Now that you can finally step outside, here’s what to do in L.A. this weekend
I’ve mentioned Jungle’s dance-filled music videos before and I tried (with every bone in my body) not to write about it again so soon, but the choreography by Shay Latukolan in the “Back on 74” video is simply scrumptious. There’s so much attitude in the jazz-influenced movement. Not a day goes by that it doesn’t pop up on TikTok. Check out why fans are raving about it almost two weeks after its release. I’m Steven Vargas, your L.A. Goes Out host, and here are the top events for the upcoming weekend recommended by the crew (sign up here for the newsletter):
Weekly Countdown
1. ‘Congress VIII’
Get to your feet, “Congress” is back. The salon-style platform gathers dance creators and dance lovers alike for a group show that ranges in style. The dance hub was created in 2018 at the Sweat Spot, a since-demolished Silver Lake dance studio, and returns this weekend with its eighth iteration at L.A. Dance Project. Dance artists include Mayte Valdes & Carlos Barrionuevo, Nico Lonetree, Mike Tyus, Mandy Moore, Tony Testa, Robbie Blue, Lex Ishimoto and Jacob Jonas the Company. The performances are energetic and experimental, allowing artists to celebrate the beauty of dance and build community with each other’s genre-bending movement. Performances are at 6:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday to Sunday. Although the actual performance doesn’t begin until 8:30 p.m., be sure to get there early for a cocktail hour with drinks and tacos. Tickets are $45 for general admission and $75 for VIP. For more information, check out the “Congress” website.
2. ‘Heroes of the Fourth Turning’
Four young conservatives toast to the newly inducted president of their Catholic college, but the evening turns sour when everyone’s clashing political views and theologies ruin the celebration. Rogue Machine Theatre presents a new production of Will Arbery’s “Heroes of the Fourth Turning,” a play that centers on four reunited alumni fighting to be understood. The 2019 play, which was a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for drama, is loosely based on Wyoming Catholic College, the school Arbery’s father presides over. The show runs until Oct. 2 at the Matrix Theatre in Fairfax with performances at 8 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays and 3 p.m. Sundays (except Sept. 10 and 11). Tickets range from $25 to $45 and more details can be found on Rogue Machine’s website.
3. Joe Hisaishi and ‘La Mer’
Joe Hisaishi, the composer behind famed Japanese animation director Hayao Miyazaki’s films with Studio Ghibli, will take the Hollywood Bowl podium this weekend. Hisaishi composed more than 100 films, from “Howl’s Moving Castle” to “Princess Mononoke,” and at 8 p.m. Thursday, you’ll have the opportunity to hear it all live with the help of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and soprano Janet Todd. Hisaishi will also lead a performance of Claude Debussy’s “La mer” alongside his music. The performance comes recommended by The Times’ Jessica Gelt and the remaining tickets are $175. More information can be found on the Hollywood Bowl’s website.
4. Music Box 2023
Chamber Music L.A. presents Music Box 2023, a program celebrating the string quartet. The L.A.-based collective of leading music organizations will highlight four string quartets from its member groups: the Colburn School (presenting its chamber ensemble-in-residence, Quartet Integra), Salastina, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and Jacaranda Music. The program will share how the string quartet functions at the core of chamber music — for example, how the section allows lyricism and soul to shine in Mendelssohn and Schubert compositions. Tickets cost $45 for the public and $10 for students. The performance begins at 3 p.m. Sunday at Zipper Concert Hall in downtown L.A., and more details can be found on Chamber Music L.A.’s website.
5. ‘Black Joy: Healing From the Inside Out’
Sovern L.A. in West Adams presents Ingrid Yuzly Mathurin’s solo exhibition, “Black Joy: Healing From the Inside Out,” in partnership with SoLA Contemporary. The Afro-pop exhibition shares large-scale portraits that offer an intimate view of Mathurin’s healing journey. In her work, Mathurin draws from her experience as a first-generation Haitian American to explore themes of joy and healing in Black and brown communities, leaning on the importance of nourishing oneself in the face of injustice. It is a reminder that it’s OK to be sad and cry; there will always be a better tomorrow. The exhibition closes Saturday with a reception from 4 to 7 p.m. at Sovern L.A. The event will include an artist talk moderated by SoLA Contemporary executive director Anefertiti Bowman. The event is free and more information can be found on Sovern L.A.’s website.
