If you are looking for unique and contemporary dance and/or performance work to see in Southern California, you should check out Heidi Duckler Dance Theater. This troupe is amazingly talented and creative. They give back to the greater Southern Californiat communitey the kind of innovative dance theater that people tend to associate with New York City or San Francisco. If you want to see innovation, you should see HDDT events.
What is HDDT:
HDDT is an interactive dance company that connects audiences and artists in intimate and immersive site-specific experiences. The performances are always inspired by the location (i.e., a park, laundromat, gardens, etc.) and community and designed to stimulate conversation around ideas and issues. The company also communicates topical social issues through their thought-provoking and evolving dance experiences around the world. With this one-of-a-kind approach, HDDT’s dancers have used this avenue when they go out into the pop world of dance to communicate a message based on the location, the sound, the backdrop, etc.
HDDT dancers Teresa “Toogie” Barcelo, Ryan Walker Page, Jillian Meyers, Danny Dolan and Haylee Nichele have worked with top artists including Dua Lipa, Perfume Genius, M83, Kesha, Arcade Fire, Janet Jackson, Rufus Wainwright, Passion Pit, Florence and the Machine and Tovlo.
HDDT is a unique model of how a dance company supports and influences their LA-based dancers that work across large scale concerts, commercials and community projects. The dancers use HDDT’s approach to elevate dance in pop culture to a new artistic level whether that is with more strategic choreography or the message coming to fruition via the movements.
Broadening its reach beyond iconic Southern California locations, some of which play major roles in the 2018 schedule:
–Duckler Dance Theatre (HDDT) will present a performance and public workshop at the Puerto de Ideas Festival in Valparaiso, Chile thanks to a grant from the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.
–In partnership with the Pacific Design Center, HDDT will perform a new piece titled Once in a Whale on March 22.
The 2018 schedule kicks off on February 3 with the Ebb & Flow: Culver City festival at Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook.
The free, site-specific community festival will utilize dance and art to explore society’s relationship with the environment. A highlight of the event, which HDDT is curating, is the FishEyes sculpture that serves as a performance centerpiece to illuminate the need for water conservation. FishEyes will also head to Grand Park and Cabrillo Marine Aquarium later in the year.
Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre has been creating thought-provoking and constantly evolving dance experiences for more than 30 years, engaging audiences through artistry in non-traditional locations. Founder Heidi Duckler started the company in 1985, known at the time as Collage Dance Theatre. Since then, she has choreographed more than 300 original dance works at unique sites around the world from Australia to Russia to Hong Kong and throughout Southern California.
“We are thrilled to embark on another year full of exhilarating site-specific performances around the U.S. and a special performance in Chile,” said founder Heidi Duckler. “I was deeply inspired by the extensive murals on almost every possible surface around the city of Valparaiso, which seemed like a very relevant expression of our volatile and changing world today. I’m looking forward to choreographing a performance that animates and examines the heritage and culture of the community.”
2018 Season Performance Schedule (All dates are subject to change)
February
3 – Ebb & Flow Festival @ All day workshops and performances – Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook
24 – Lakeside Stories @ Peter Strauss Ranch – DuckEd
Duck Ed video
March:
11 – A Bela e a Fera Salon @ Bendix Building
A Bela e a Fera – Excerpt from Boston Court Performing Arts Center: from Heidi Duckler on Vimeo.
