
Most of us can relate. Last Saturday night, April 5, as the clock ticked toward curtain time for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, I was wavering. A cloud of despair over the state of our nation weighed me down. The couch looked good. A glass of rose wine beckoned. Hell, I had half a bottle! I could put on pajamas. I could channel surf.
But somehow, instead, I surfed the Golden State Freeway and wrangled myself to the theater and boy was I glad I did.
The truly great Alvin Ailey dancers opened their second of two programs, ‘Program B,’ with a kicking work by Ronald K. Brown. One sleek minute of Brown’s “Grace,” dating from 1999, knocked the bad mood out of my soul. The hip-hop-meets-West-African-dance pageant, costumed in skin-baring red and white, was so vibrant and such a masterful showpiece of the dancers, set loose, that I promised myself to never give into that sloth! Here’s a video which falls very short of seeing this marvelous organism live in the theater. I experienced pure joy, stem to stern. Grinned like a fool through the entire thing.
Similar positivity arrived in “Many Angels,” a beautifully contained, if brief, outing for five dancers staged to the famous adagio of Gustav Mahler’s Fifth Symphony by veteran Lar Lubovitch — a master of flowing and organic, yet highly formal choreography. A mini gem of self discipline that I truly wish all burgeoning choreographers would heed. (I’m talking to you Matthew Rushing, whose program opening “Sacred Songs” far exceeded its required length and had much to cull from Luvobitch’s careful curation of movement vocabulary.) The gentle shape-shifting of “Many Angels,” had Lubovitch milk (in a good way) every bar of the modulated music with visible and pleasing transitions between scrupulous sculptural clusters. Sage use of physical motifs, such as a big leg circle to the rear ending in a “C” curve behind the body, popped in in differing modes, such as on a dancer pivoting on one knee.

Choreographer: Lar Lubovitch
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Credit Photo: ©Paul Kolnik
I share the story of last Saturday night’s personal awakening for a reason. And that is to encourage you to come downtown to party with our South American friends, the marvelous dance troupe, Grupo Corpo, in their second-only visit to the Music Center. In the absence of our government treating our southern neighbors (or our northern, eastern or western ones, save Russia) with respect, it falls on us, the citizenry, to do so. And with this electric dance company, that should not be an onerous task.

The troupe is presenting two works at the Chandler:
Rodrigo Pederneiras’ 21 (1992) is a ballet divided in three movements that weaves the company’s 22 dancers into rhythmic and timbral combinations around the number 21. That’s such a cool premise. Featuring a captivating score by Marco Antônio Guimarães, the choreography pulses with mathematical precision, progressing through a series of mesmerizing movements that blend the energy of Brazilian folk dances with the formality of classical ballet. The 40-minute piece, which amplifies the unique sounds emanating from Guimarães’ unusual instrumental creations, culminates in a dynamic and colorful finale, transporting audiences into a celebration of Brazilian cultural vibrancy.
Sounds fantastic. That should clear all cobwebs.


By contrast, Pederneiras’ other creation Gira (2017) draws its inspiration from the Afro-Brazilian religious rituals of Umbanda, one of the most prevalant sects in Brazil. His choreography reconstructs the powerful gestures of Umbanda and Candomblé ceremonies, capturing the raw and dizzying energy of these sacred rites. Set to 11 musical themes by the Brazilian fusion group Metá Metá, the spectacular Gira offers a primal, ritualistic energy that pulses through this mesmerizing 40-minute piece.
Again, wow, wow, and wow. We all need to be there to party with the Brazilians.
Grupo Corpo | Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center | May 2 – 4