Bringing its local unsung celebrities to the forefront, the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA presents Herb Alpert Award-winning choreographer Victoria Marks at The Nimoy on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16 and 17, 2026, at 8 p.m.
In its world premiere, “A Deer Walks into a Dance” explores what promotional materials describe as “connection in a world of division.” Propelled by an original score played live by Simon Chernow, the dancemaker and the quartet of performers examine identity, language and experience through movement, text and “the deconstruction of a (bad) joke.”
The cast includes Rian Alcid, Maya Billig, Karen Chuang and Aaron Mason. Marks’ dance resume includes decades of work for the stage and film, including a group of projects involving non-dancers — veterans, dads, moms, and sorority and fraternity students. She is a Guggenheim and Rauschenberg Fellow and a Fulbright Distinguished Scholar. Right now, she is a professor in the UCLA Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance and chair of UCLA’s interdepartmental program in Disability Studies.
—Benn Widdey, Culture Spot LA
LOCATION:
1262 Westwood Blvd., LA 90024
TICKETS:
$38.08-$48.67
https://ucla.evenue.net/promotions/C26VICTORIA
INFO:
https://cap.ucla.edu/event/victoria-marks
TRAILER:
Photo by Jason Williams