Chaos (and Closure) in Boston; Dance in L.A.

By Victoria Looseleaf

Have we evolved, devolved or are merely continuing our post 9/11 journey, living in a world fraught with terrorists, pressure-cooker bombs and uncertainties at every turn. For us, we find ourselves looking back fondly on the good old days, i.e. June 14, 1994, when O.J. Simpson (our erstwhile Laguna Beach neighbor, to whom we gave a copy of our then newly-minted Harpnosis album – hint, it didn’t work to distress him), embarked on his slow speed Bronco chase.

Of course, we’re glued to our flat screens, our Twitter accounts and Facebook pages, trying to keep up with all of the breaking news on the dead Chechen, 26-year old Tamerlan Tsarnaev, and his brother Dzhokhar, a 19-year old who brought the city of Boston to its knees and is now talking with hostage negotiators from a boat in a backyard in Watertown (!). And by the time we post this, we assume the teen will be in custody, and we might have more answers.

In the interim, we look to art for healing, especially attending a performance of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at the Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. (Click here for tickets.) We’ve been fans for years, having interviewed Judith Jamison, emeritus artistic director of the troupe, a number of times, and also did the first L.A. Times interview with Robert Battle, who currently helms the company and has been broadening the repertory.

It was thrilling, for example, to finally see AAADT dance a Jiří Kylián work, his Petit Mort from 1991 (above, Yannick Lebrun, Kirven James Boyd and Antonio Douthit in a photo by Paul Kolnik). The performers also did rising star Kyle Abraham proud with his Another Night (photo below, Jamar Roberts with Jacqueline Green). And no Ailey program is complete without his beloved 1960 classic, Revelations. Indeed, we just wanted to get up and do our own Rocka-My-Soul moves with the fantastic Ailey dancers during the always brilliant coda. But we refrained from storming the stage and instead made our way home, where we penned our L.A. Times review (and please check out all of Luis Sinco’s gorgeous photos).

 

This just in: Tsarnaev has been captured – alive – but with a gunshot wound, and is now in custody as he makes his way to a Boston hospital. And the world keeps on spinning…

About Victoria Looseleaf

Victoria Looseleaf is an award winning arts journalist and regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times, KUSC-FM radio, Dance Magazine, Performances Magazine and other outlets. She roams the world covering dance, music, theater, film, food and architecture. Have pen - and iPad - will travel! Her latest book, "Isn't It Rich? A Novella In Verse" is now available on Amazon. Thank you for reading! Cheers...
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