United States Various: Dancers of BODYTRAFFIC. The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Beverly Hills, 4.6.2026. (JRo)
Dancers: Katie Garcia, Pedro Garcia, Joan Rodriquez, Jordyn Santiago, Grecia Cruz, Chandler Davidson, Becky Garcia, Brenan Gonzalez
Inventive, spirited programming is a hallmark of the LA-based dance company BODYTRAFFIC. With their usual verve, they presented an engaging evening of dance – their final season as company-in-residence at the Wallis Annenberg Center and, unfortunately, their final season as a troupe. After twenty years, their founding artistic director, Tina Finkelman Berkett, is shuttering the company – sad news for the Los Angeles dance scene.
The atmosphere on the opening night of final performances was upbeat. Joan Rodriguez’s Bloquea’o celebrated joy amid the chaos of political, social and economic upheaval. Rodriquez, a Cuban-born dancer, choreographer and company member, has created an exuberant and politically charged dance that incorporates elements of Cuban salsa, rumba and Afro-Brazilian capoeira. The saturated-color backdrop created by lighting designer Michael Jarret alternated with black and white footage of Cuba in the early 1960’s, a time marked by the infamous Bay of Pigs. Infectious percussion by Christian Moraga propelled the dancing and was at times superseded by recordings of JFK’s remarks on the crisis.
Preeminent in the performance was Rodriguez himself, and his dancing conveyed the vivid life of his homeland. The choreography was sultry yet imbued with menace, and the magnetic physicality of Rodriguez’s explosive movement lent a dark cast to the dance. Dancers, whether partnered in ballroom fashion or dancing individually, swayed hips and rocked shoulders. Loose joints alternated with tightly compact movement. So irresistible was the music and Afro-Caribbean-style choreography that it seemed natural when the company joined in with vocals.
Shared Ground by Fernando Hernando Magadan opened with dancers grouped together, moving in slow motion to a recording of Ravel’s Bolero. The choreography was marked by deep knee bends, flexed feet and outstretched arms. Suggestions of karate kicks and the slinging of bows and arrows lent a combative quality amidst the otherwise communal nature of the dance.
Schachmatt (Checkmate) may be my favorite piece in BODYTRAFFIC’s repertory, and in an earlier review (here) I noted the Felliniesque quality of the onstage escapades. The dancers, perfectly suited to the demands of choreography with their athleticism and precision, made the most of the humor – imagine Bob Fosse choreographing a Marx Brothers movie. Decked out in grey short shorts, black knee socks and racing helmets, they trotted across a black and white checkerboard, carried along by the jaunty cabaret music – the perfect score for their hi-jinks.
The recorded music of Oscar Peterson, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Glenn Miller set the tone for o2Joy – a jazz-inspired dance that moves in mood from the fun-loving to the tender. The choreography showed off the company’s musicality, allowing the dancers to jive, jitter and sway. It was the end of a marvelous evening and a fitting send-off for BODYTRAFFIC, who will be much missed.
Jane Rosenberg
Featured Image: BODYTRAFFIC in o2Joy © Christopher Duggan
Shared Ground
Choreography – Fernando Hernando Magadan
Music – Maurice Ravel
Costumes – Angela Manke
Lighting – Michael Jarett
Bloquea’o
Choreography – Joan Rodriguez
Assistant Choreography – Katie Garcia
Music – Pedro Osuna
Live Percussion – Christian Moraga
Additional recordings – Luis Conte
Sound engineering – Noah Hubbell
Lighting – Michael Jarett
Costumes – Marion Talan de la Rosa
Cinematography – Erick Wayne
Schachmatt
Choreography, Sets, Costumes & Lighting – Cayetano Soto
Music – Rina Ketty, Michel Legrand, Henry Mancini and Jack Costanzo, Monna Bell, María Teresa Lara, Toña La Negra and Los Panchos
o2Joy
Choreography – Richard Siegal
Music – Oscar Peterson, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Glenn Miller
Music editing – David Karaganis
Costumes – Rita DiLorenzo and Richard Siegal
Lighting – Burke Wilmore
Original Lighting – Kindred Gottlieb