2023/2024 Dance Season Brochure

OUR BOLDEST DANCE SEASON YET

The Music Center’s 2023–2024 Dance Season

Behold an awe-inspiring lineup of boundarypushing choreography and experiences that challenge the conventional notions of dance in the 23/24 season of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center. Today’s most visionary dance companies perform works inspired by legendary figures and compelling stories, from John Coltrane’s version of “My Favorite Things” and Igor Stravinky’s The Rite of Spring, to an immersive telling of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina and a portrait of iconic Argentinian ruler Eva “Evita” Perón. This extraordinary lineup of performances and events will captivate and inspire you like never before. Experience bold performances, talks, classes, special events and more. Be a part of it!

Ballet Hispánico’s Amanda del Valle in Doña Perón.

BE BOLD

Photo by RachelNeville.

Venue

The Music Center’s Ahmanson Theatre

Dates

Friday, September 29, 2023 / 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, September 30, 2023 / 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, October 1, 2023 / 2:00 p.m.

Program

Mixed repertory including Coltrane’s Favorite Things (Lar Lubovitch) Busk (Aszure Barton)

HUBBARD STREET DANCE CHICAGO

For 46 years, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago has been one of the most original forces in contemporary dance , bringing artists, art and audiences together to enrich, engage, educate and change lives through the experience of dance. The company will perform a program of mixed repertory including Coltrane’s Favorite Things, choreographed by Lar Lubovitch. The work is inspired by and danced to John Coltrane’s 1963 “Live in Copenhagen” interpretation of Richard Rodgers’ “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music. The backdrop for the dance is a reproduction of Jackson Pollock’s landmark painting “Autumn Rhythm.” With this dance, Lubovitch reimagines the choreographic possibilities of jazz, creating a vibrant counterpart to the impulsiveness of two 20th century artistic giants. Aszure Barton’s poignant BUSK simultaneously celebrates and scrutinizes the essence of what it means to perform, laying bare complex layers of human experience and emotion through mesmerizing multitasking movements.

Hubbard Street Dancer Simone Stevens.

Photo by Frank Ishman.

“Hubbard Street Dance Chicago ought to bottle itself as a cure for the ills of the era.”

— The New York Times

Venue

The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

Dates

Friday, February 9, 2024 / 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, February 10, 2024 / 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, February 11, 2024 / 2:00 p.m.

Program

common ground[s] (Malou Airaudo and Germaine Acogny)

The Rite of Spring (Pina Bausch)

A Pina Bausch Foundation, École des Sables & Sadler’s Wells production.

THE RITE OF SPRING & COMMON GROUND[S]

| (213) 972-0711

How would you dance, if you knew you were going to die? This is the central question the late choreographer Pina Bausch asked of her dancers in 1975 when she created her seminal work The Rite of Spring. The work examines unyielding ritual when the sacrifice of a “chosen one” changes the season from winter to spring. This pioneering piece, establishing Bausch’s iconic approach, has flourished to become one of the 20th century’s most significant and important works in dance. Faithful to Stravinsky’s visceral score, Bausch’s monumental choreography is given a thrilling new life by a specially assembled company of 34 dancers from 14 African countries. Dancing on a peat-covered stage, they clash and engage in a poetic struggle of life, ritual and sacrifice that pays tribute to Bausch’s unparalleled genius.

Rite is paired with a new work, common ground[s], created, performed and inspired by the lives of two remarkable women who have each juggled roles as choreographers, professors and grandmothers: Germaine Acogny, the founder of the Senegalese École des Sables, who is widely considered to be “the mother of contemporary African dance,” and Malou Airaudo, who performed leading roles in many of Bausch’s early works as a member of Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch. Their tender choreographic response to Rite reflects their shared histories, emotional experiences and common ground.

Pina Bausch The Rite of Spring .

Photo by Maarten Vanden Abeele.

Venue

The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

Dates

Wednesday, March 20, 2024 / 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 21, 2024 / 7:30 p.m.

