Fall festival Sept. 27–29 heads to Irvine Barclay Theatre
Laguna Dance Festival has announced its 15th season, presenting a trio of performances Sept. 27–29 by the Parsons Dance Company from New York City, RUBBERBANDance Group from Montreal, and Ballet West from Salt Lake City, hosted by the 750-seat Irvine Barclay Theatre.
Of the venue change, Laguna Dance Festival founder and artistic director Jodie Gates said the festival has “enjoyed a warm, mutually beneficial relationship with the Laguna Playhouse,” but “as a result of the Playhouse’s success and expanded programming, fewer dates exist on their booking calendar in the fall months, and we were unable to receive a confirmation in time to announce our festival.”
“The upside is the opportunity to expose more Orange County arts lovers to our performances and mission, and the Irvine Barclay Theatre is an exceptional dance house,” Gates said. “We are still all about our hometown, Laguna Beach, and are looking at the 2020 season with new partnerships and exciting collaborations. We have also confirmed performances in unconventional venues such as Neighborhood Congregational Church’s Bridge Hall, where Colombia’s Sankofa Danzafro performed in October to a delighted audience.”
Jerry Mandel, president of the Irvine Barclay Theatre, said, “We are thrilled to be able to host the Laguna Dance Festival for its 15th anniversary performances. Jodie Gates has built something truly special for the community and it is the perfect complement to what we do with our dance series, Dance@theBarclay.”
In addition to the Irvine Barclay Theatre performances, the 2019-20 Laguna Dance Festival will include its signature educational programs, a summer intensive dancer training June 24–28, a master class series, a free summer show at the Festival of Arts, free First Thursdays ArtWalk performances, and a Nov. 2 Merce Cunningham centennial celebration in collaboration with the Laguna Art Museum. Not to be missed is a lecture demonstration by New Zealand contemporary dance company, Black Grace, on Sunday, Nov. 10.
Laguna Dance Festival’s annual Spring Soirée gala is set for Friday, May 17 at [seven-degrees] in Laguna Beach, a benefit that traditionally includes a close-up dance display by professionals as well as students from the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, where founder Gates is vice dean and professor. For more information, visit lagunadancefestival.org.
Tentative Laguna Dance Festival Schedule:
- Thursday, May 2: First Thursdays ArtWalk at Laguna Art Museum
- Friday, May 17: Annual Spring Soirée at [seven-degrees] with live dance performances
- June 24–28: Weeklong Summer Dance Intensive at Laguna Beach High School with choreographers Jodie Gates, Arden Flint, and Saleemah Knight
- Date TBA: Festival of Arts Summer Sunday Performance – free outdoor public dance performance
- Thursday, Sept. 5: First Thursdays ArtWalk at Laguna Art Museum
- Friday, Sept. 27 at 7:30 p.m.: New York-based Parsons Dance Company at the Irvine Barclay Theatre. Pre-show talk at 6:30 p.m.
- Saturday, Sept. 28: Educational dance workshop by Parsons Dance Company, Laguna Beach High School
- Saturday, Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m.: Parsons Dance Company, RUBBERBANDance Group, and Ballet West, at the Irvine Barclay Theatre. Combined program of excerpts from respective repertoires.
- Sunday, Sept. 29 at 2 p.m.: RUBBERBANDance at the Irvine Barclay Theatre. Pre-show talk at 1 p.m. Master class by the company at 10 a.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 2: Film screening and live dance for the Merce Cunningham Centennial Celebration
- Sunday, Nov. 10: Lecture demonstration by Black Grace from New Zealand, drawing on Maori and Pacific Islanderdance, modern, and hip-hop. Neighborhood Congregational Church, 340 St. Ann’s Drive, Laguna Beach
