The new L.A. dance scene

There was a lot to choose from if you wanted to see some dance in L.A. this last weekend. Alvin Ailey was at the Music Center, Trey Mcintyre was at The Broad, and North West Dance Project was at the Luckman. Whew, that's a whole lot of really good dance in one place. The dance scene in L.A. is changing and this dancer could not be happier. In the past if you were not a commercial dancer there was not a whole lot to do in L.A. With the exception of the few classical ballet companies, who always seemed to struggle, making it in L.A. was rough.



However now, in the last few years L.A. is making a name for its self as a legitimate dance city. In addition to The Los Angeles Ballet which was founded in 2004, there is also an eclectic group of contemporary companies cropping up. Bodytraffic founded by two dancers, Lillian Barbeito and Tina Finkelman Berkett, was named one of Dance Magazines 25 to watch in 2013. With their exquisite taste in choosing choreographers they are quickly making a name for themselves as an internationally recognized company, and really are one to watch. Then you have the highly publicized L.A. Dance Project. Headed up by choreographer (and movie star husband) Benjamin Millepied. Mr. Millepied shocked the dance world in January when he announced that he would be leaving L.A. to direct the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet. L.A. Dance Project claims that they will continue on with out him, but only time will tell.

So, next time you are bored on a Saturday night in L.A. go see some dance. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Sisters are doin' it for themselves

It's not an easy transition getting older as a dancer. Your body begins to disagree with your decision to continue, there is always young up and coming dancers biting at your heels, and what happens when life i.e. marriage, kids, or other interests become just as important? The answer is you need to adapt to what dance looks like for you.

For myself, I really like the age I have come into as a dancer. I have stepped away from dance enough to have life experiences and it is because of this that I have more to say now than ever as an artist. I have also found a wonderful teaching career in which I learn just as much from my students as they learn from me. There is also my interest as a choreographer, which in this last year I have really settled into my voice and aesthetic. So, my predicament is not how to deal with an allying body, but how to fulfill all of my interests and sill be home in time for dinner with my husband?



This is not an easy task. I could do what I did last year and spend four hours almost everyday in the car driving to dance in San Francisco and then rush back to teach my classes (but that doesn't work for my life), I could leave my husband for months on end and go dance for a company (but that doesn't work for my soul, or my teaching career), or I can give up dancing completely and just teach and choreograph (but that doesn't work for my heart). So to borrow a line from the Eurythmics, this "sister" is doin' it for herself.

I decided that if I want to continue to produce good work without leaving my city, which currently does not have a contemporary dance scene, I need to make it for myself. I started by approaching a choreographer who I am a fan of and told her, in all earnest, that I wanted to dance for her. To my surprise she was willing to create a new work, and with myself and two other dancers we created a new piece which we are hoping to take to some dance festivals, fingers crossed.

Many dancers now are taking their careers into their own hands. Being a freelancer provides you with a level of artistic freedom that you would not otherwise have working for a company full time.It is a great way to choose who you work with and what you do. However, there is the obvious pit falls of not having a steady stream of work coming in. As an independent contractor you have no benefits to fall back on when you are not working, and all additional costs; physical therapy, shoes, ect. come out of your pocket book. This also means working for free a lot. It is definitely a risky business, but recently an acquaintance of mine said, referring to her choreography "Careful does not a standing ovation get".  I think this phrase can also refer to the journey to the work.

Her are some stills of my first project as an independent artist, and check out my new website 

www.leahmariebueno.com

Where you can get even more information about me and my career.