22 – Once in a Whale @ Pacific Design Center – West Hollywood @ 7:45pm
April
22 – FishEyes @ Grand Park
May
1-8 – Luncheon on the Grass Series
12 – FishEyes at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
June
6-9 – Dance/USA Conference (TBD)
10 – Salon @ Bendix Building
July
14 – San Gabriel Mission: The Story of Ramona
August
TBD – The Story of Ramona
September
16 – Back to School Salon @ Bendix Building
October
November
9-11 – Festival de Ideas – Chile
About Heidi Duckler:
HEIDI DUCKLER is the Artistic Director and founder of Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre. Since its inception in 1985, she has choreographed more than 200 original dance works at unique sites in Australia, Germany, Russia, Hong Kong, Montreal, San Francisco, New York, Miami, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Portland, Seattle, and throughout Southern California. Titled “the reigning queen of site-specific performance,” by the L.A. Times, her work has been commissioned by the Brisbane Festival, Miami Light, Grand Performances, REDCAT, Aben Dans in Denmark, Brookfield Properties, the Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation, and Reed College among others. She earned a BS in Dance from the University of Oregon and an MA in Choreography from UCLA, and is currently a Board Member of the University of Oregon’s School of Music and Dance Advancement Council. Duckler was recognized with an American Masterpieces Award from the National Endowment for the Arts to tour Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre’s signature work “Laundromatinee,” and was awarded two Dance/USA Engaging Dance Audiences grants. She has most recently been honored with the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival’s Maverick Award, and LA Weekly’s Best Site-Specific Dance Company Los Angeles and was featured as a TedxUCLA speaker in 2015. Duckler is married to Dan Rosenfeld. They have three children and a cat.
Learn more about Heidi Duckler here: http://www.heididuckler.org/heidi-duckler/
COMPANY HISTORY
Founded in 1985 by Artistic/Executive Director and choreographer Heidi Duckler, Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre has created memorable dance experiences in extraordinary locations for over two decades.
Originally named Collage Dance Theatre, we began our site-specific work with Laundromatinee, a piece staged in a local laundromat. As dancers performed alongside whirring washers and dryers, Laundromatinee captured our collage ethos, mixing art, movement, pop culture, and interactivity in found spaces.
Drawing from the success of Laundromatinee, we continued to create small and witty site-specific works. Experimenting with the outdoor environment as a theatre, Duckler animated locations ranging from a baseball diamond (Stealing Home, 1993) to an empty swimming pool (Life in the Lap Lane, 1994) and the concreted Los Angeles River (Mother Ditch, 1995). Duckler also began creating immersive experiences that included viewers as adventurous, mobile participants.
Toogie Barcelo
Miami native Teresa Toogie Barcelo is an Artistic Director, choreographer and expert wiggler based in LA. She is trained classically and culturally in a plethora of movement techniques and philosophies. Toogie has extensive experience in the theatre and the commercial world and is known among her peers as a chameleon, able to adapt to any creative context. Based in LA, she’s a full-time Associate Artistic Director at Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre year round making site-specific work in unconventional spaces. While also movement coaching, choreographing and performing with artists like M83, Tove Lo, Dua Lipa, Kesha, Alice Glass and Perfume Genius, she also teaches an improvisation class called “Creating Movement” at The Movement Lifestyle. During her workshops, Toogie facilitates through a holistic approach. She creates a space for research, transformation, and catharsis. Somewhere people can embody their individuality by expanding their awareness and exercising the imagination.
Ryan Walker Page
Ryan Page is a Los Angeles-based dancer and teacher. He has worked with Rufus Wainwright, One Republic, Slipknot, MoMa PS 1, Dagny, Lawrence Rothman, SKINGRAFT clothing, A Club Called Rhonda, Art Basel, LACMA, Rosie Herrera, Mark Dendy, Daniel Clifton, Heidi Duckler, Danny Dolan, and more. His own work has been presented by Next Level events, Boulder Arts Week, and Sarah Lawrence College.
Jillian Meyers
Jillian Meyers grew up dancing in Portland, Oregon, where she trained in all styles of dance with teachers Erin Lee, Michelle Mckinney, Candalee Wrede, Diana Redding, and Sarah Riggles. In 2004 she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her aspiration of becoming a professional dancer. During her time there she has become a member of Mark Meismer’s company, Evolution. She has also been an assistant to Brian Friedman, Tovaris Wilson, Mia Michaels, Wade Robson, Gil Duldulao, and Mandy Moore on the hit show, So You Think You Can Dance. Since 2006 Jillian has been fortunate to be a lead dancer for performing artist Janet Jackson. Over the past two years she has been involved with Janet’s videos, over-sea performances and a variety of television appearances. She recently finished Janet’s, Rock Withchu Tour. She has had the privilege to perform alongside Wade Robson on Dancing With the Stars, as well as artist John Legend. Jillian also performs and choreographs in film and television including The Rocky Horror Picture Show (2016) and La La Land (2016).
