BODYTRAFFIC / Photo by Tomasz Rossa
Returning to home turf after a year on the road, Los Angeles’ own contemporary dance ambassadors BODYTRAFFIC will unveil a program of new and exciting work at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica this Thursday and Friday, Feb. 26 and 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Having performed to sold-out houses in New York, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia and Vancouver, B.C., the company presents three West Coast premieres at this all-too-short engagement. Driven by two of our city’s dance-focused female movers and shakers, company directors Lillian Barbeito and Tina Finkelman Berkett, this production is fueled by the choreography of internationally renowned dance makers Hofesh Shechter, Richard Siegal and native son Victor Quijada.
Recently labeled by iconographic periodical Dance Magazine as one of the “25 to watch,” promotional materials attest that the troupe has been named “the company of the future” by the Joyce Theater Foundation and “Best of Culture” by the Los Angeles Times. Given their experience and the artistry of all those involved, the quality and caliber of what they present are at the highest levels.
It’s quite unusual to get to see the variety offered in the program in one evening: from Siegal’s often-humorous play with music and character, to Quijada’s hybrid of contemporary and street vocabularies, to Shechter’s athletic and often-pulsating movement explosions.
It’s great that they keep adding new choreographies to their repertory and sharing them with local audiences. Their Los Angeles colleagues, friends and families probably like that as well. They’re off to the East Coast and Canada soon after these shows. Let’s see what they’ll be bringing to those parties.
—Benn Widdey, Culture Spot LA
The Eli & Edythe Broad Stage is located at 1310 11th St., Santa Monica 90401. Tickets are $32-$55 and can be purchased at www.thebroadstage.com. Visit www.thebroadstage.com, or call the Box Office at (310) 434-3200. For more information, visit https://www.thebroadstage.com/en/Performances/Dance/Productions/bodytraffic/ and www.BODYTRAFFIC.com.