Friday, March 22, 2024 / 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 23, 2024 / 2:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 23, 2024 / 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 24, 2024 / 2:00 p.m.

Programs

Mixed repertory including Revelations

ALVIN AILEY ® AMERICAN DANCE THEATER

When Alvin Ailey and a small group of African American dancers took the stage on March 30, 1958, at New York City’s 92nd Street Y, the engagement was for one night only, but it turned out to be the start of a new era in the arts, launching a revolutionary company that transcends barriers and celebrates the African American cultural experience. For 65 years, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has showcased the work of diverse choreographers, amplifying a myriad of voices alongside Ailey’s own. Returning to The Music Center to launch a multi-year residency, America’s most popular modern dance company will expand on its choreographic tradition, adding new choreographers to the company’s repertory with world premieres and beloved classics that illustrate the breadth of Ailey’s rich catalog, including Alvin Ailey’s signature work Revelations.

Ailey’s Jacquelin Harris.

Photo by Dario Calmese.

Venue

The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

Dates

Friday, June 21, 2024 / 7:30pm

Saturday, June 22, 2024 / 2:00 p.m.

Saturday, June 22, 2024 / 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, June 23. 2024 / 2:00 p.m.

Live Orchestra Program

Anna Karenina (Yuri Possokhov)

THE JOFFREY BALLET

One of the premier dance companies in the world today, The Joffrey Ballet boasts a reputation for boundary-breaking performances for more than 65 years. The company’s blockbuster, Anna Karenina, won the 2019 “Oscars of Dance” Benois de la Danse International Prize for Best Choreography. Love is all-consuming for the beautiful but married Anna, who, in the pursuit of passion, finds herself caught in a life-changing affair with the dashing Count Vronsky. Set in late 19th century Imperial Russia, this adaptation unravels the profound power, desire and possession that shapes Leo Tolstoy’s epic novel. A breathtaking cinematic production with stunning costume design and captivating choreography, this famed psychological drama — set to an original composition — makes its debut at The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

“Anna Karenina is a feat of artistic genius… and some of the best narrative choreography created for a 21st century ballet.”

— Chicago Tribune

Victoria Jaiani and Alberto Velazquez.

Photo by Cheryl Mann.

Venue

The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

Dates

Friday, July 12, 2024 / 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 13, 2024 / 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, July 14, 2024 / 2:00 p.m.

Live Music

Program

Doña Perón

BALLET HISPÁNICO

For 50 years, Ballet Hispánico has been the leading voice in intersecting artistic excellence and advocacy. The company is now the largest Latinx cultural organization in the United States and one of America’s cultural treasures. Described as a “milestone” and “breakthrough” by The New York Times, Doña Perón is an explosive portrait of Eva “Evita” Perón, one of the most recognizable and controversial women in Argentinian history. The illegitimate daughter of a prosperous farmer, Evita concealed her shameful past as she rose in the ranks from dancehall performer to Argentina’s First Lady. Her work as an activist and advocate for Argentina’s women and working class raised skepticism as she indulged in the opulence of a high-class life. Was she a voice for the people or a deceitful actress? ColombianBelgian choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa explores these diverging legacies and more in her evening-length work for Ballet Hispánico and reclaims the narrative of the iconic Latina figure.

Photo by Paula Lobo.

BE A PART OF OUR BOLDEST SEASON YET!

Join us for today’s most visionary dance companies who will perform works that will captivate and inspire you like never before. As a full subscriber, you’ll enjoy access to the best seats at the best prices, free exchanges, special offers and so much more!

Priority Seating

Full subscribers receive the best seats in the house at the best prices of the season.

Locked in Pricing

Would you like to share your dance experience with family and friends? Looking for a great gift idea? Or just want to come back to see a different program? You’ll receive subscriber pricing for any upcoming shows at the same low, locked-in prices, even if a show is in high demand.

Save on Service Fees

Subscribers save on service fees such as reduced box office handling fees ($6/ticket vs. $11/ticket for single ticket buyers) and FREE advance exchanges into any performance in the season (you pay only for any seat location upgrades).