Danny Dolan
Danny Dolan has been dancing in Los Angeles for nine years, working with LACDC, Ryan Heffington, Holly Rothschild, Axiom Dance Theater, Nina McNeely, Lita Albuquerque, Heidi
Duckler, and the clothing designers SKINGRAFT and R. Swiader. He is the choreographer/ creative director for the band Hi Fashion, touring internationally with them and choreographing all of their music videos. He has toured with Foster the People and performed with the band Muse at the 52nd Grammy Awards, and can also be seen dancing in commercials and on the TV show “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”. Danny is part of the artist collective VOMIR, producing and directing photo and video content, keeping gender, archetypes, and sexuality fluid and evolving. His work has been seen in clubs all over Los Angeles, The Art of Elysium, Smack Mellon Gallery, BENT, the LACE Gallery, and The Ace Hotel Los Angeles. He has choreographed videos for Beth Ditto, American Apparel, MTV, Folsom Street Fair, Bloomingdales, Active Child, Gold Zebra, and singer Steve Grand; he has also appeared in music videos for Hercules and Love Affair, Passion Pit, Depeche Mode, and Florence and the
Haylee Nichele
Born and raised on the west coast of Canada, Haylee Nichele received her early professional training at Art Umbrella (Vancouver, BC) and her post secondary training at The Juilliard School (BFA, 2011). Since her graduation, Haylee has been working as a freelance dancer in NYC and LA. In NYC she’s worked for Puchdrunk’s Sleep No More as Lady MacDuff, Third Rail Projects Then She Fell as Alice, and she currently works for Adam Barruch’s Sweeney Todd, Brian Brooks Moving Company, Kate Watson-Wallace and the Met Opera. In LA she’s taught at LMU, and has danced for BODYTRAFFIC, and Clairobscur. Her choreography has been performed nationally and internationally.
Learn more about Heidi Duckler Dance Theater here: http://www.heididuckler.org/
HEIDI DUCKLER DANCE THEATRE
1206 Maple Ave Ste 1100B
Los Angeles, CA 90015-2627
213-536-5820
Email: info@heididuckler.org
HEIDI DUCKLER DANCE THEATRE/NORTHWEST
1201 SW 12th Avenue, Suite 222
Portland, OR 97205-2046
503-862-3244
Email: northwest@heididuckler.org
Follow HDDT on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heididucklerdancetheatre/
Thanks to HDDT for allowing me to feature their photos and videos!
You really should check out this dance company. Unique, creative, innovative are words I don’t throw around casually. They are all that – and lots more!
Stevie Wilson,
LA-Story.com
______________________________________________________________________________
DEALS and STEALS(Affiliate Links)
I curate deals that offer bonuses, bargains, and great products –and some are very specifically for this site to feature to my audience because I want my audience to get amazing products from great brands! If you purchase via my link, I make a very small percentage for that purchase.
Target
Find Cosmetic Accessories and Tools at Target.com!
Mini facial eraser sponges Blends makeup flawlessly Includes 2 erasers that can be used up to 6 times Achieve a photo-quality look with the Real Techniques Miracle Mini Facial Erasers – 2 pk. This essential beauty tool helps blend your makeup to new heights, seamlessly polishing edges and lines to absolute perfection. Real techniques miracle facial eraser, makeup sponge, beauty tool
Subscribe to RSS headline updates from:
Powered by FeedBurner
If you are going to feature content from LA-Story.com including images, podcasts or videos including the accompanying text, please respect copyright provisions. We require a notation of content origination (meaning credit tag), a linkback to the specific page & please email the link to stevie@la-story.com before the piece goes live. LA-Story.com, LA-Story Recessionista, Celebrity Stylescope, Celebrity Style Slam Trademark/Copyright 2017-19