Bonus round: Blackpink pop-up
In honor of their upcoming stop at Dodger Stadium, Blackpink will host an immersive pop-up experience as part of the Born Pink tour. The experience, presented by American Express and produced by Bravado, will include limited edition merchandise and photo opportunities curated by Japanese graphic artist Verdy, who is the artistic director of the experience. Verdy designed an exclusive capsule of merchandise for the pop-up and has previously worked with brands including Nike, Human Made, Instagram and Coachella. The free experience is first come, first served. You can check out the pop-up in Beverly Grove any time from noon to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. More information can be found on the Blackpink pop-up website.
On My Mind
On Thursday, I attended the first performances of REDCAT’s NOW Festival in downtown L.A. The program included JOJO ABOT, Tuixén Benet and Jordi & Cade & Ironstone — each of varying styles and themes, yet synced together.
ABOT’s performance was incredibly multimedia, incorporating film with live performance. ABOT’s music draws from her heritage as a Ewe woman from West Africa and blends it with operatic vocals and, at times, an 808 beat. Although the primary structure of her work consists of dance, music and film, the most mesmerizing moment came in the stillness. At one point, she landed stage right and the music stopped. She sang phrases like “anything and everything” and “release it” as her voice echoed throughout the space — emphasizing her vocal prowess in a paralyzing moment.
Jordi & Cade & Ironstone’s performance of “2300 She” was the most unexpected. The trio connected gender, family planning and the trans experience into a single narrative, poking fun at the now-infamous Bloomberg Businessweek headline that read, “Freeze your eggs, free your career.” What began comical turned into a theatrical dissection of the struggles of transitioning. The trio moved in a tug-of-war, pushing and pulling each other — physicalizing the frustration for gender equality.
The evening concluded with Benet’s “Some More.” No one knew what was going to happen, not even the dancers. The ongoing performance lasted for 27 minutes at a time. The result was a refreshingly playful performance that kept me on the edge of my seat. The group of dancers breathed life into the movement with their own personalities. At one point, they pretended to mourn someone who appeared to be dead on the ground. As Martina Mattar filmed and screened it live on the back wall, one dancer looked back at the frame and instructed others to move until it was picture perfect, advising, “This time, be sadder.” After a pause, they all burst into tears. The best part was the spontaneity of the performance and the execution of the choreography by Benet and the ensemble. They weren’t in complete unison, but they painted with the same brush strokes of movement that helped the ensemble’s personality shine through the mundane tasks at hand.
On Saturday, I saw CONTRA-TIEMPO’s performance of “¡azúcar!” at the Ford in the Hollywood Hills. The performance explored the complex history of sugar to address anti-Blackness in Latinidad, all set to music by Celia Cruz. It began with a meditation on sugar and its healing abilities that soon got shaken up with energy as the ensemble blended Latin styles with Afro-Cuban influences in their movement. The highlight of the performance was when Jasmine Stanley-Haskins and Ruby Morales dived into an impromptu battle/conversation on top of a pile of sugar. They each embraced their favorite styles, from hip-hop to cumbia. Their dancing was organic and playful. The rest of the company returned with a piñata, and while Stanley-Haskins and Morales swung at the party staple, others ate a sugar cane plant and spat it into the chaos. When the piñata split open, a red rope was pulled out and strewn across the ensemble, symbolizing the connection everyone has to each other in the turmoil of the sugar industry. The entire section upheld the purpose of the performance, shining through the myriad of vignettes to centralize the joys of community and the importance of healing.
Go out speed round
Go out before it closes: “Group Therapy” at Theatre 68 Arts Complex in North Hollywood is a dramedy about three people stuck in a therapist’s writing room. Jonathan (Andy Hoff), a podiatrist with a Type A personality, is bothered by the eclectic Cassandra (Marnina Schon), but when a new visitor joins the waiting room, the tension rises. The world premiere of the play by Peter Lefcourt closes Sunday. Performances are at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and at 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $25 and more details can be found on the show’s ticketing site.
