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'Gravity Of Center' Gives Break-Dancing A Contemporary Update With A Sci-Fi Spin
Los Angeles native and contemporary dancer, Victor Quijada, returns to his hometown with his international company, Rubberbandance, for a single performance this Saturday night at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex on the campus of CSULA. Combining the live premiere of “Gravity of Center” with a short film upon which the new quartet is based, the exceptional movers juxtapose “the freedom of break dancing with the abstraction, nuance and technique of contemporary dance . . . resulting in a true hybrid dance form.”
This new piece has a quasi-sci-fi narrative taking place in what is referred to as a “Dali-esque” environment. Here, a tight-knit group emerges as a “wolf pack,” with alpha and omega dogs and each character striving for a sense of individuality and independence. Sounds like a tense, yet open space, free to show some exciting terpsichore from some tremendous movers. The choreographer, himself, has performed in the companies of Twyla Tharp, Eliot Feld and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal. He began his interest in the moving art form at our own L.A. County High School of the Arts and was a protégé of postmodern pioneer Rudy Perez. He has since garnered national and international awards while being based in Montreal.
The company was here a few years ago and their unique movement vocabulary appeared arresting and compelling to watch—the hip hop daring, the classical understanding and the professional rigor and attention to detail kept things sliding and jumping in unexpected ways and means. Check out their teaser below and welcome the boy home on Saturday! Plus, he’ll be hanging around after the show to answer questions and talk. Purchase tickets by calling the Luckman Box Office at 323-343-6600 or via Ticketmaster.
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