoi and a traditional Vietnamese music ensemble performing new music, “Drought and Rain Vol. 2” is a reflection on the Vietnam War through the eyes of the next generation.
 
LOS ANGELES DEBUT
Thursday–Sunday, Feb. 21–24, Royce Hall
The State Ballet of Georgia with Nina Ananiashvili—“Giselle” and Mixed Repertory
Mixed Repertory with Ananiashvili, Thursday, Feb. 21 at 8 p.m.;
“Giselle,” Saturday, Feb. 23 at 2 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 23 at 8 p.m. with Ananiashvili; and Sunday, Feb. 24 at 2 p.m.
Born from revolution and led by two Russian dance luminaries, Bolshoi and American Ballet Theatre ballerina Nina Ananiashvili and the Bolshoi’s former artistic director Alexei Fadeyechev, the newly formed State Ballet of Georgia poses a serious challenge to Moscow’s artistic dominance. The Georgian-born Ananiashvili appears on selected evenings in works including “Giselle,” Balanchine’s “Chaconne,” a new work by San Francisco’s Yuri Possokhov (set to traditional Georgian music) and another by the Bolshoi’s Aleksei Ratmansky.
 
U.S. PREMIERE
Friday–Saturday, April 4–5 at 8 p.m., Royce Hall
La La La Human Steps—“Amjad”
Artistic director and choreographer Edouard Lock
With its high-energy punkish cool, demanding technique and breakneck speed—often on pointe—Montreal’s most daring dance company, La La La Human Steps, returns to Royce Hall. “Amjad,” a U.S. premiere, deconstructs romantic ballets a la “Swan Lake” and probes the schism between classical and modern dance. Choreographer Edouard Lock audaciously reinvents classical sources with rawness and fresh energy in a radiant display featuring nine dancers, film and original live music composed by Bang on a Can’s David Lang.
 
LOS ANGELES PREMIERE
Friday–Saturday, May 2–3 at 8 p.m., Royce Hall
Ultima Vez—“Spiegel” (Mirror)
Choreographer and filmmaker Wim Vandekeybus
For 20 years, Belgian choreographer Wim Vandekeybus and his company Ultima Vez have created confrontational and intensely physical mixed-media works. With nine veteran dancers plus newcomers, their latest endeavor, “Spiegel,” is a retrospective exploring the explosive energy and emotions of scenes mined from Vandekeybus’ renowned body of work.
 
UCLA LIVE’S 07/08 WORLD MUSIC & DANCE SERIES
 
Sunday, Nov. 18, 2007 at 7 p.m., Royce Hall
Gamelan Cudamani—“Odalan Bali: An Offering of Music & Dance”
A leading creative force in its native Bali, the gamelan ensemble Cudamani creates emotional and energetic works that transport audiences into a vibrant world inspired by Bali’s timeless cycles of ceremony. Following its successful 2005 U.S. tour, this acclaimed troupe of musicians and dancers returns with an exquisite synthesis of music, dance and spectacle that vibrantly captures the splendor of the Balinese temple festival.
 
U.S. PREMIERE
Wednesday–Thursday, Feb. 6–7, 2008 at 8 p.m., Royce Hall
Ballet Flamenco Eva Yerbabuena—“Santo y Sea” (Signs and Wonders)
One of the most exciting flamenco dancers of her generation, Eva Yerbabuena and her company ignite the stage with emotion, explosive footwork and stylish syncopation in a fiery new production accompanied by a live ensemble. Winner of most major Spanish choreographic awards and recipient of the prestigious Premio Nacional de Danza 2001, Yerbabuena was featured in Stomp’s award-winning IMAX film “Pulse,” Mike Figgis’ documentary “Flamenco Women” and has also performed with dance pioneer Pina Bausch.
 
Saturday, March 15 at 8 p.m., Royce Hall
Peru Negro
Acclaimed in Peru for more than 35 years and a leader in the revival of its traditional music, PeruNegro is a vibrant song and dance ensemble that defines the infectious grooves, melodic guitar and passionate singing of Afro-Peruvian music. The group returns to UCLA Live with new songs from its anticipated follow-up to the Grammy-nominated CD “Jolgorio.”
 
U.S. PREMIERE
Thursday, March 22 at 8 p.m., Royce Hall
Leila Haddad and The Ghawazee Musicians of Luxor, Upper Egypt—
“Gypsy Dances from Rajasthan to the Nile”
Tunisian-born Leila Haddad, one of the premier dancers performing Raqs el Sharki or oriental dance, has long fought to restore its status as a noble art form. With exquisite handmade costumes, nuanced lighting and sophisticated technical direction, this is a dialogue between the ancient traditions of the Kabelyas of Rajasthan, India, and the Ghawazee (Gypsy) dances of Upper Egypt with uplifting live accompaniment by the renowned Ghawazee musicians.
 
Tickets: Series and Choose-Your-Own subscriptions consist of multiple events sold at a discount when applicable, and are on sale now. Single tickets are on sale as of July 23 (July 16 for current subscribers and donors). Tickets may be purchased online at www.UCLALive.org, via phone at         310-825-2101           , in person at the UCLA Central Ticket Office at the southwest corner of the James West Alumni Center, and at all Ticketmaster outlets.

About the author

Candice Courtney Mc Fadyen

Candice Courtney Mc Fadyen is currently studying Theatre and Communication Studies at Loyola Marymount University. She is extremely active and outgoing. She enjoys theatre, writing, and music.