Jessica Koslow

“West Coast Funk & Soul Theatre Show,” created by Zulu Gremlin, was more of a stroll down funk and soul lane than a theatrical production. Gremlin, acting as narrator, announced it at the start: He was presenting a choreographic timeline of West Coast funk and soul. It was one hour of edutainment on the patio outside the front entrances of the Brand Library & Art Center in Glendale. On the last day of May, as the sun was still beating down at 5:00 p.m., the cast of No Easy Props turned the small makeshift stage into a Soul Train set, a b-boy cypher, and a freestyle session in which the star was a young b-girl spinning around on her head.

Gremlin is an active 55-year-old b-boy who truly loves hip-hop. He is an arts educator for No Easy Props, a cultural arts organization consisting of 20 street dancers, graffiti artists, deejays, beat makers, and rappers who are performance artists and educators. It hosts Saturday Break Sessions from 1:00-4:00 p.m. at its NEP Pop-Up Shop & Studio at 117 N. Artsakh in Glendale and Summer Hip Hop Camp for youth ages 13-18. . . .

Read the entire article at LA Dance Chronicle.

On May 18 at Crenshaw Yoga and Dance, everybody in the large studio, which was now also filled with chairs and bleachers, showed up to celebrate Black and LatinX choreographers from the Leimert Park dance community and beyond. They were in their seats to see BlakTinx LA Dance Festival’s “Unity Through Movement,” showcasing works exploring identity, resilience, and expression.

It was an inspiring night of dance, culture, and community, where the energy bouncing around in the crowd and zigzagging from performer to audience was electrifying. The one-hour performance of pieces by seven choreographers was fun, fiery, and fierce. It was a prime example of the talent, vibrancy, and buoyancy of the L.A. dance community. . . .

Read the entire article at LA Dance Chronicle.

Most every single thing about Thursday night’s performance of N. Ormes by Agathe Bisserier and Adrien Malette-Chénier at Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz was magical. From the concession stand items being baguette sandwiches (brie & apple or ham & cheese) and glasses of champagne to the French accents of every person affiliated with the theater, the entire night was stamped with an exhilarating je ne sais quoi.

Patrons were immersed in Frenchness; according to it site, Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz “is the only year-round theater in L.A. devoted almost exclusively to French language cultures.” This particular show was supported by The Quebec Government Office in L.A., which is fantastic, because N. Ormes deserves to be seen worldwide and, judging by a Google search, it has toured extensively throughout the U.S. thanks to government funding. Next stops are the San Francisco International Arts Festival on May 8, Danville, Kentucky, on May 12, and FringeArts in Philadelphia on May 23 & 24.

The show opens with Agathe and Adrien standing and swaying center stage, lit by a spotlight. The show also ends with the two figures in the same formation. It is the hour in between that leaves viewers completely flabbergasted as to what the human body is capable of. For 60 minutes, the duo showcases their tremendous strength, jaw-dropping agility, and emotional depth as they explore gender norms. Not only are Agathe and Adrien both incredible acrobats, but their emotive facial expressions and tender movements make this a theatrical joy to boot. . . .

Read the entire article at LA Dance Chronicle.

The first time I saw Outrage dance, my heart stopped—in a good way. The way he demonstrated total control of his body and expressed his emotions through movement was beautiful. His chest popped, legs stomped, and arms flung out wide with precision and grace. His light hops made him appear weightless. I was already a super fan of krump, and Outrage was phenomenal. It is not surprising that Daddy Yankee, Usher, and Mary J. Blige have since tapped him to join them on stage.

On May 25, 2025 Versa-Style will be presenting its Street Dance Theater Showcase at Mihran K. Studios Burbank as part of its four-day 20^th Anniversary Hip-Hop Dance Festival. One of Versa-Style’s co-artistic directors, Jackie Lopez aka Miss Funk, asked Outrage to perform alongside a lineup of high-profile choreographers.

“I have known them for a long time,” said Outrage, whose name is often shortened to Rage. “I have either battled cats, or we have worked together. It is a community thing.” . . .

Read the entire article at LA Dance Chronicle.

Multi-hyphenate entertainer Debbie Allen is very familiar with the healing power of the arts. Dance has been the salve that has helped catapult her to her highest peaks and push her through her lowest days.

“I grew up in Houston, Texas, in the ’50s and late ’60s when segregation was a way of life,” Allen said recently via phone, taking a break from prepping the finale of the medical drama TV series “Grey’s Anatomy,” in which she acts, directs and is an executive producer.

“We weren’t allowed to go to movie theaters or restaurants Downtown, and we could go to the amusement park one day a year on Juneteenth. Dance was what I wanted more than anything in my whole life.” . . .

Read the full article at Pasadena Weekly.

A great deal had to occur for Victor Quijada to choreograph “Second Chances,” which will premiere this weekend, from March 8 to March 9, on BroadStage’s Main Stage in Santa Monica.

