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When it rains, it pours. And don’t we know it. Lotta good dance going on this week. The first Bootleg Dance Festival opens this Friday and runs through the weekend, presenting the choreography of seven intrepid local dancemakers. Alongside the traditional centers for “experimental” dance, the Bootleg Theater has embarked on an ambitious performance event. Housed in its 1930’s warehouse that was, at one recent time known as The Evidence Room, the theater boasts a programming menu that includes musical performers, spoken, word, theater and dance. And, in an effort to beef up LA’s East Side with a substantial every-seat’s-a-good-seat dance venue, Bootleg’s Artistic Director Alicia Hoge-Adams and award-winning choreographer Heidi Duckler have curated a sampling of diverse perspectives on the ephemeral art.
Each of the three nights will reveal ideas ranging from hip-hop to dramedy to interactive video to improvisation and any hybrid within those descriptions. Presenting the artists in either 2 or 3 to-a-show one-night stands, the producer hopes to promote the varying styles, cultures and approaches that represent contemporary dance in the world today. Ms. Hoge-Adams says, “These choreographers were selected and recognized because their ideas explore what we can never put into words. These are works that have no single meaning. They are temporal, experimental . . . human and magical. And they cannot exist without an audience. This festival celebrates the communal connection of audience and artist in the shared space.”
Looks like a good chance to see what’s flying low in LA dance. Check out some of the clips below and head out to the Bootleg!