There will be dancing in the streets
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A TEASER FOR
CITY OF DANCE
A SERIES OF DANCE EVENTS AROUND los angeles
The film Koyaanisqatsi was made in 1982 by director Godfrey Reggio with a warning; nature is beautiful when in balance. The director used speeded up film to show the human species tipping the balance, with complicated freeway systems and polluting chimneys. Driving the narrative is the original score by Phillip Glass. The music that pounds at the heart of the film is the impetus for L.A. Dance Project’s latest endeavor, City of Dance.
Image courtesy of LADP ©Lore Stessel
City of Dance is the US adaptation of La Ville Dansée that LADP’s artistic director Benjamin Millepied originally launched in Paris. Now he brings his vision to Los Angeles. “The film Koyaanisqatsi found me in the late nineties and never left. Its political force — its warning of a world out of balance — has stayed with me ever since. For years, I dreamed of commissioning a dance to Philip Glass's extraordinary score.” says Millepied in his artistic statement. “I imagined five choreographers, each taking on a specific musical section of the film, coming together to create a single work — a work defined by the velocity of technology and the toll it exacts on nature, on society, on us. Koyaanisqatsi is as urgent today as the day it was made. Perhaps more so.”
Image courtesy of LADP ©Manuel Obadia
Millepied and four other choreographers, Dimitri Chamblas, Madeline Hollander, Jamar Roberts, and Pam Tanowitz have created original works inspired by the soundtrack. The performances are dotted all over the city and are free to attend. This somewhat radical idea — to take dance out of the usual venues and onto the streets — is to include everyone in the experience; to offer the spectacle of the dance to those who perhaps could not afford the ticket. The sharing of stories through human movement in a shared environment, solidifies the relationship between the city, the dancers and the audience bearing witness to the moment.
Image courtesy of LADP ©Valentin Folliet
Moving through different parts of the city on different days, allows everyone to participate and become part of the story. With the added bonus of a series of conversations with various artists, scholars, and experts in urbanism, ecology, technology, and social change, curated by author and political scientist Françoise Vergès after some performances. A deepening of the experience for those who want more, who want to dig in and ask questions about the cityscape.
Image courtesy of LADP ©Manuel Obadia
LADP are offering a gift to the city, inviting everyone to participate in the story.
Join the dancers for this transformative event.
Everyone’s invited.
Performances
June 2–4, 12:30 PM daily — Century Park
June 4, 6:30 PM — Marciano Art Foundation *
June 5, 12:30 — Grand Avenue Takeover, Hosted with the Colburn School
June 6, 4:00 PM — Hollyhock House at Barnsdall Art Park *
June 7, 4:00 PM — Tongva Park in Downtown Santa Monica *
June 17, 7:00 PM — Hollywood Forever
June 18, 12:00 PM — Gloria Molina Grand Park at The Music Center in Downtown L.A.
June 21, 3:00 PM — LACMA
*These events have post‑performance conversations
For more information about The City of Dance and times, click on the link below.
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