Go out for free: Getty Center’s annual outdoor summer concert series is coming to a close with a performance by Alabaster DePlume. DePlume is a British poet and saxophonist whose songs are filled with circular melodies and luminous tones. The free performance in Brentwood is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the museum courtyard and follows a DJ set by Jeff Parker at 6 p.m. More details on how to RSVP can be found on Getty’s website.
Go out and craft: If you’ve been trying to improve your sketching skills, Laguna Art Museum is offering a figure drawing workshop from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday. Led by Peter Zokosky, the chair of MFA drawing/painting at LCAD, the workshop coincides with the exhibition “Joseph Kleitsch: Abroad and At Home in Old Laguna.” Supplies are included and the workshop will focus on how to draw the human form with a live model. Tickets are $30 for museum members and $45 for non-members. More details can be found on Laguna Art Museum’s website.
Go out with the kids: Get ready for a Friday movie night perfect for the whole family. In conjunction with Japan House’s “Pokémon x Kogei” exhibition, Ovation Hollywood will host a free screening of “Pokémon: Detective Pikachu.” The event coincides with the five-year anniversary of Japan House L.A. and begins with crafting activities with the L.A. Public Library from 5 to 7 p.m. As the sun sets, the movie will be screened on the lawn. More information on how to RSVP can be found on Ovation Hollywood’s website.
Go out on a date: Watching the sunset has all the makings of a classic date night. How about exploring the activity on a more artistic level with Allison Lu Wang’s upcoming solo exhibition? Mey Gallery in West Hollywood presents “Little After Sunset,” a show that pays homage to the City of Angels at golden hour. Wang’s work includes iconic city landmarks and luscious flora. The exhibition is free and available to view starting Thursday. Mey Gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and more details can be found on its website.
Go out all day: Spend the day down in Long Beach for Happy Sundays’ annual free music festival in the city’s historic Zaferia District. The festival highlights musical talent in Southern California, bringing together more than 40 acts for this year’s celebration. Performers include the Nectarines, L.A. Witch, Soft Palms, the Paranoyds, the Shivas and Julia, Julia. More information can be found on Happy Sundays’ festival website. While you’re out there, be sure to check out Long Beach’s latest mural additions as part of Long Beach Walls and Art Renzei’s art festival.
Go out all weekend: Sierra Madre Playhouse is hosting a silent film festival in conjunction with the world premiere production of “The Right Is Ours!” which runs from Sept. 8 to Oct. 8. The weekend-long film festival celebrates the influential women of early Hollywood, screening movies including “Daredevil Women Before the Vote” and “The Art of Accompaniment.” Screenings are held Saturday and Sunday, and tickets cost $25 per film, $75 for a festival pass and $60 for three screenings. More information can be found on Sierra Madre Playhouse’s website.
Go out and wander: Take a stroll through Tongva Park in Santa Monica at the first-ever Endless Summer C.A.M.P. The event centers on the four pillars of the C.A.M.P. acronym: community, art, music and picnic. The park will include performances and hands-on crafts for people to enjoy from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday until Sept. 9. This upcoming event includes an Afro-Cuban and Latin dance get-down with CONTRA-TIEMPO, a Hawaiian dance performance by Santa Monica’s Cabeza de Vaca Cultural Center and a sash-making workshop led by artist Marcus Kuiland-Nazario. More information on the free event can be found on the city of Santa Monica’s website.
Go out and laugh: SGV Eats and Embarrassed by Night present 626 Laugh Market, an evening with some of the hottest and funniest stand-up comics at Five 55 in Monterey Park. Performers include Matt O’Brien, Leo Nguyen, Kayla Esmond, Monique Moreau, Peter Kim, Andy Van and Fred Le. Tickets range from $20 to $35 and the show begins at 8 p.m. Saturday. More details can be found on the show’s Eventbrite.
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I’m all ears!
That’s all I’ve got for this week. Follow our feed of recommendations and itineraries on Instagram and Twitter, and if you have recs of your own, send them to steven.vargas@latimes.com.
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