Modern dance

Joyce Scherer

If anyone can explain how dance has changed in 100 years, it is award-winning dancer/choreographer Loretta Livingston.

However, her illuminations won’t be found in the written word, but

rather interpreted through a rich and innovative dance production aptly

called “Two Thousand Steps.”

“I was very fortunate, as an artist, to be given this commission. It

is a rare and wonderful opportunity to be supported while creating such

an exciting work,” said the Los Angeles resident, who was asked by the

Orange County Performing Arts Center to create the full-length “Two

Thousand Steps,” slated to premier Friday in Segestrom Hall. The

production is part of the center’s Imagination Celebration of Orange

County, co-presented with the Department of Education of Orange County.

Livingston’s original dance work will be structured into two versions:

one longer production with an intermission for a full evening’s program;

and a shorter, one-act adaptation suitable for younger audiences, said

Troy Botello, the center’s director of education.

“The full-length production will be performed at the premiere and be

used in possible touring or by other companies wishing to present the

work,” Botello said.

Livingston, a fifth-generation Californian, honed her skills under the

mentorship of dance legend Bella Lewitzky. She toured the United States

and Europe with the Lewitzky Dance Co. and became a soloist, a principal

and eventually took on some of Lewitzky’s original roles.

In 1984 she formed her own dance ensemble, Loretta Livingston &

Dancers, and went on to create and produce a series of evening-length

dance works that earned her 10 prestigious Lester Horton Dance Awards.

Equally gifted with creating works for children, Livingston’s produced

the award-winning family production “The Grandma Moses Project,” a show

based on the paintings of American folk painter Anna Mary Robertson

Moses.

“Two Thousand Steps,” which has an original score, is packed with

imaginative steps, props, costumes and lighting.

Livingston’s goal is to help the audience understand how concert --

also known as modern dance -- is different from a classical ballet

experience.

“Concert or modern dance is a life painting, so to speak,” she said.

“Our lives are serendipitous adventures rather than a simple, linear

narrative story. Many things can happen at once and this is a very modern

sensibility. We also understand the need to find our own voice, and this

is modern, too.”

To accomplish this, Livingston has chosen several key ideas that were

revolutionary in 20th-century dance and used them to convey how dance has

changed in the last 100 years.

She said the eight dancers in the production were selected for their

individuality, uniqueness and superior dancing ability. Varied in their

training, the dancers are skilled in other disciplines such as

gymnastics, yoga, voice, acting and visual arts.

“They are a beautiful reflection of multiple heritage and eclectic

training,” she said. “I believe these dancers have the special appeal

which will captivate and carry mixed-age audiences through the

progression of ‘Two Thousand Steps.”’

WHAT: “Two Thousand Steps,” by dancer/choreographer Loretta Livingston

WHERE: Orange County Performing Arts Center’s Segerstrom Hall, 600 Town

Center Drive, Costa Mesa

WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday

HOW MUCH: $8

PHONE: (714) 556-ARTS, Ext. 6071 or (714) 740-7878

WEB SITE: www.ocpac.com