Lucinda Childs retrospective at CAP UCLA this weekend / Photo by Babette Mangolte
For visual artists, their work can stay on the walls, shelves and pedestals long after their lifetimes. But, for performers and choreographers, unfortunately, their creations often disappear as they stop producing. Recently, however, dance makers are re-examining this situation and coming up with innovative ways to survey their contributions. This Saturday, Nov. 5, at 8 p.m. at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus, the Center for the Art of Performance will highlight the pioneering career of Lucinda Childs in “Lucinda Childs Dance Company: A Portrait (1963-2016).”
This evening-length retrospective includes seminal dances from early in her esteemed five decades-long career, as well as the world premiere of “Into View.” Noting the artist’s previous collaborations with composers Henryk Gorecki, John Adams and Simeon ten Holt, this new production includes a score by instrumentalists Colin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld, best known for their work with Arcade Fire and Bon Iver.
As an original member of the revolutionary Judson Dance Theater in the 1960s, Childs created a handful of iconic solos, and, in the 1970s, she began exploring movement, space and time with a cadre of refined dancers. This latter group of choreographies investigated driving minimalist scores by the likes of Philip Glass and those already mentioned, a neo-balletic dance vocabulary and a unique spatial awareness unaddressed by other dance makers of the time. The artist has been honored with awards from both national and international sources and has set her work on ballet companies across the globe.
Fortunately, the company has maintained a lasting connection to the West Coast and many of its productions have been presented here in Los Angeles. Culminating a recent CAP UCLA Artist Residency with the company, this single performance celebrates Childs’ contribution to 20th/21st-century dance.
—Benn Widdey, Culture Spot LA
Royce Hall is located at 340 Royce Drive, LA 90095.
Tickets are $15 to $59 and are available at cap.ucla.edu, at https://www.ticketmaster.com/lucinda-childs-dance-a-portrait-1963-los-angeles-california-11-05-2016/event/0B0050D8AD8D332B?artistid=1434603&majorcatid=10002&minorcatid=12 and at the UCLA Central Ticket Office at (310) 825-2101.
More info: https://cap.ucla.edu/calendar/details/lucinda_childs_2016