{"id":162,"date":"2019-03-21T17:01:19","date_gmt":"2019-03-22T00:01:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/?p=999943216"},"modified":"2019-03-21T17:01:19","modified_gmt":"2019-03-22T00:01:19","slug":"dance-comes-to-life-saturday-at-so-cal-invitational-at-knoebel-dance-theater","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/art\/dance-comes-to-life-saturday-at-so-cal-invitational-at-knoebel-dance-theater","title":{"rendered":"Dance comes to life, Saturday, at So Cal Invitational at Knoebel Dance Theater"},"content":{"rendered":"

Life, service and loss in the military, a salute to dance pioneer Lester Horton and a whimsical interpretation of flamingos are a few of the works that will be on display when the 8th So Cal Dance Invitationa<\/a>l, presented by South Coast Dance Arts Alliance, hits the stage at the Martha B. Knoebel Dance Theater at Cal State Long Beach.<\/p>\n

Featuring 12 choreographers and about 50 performers, the event, founded by longtime Long Beach choreographer Nannette Brodie, brings some of the best regional modern dance to Long Beach.<\/p>\n

Each year, a panel of dance experts combs through applications and auditions from top local dance troupes between San Diego and Ventura before choosing the lineup. Although national dance groups have expressed interest in participating, Brodie has kept it a locals-only affair.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try to limit it to Southern California,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are not enough high-end festivals.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think she\u2019s doing a great service, providing a platform for existing companies and newcomers,\u201d said John Pennington, who will perform a duet. \u201cShe finds venues where the work can be presented in a professional way. She\u2019s gone the distance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the years the event has been staged at Golden West College, where Brodie was chair of the dance department and a teacher for 43 years, the John Anson Ford Theatre in Los Angeles and now, for the first time, in Long Beach at the Knoebel, an intimate space with seating for about 230. The theater boasts a large stage and state-of-the-art production facilities created with dance in mind.<\/p>\n

Nannette Brodie premieres “Every Soldier Has A Story,” Saturday, at So Cal Dance Invitational<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n