One-Time Upgrade Or Bring A Friend

Once a season, you’ll have the opportunity to upgrade your seats OR get an extra ticket at $25 so you can bring a friend.

Behind-The-Scenes Access

Once a season, you’ll be invited to a technical rehearsal of one of our productions for an inside look into the process.

Ticket Assurance Program

Safety is our #1 priority at The Music Center, and we promise to provide you the best, safest experience possible when you visit. You can find more information at musiccenter.org/safety. To help you plan for the future with assurance, The Music Center has implemented our TICKET BUYER ASSURANCE PROGRAM for all dance engagements through 2024. This program allows our patrons to purchase advance tickets with the confidence of knowing we have you covered in the event of COVID-related changes.

| (213) 972-0711

Hubbard Street Dancers Alysia Johnson and Abdiel Figueroa Reyes.

Photo by Michelle Reid, styling by Imani Sade.

Full Series Subscription Package Performance Dates

Early Bird Full Series Subscription Pricing

Prices below reflect a 10% savings if you subscribe before July 14, 2023.

JOIN US

TMC Arts creates programming that speaks to the needs, passions and interests of our diverse community. Offered year-round, these programs connect people and offer participatory and immersive experiences with the chance to get creative and learn. TMC Arts programs include Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center, K–12 arts learning for hundreds of thousands of students annually, free and low-cost public concerts and dancing experiences and many other innovative arts events.

Champion the Arts for All

By giving to TMC Arts, you support our vision to enrich lives and empower creativity through relevant, engaging arts experiences that deepen the cultural lives of everyone in Los Angeles County. Experience the wide breadth of our programs with special access and benefits, while championing the arts for everyone. Membership begins at $100.

Contact us at (213) 972-4349 or visit musiccenter.org/membership

Enrich Your Dance Experience

As a member of Center Dance Arts, you join with our most passionate dance lovers to support the presentation of world-class dance companies, groundbreaking commissions and dance education initiatives. Explore dance beyond the stage with engaging discussions, rehearsals and other exclusive events. Membership begins at $1,000.

Contact us at (213) 972-3359 or visit musiccenter.org/centerdancearts

Photo by Will Tee Yang for The Music Center.

The Music Center’s DANCE Extension (DANCEx®) program introduces dance students from Los Angeles-area dance studios and schools to live dance performances. DANCEx broadens their perspective of the art form as they experience dance residencies presented by Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center.

This FREE program is open to all dance schools and studios. For more information or to join, visit musiccenter.org/dancex.

Photo by John McCoy for The Music Center.

YOUR VISIT

The Music Center is your place, where you can experience all the arts have to offer, from self-expression and connection to the joy of witnessing live performance and events in four incredible theatres, at Jerry Moss Plaza and in Grand Park.

The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Box Office Tuesday – Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Non-performance days!

During performance days, the Box Office will open at 10:00 a.m. and stay open a half hour after the performance begins. Please note that the Box Office is unable to process future sales one hour prior to curtain time on performance days.

Eat & Drink

From quick bites to award-winning fine dining, The Music Center offers a variety of food and beverage options to please any palate.

For more information about dining at The Music Center, visit musiccenter.org/food

Accessibility

The Music Center welcomes all visitors and is committed to making its programs, services and venues accessible to everyone, including service animals. If you are in need of vision, aural or mobility assistance, please contact Guest Services at (213) 972-0777 or TTY (213) 972-7615.

Photo by Mario de Lopez for The Music Center.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago

The Music Center’s Ahmanson Theatre

September 29–October 1, 2023

The Rite of Spring & common ground[s]

The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

February 9–11, 2024

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

March 20–24, 2024

The Joffrey Ballet / Anna Karenina

The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

June 21–23, 2024

Ballet Hispánico / Doña Perón

The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

July 12–14, 2024

Above: Ailey’s C. Stamatiou, S. Daley-Perdomo, K. Campbell, and J. Harris.

Cover: Ailey’s Khalia Campbell. Photos by Dario Calmese.