As the brother of two older sisters, the first-generation Mexican American remembered entering the B-boy cipher on the linoleum floor at a laundromat as a baby breaker at the age of 7. From the age of 10 he followed his sisters to backyard parties and barbecues, where he was hooked on the feeling of receiving attention from the older kids by performing party dances like the Robocop and Kid ‘n Play.

In his first two years at Baldwin Park High School, he took a drama class with Mark Israel, a Hollywood writer, director, and producer who was so fascinated with Quijada’s breaker persona that he wrote a screenplay called “Battle Dancing.” It made an impression on Israel that a dance battle between best friends could end a real fight over street credibility and dance identity. Israel also scored Quijada an agent. . . .

Read the full article at LA Downtown News.

“You guys are the cutest things on planet Earth,” gushed “So You Think You Can Dance” judge Vanessa Hudgens. “My heart is melting for you guys.”

“You guys are adorable,” added judge Mary Murphy. “I wish I could be your sister.”

For 25-year-old twins Gratsiela (Gracie) and Desislava (Desi) Sandeva of Dobrich, Bulgaria, being on “So You Think You Can Dance” Season 15 was a dream come true — from the day they applied for the hit show online to the moment they stepped on the stage to audition in front of a live audience and TV cameras in New York City.

“Our life has changed for sure — for good, of course,” says Gracie. “I think we are the same Desi and Gracie from before, we are just more confident in ourselves. There was also a few times that little kids on the streets recognized us from the show.”

Although they didn’t make the cut, Gracie and Desi are not giving up their dreams just yet. …

Read the full article at Playa Vista Direct.

Photo courtesy of Sankai Juku

SOMAFest @ Highways Performance Space
Sept. 1
Expect feelings to be flowing at this celebration of movement that focuses on internal experience over external appearance. It’s a two-hour showcase that doubles as emotional catharsis. Dance as therapy. Dance as savior. Dance as uplifter, with film, voice, live music and choreography more heartfelt than heavy on technique. All the emotional goodness of dance is in there.
1651 18th St., Santa Monica. $20-$25. (310) 453-1755; highwaysperformance.org

Invertigo Dance Theatre @ The Broad Stage
Sept. 13-14
Not many dance companies would tackle the life of math genius Alan Turing, who helped break Nazi coded messages during WWII. But Laura Karlin— Invertigo Dance Theatre’s artistic director — is bold and adventurous with choreography and content (think bobbing for apples but from another dancer’s mouth). Her company’s “Formulae & Fairy Tales” highlights more than beautiful bodies bounding across the stage — it makes a point: Turing was persecuted and, ultimately, died for being gay.
1310 11th St., Santa Monica. $49-$79. (310) 434-3200; thebroadstage.org

Read the full article at The Argonaut.

“Stardust” by David Roussève/REALITY. Photo by Valerie Oliveiro.

David Roussève is in a particularly good mood, sitting in his office in UCLA’s Glorya Kaufman Hall about 10 days before his latest work, Stardust, has its very first viewing at REDCAT as part of the Radar L.A. festival. Or maybe he always begins his sentences will a joyful burst of laughter.

The 53-year-old, Alpert Award-winning director-choreographer is speaking about d. Sabela grimes, who not only composed original music but also crafted an ongoing layer of sound design for the entire work. “He’s one of my favorite people on the planet,” Roussève says. “He’s so talented, and what a nice and incredibly evolved guy.”

“This is a really heady piece in its own way,” says Roussève. “I’m trying to conduct a social and intellectual conversation, but also it’s meant to communicate with you on the level of the heart. Sabela takes in both of those dialogues…It’s very hard to describe what he does. It’s so idiosyncratic and unique to him.”

Stardust is a coming-of-age story for the electronic age about a 16-year-old gay, African-American boy who, according to Roussève, “is trying to find something more than the violence and chaos he’s facing.” …

Read full article at LA Stage Times

Culture Shock Los Angeles. Photo by Ja Tecson.

“Are you ready for your solo?” Anthony Lee, artistic director of Culture Shock Los Angeles, asks a small boy this question, as he lifts him to the sky. The kid shakes his head enthusiastically as the two head toward the rest of the hip-hop dance collective gathered on the top floor of the South Bay Dance Center. Lee calls places for a final run-through of Roy Meets World, a one-off performance this Friday at Ford Theatres.

It’s not the only night hip-hop will hit the Ford stage this summer. On October 5, Versa-Style Dance Company will premiere Furious Beauty, its latest evening-length work. Ford Theatres continues to support LA’s growing hip-hop dance community, and troupes like Culture Shock L.A. and Versa-Style are leading the charge to bring street dance to the stage.

Featuring 65 dancers ages 5 to 35, mostly from Culture Shock L.A. with a few special guests, Roy Meets World takes cues from Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist and the Hindu tradition of the seven chakras, or energy centers of the body. It’s an adventure story about a boy who encounters and overcomes challenges as he journeys through life and, ultimately, becomes a man.

The inspiration for this year’s Ford show (last June’s was titled BEauty) was personal. …

Read full article at LA Stage Times