It’s almost 2025. I didn’t mean to scare you with that truth but I can’t hold onto this anxiety alone. 🧍🏽‍♂️Aaaaaaanywaaaaaaaays… how about them headlines lately? 

Introducing: Gregg T. Daniel

Daz (Ahkei Togun) rushes up a white ramp, repeatedly. He runs up the center, the left side and the right side. We watch his panic set in, erupt and dissolve into acceptance. 

He’s stuck. 

In James Ijames’ “Kill Move Paradise,” Black men find themselves stuck in an in-between similar to purgatory after their death by police brutality. There’s not much in this nondescript place between life and the afterlife. There’s a giant ramp, an electric fence keeping them in, a printer and an audience (AKA you). When a young boy arrives, the group must navigate how to move forward and find a solution to their communal suffering. While directing the play, Gregg T. Daniel constantly returned to Ijames’ play notes which shared how “Black people are often looked at, but very rarely seen.” 

This is shown immediately as Isa (Ulato Sam) looks at the audience and realizes they are simply there to watch. For Daniel, it reflects the reality of seeing the murder of George Floyd on television. It brings up questions about how and when people see the Black community. 

The ramp epitomized the non-naturalistic form of Ijames’ play. It plays a big part in the narrative as their fight against it reflects their fight for agency. It’s a physicalization of their struggle. 

“They try again and again, several of them try repeatedly to get out of there as if they can climb high enough to escape white society or the white gaze,” Daniel said.

They try different ways up the ramp. They extend their bodies. They run. They leap. They go up the side. They try to climb around.

“Sometimes, I was moved to tears,” Daniel said. “It’s rigged. It’s not made for you to get out that way.” 

The play’s absurdity expands beyond the set. The actors are challenged to blend genres. The group of four transforms into aliens and alters the environment into the household of a sitcom. 

“We just had to always make sure they’re trying to understand their situation [in each realm] and maybe get out of their situation,” he said. 

When the youngest of the group, Tiny (Cedric Joe), finally realizes the truth, the weight of the play sinks in. Tiny was shot and killed by a police officer because he was holding a toy gun, similar to Tamir Rice who died at the age of 12. 

“We've had many nights where we just broke down,” Daniel said. “It was healthy, but it was also the larger question of, ‘Why does this violence continue to be perpetrated?’”

Throughout “Kill Move Paradise,” names are spit out of a printer on stage. These names are of Black and brown people who were killed by the police. It’s all part of Ijames’ methodology. If more people are killed, they are added to the list, per Ijames’ request. On opening night, the production added two more. As the list of names grows, so does the weight of Ijames’ story. 

“It was fun, but it was also very difficult emotionally to realize that this is the world Black and brown people live in, and they're often looked at but not seen, not at all,” Daniel said. 

As we begin to see these names as fathers, mothers, cousins, aunts, uncles — family — then can we create “permanent change,” Daniel said. 

You can see the play until November 3 and Odyssey Theatre will have a special “Black Out Night” on September 27.

This Week’s Top Spots

The Other Art Fair @ Santa Monica Barker Hangar

The Other Art Fair, presented by SaatchiArt.com, brings tons of art into one space. The fair is billed as an experience with affordable artworks, immersive installations, performances and more. The event also has one big special offering. For this iteration, it is a booth where artist Ben Lenovitz creates exclusive pet portraits that will bring your special friend to life on canvas. Check it out for yourself. 

LOCATION: 3021 Airport Ave. Suite 203, Santa Monica, CA 90405
DATES: September 26 - 29
PRICE: $30.59 - $55.07
LINK: https://www.theotherartfair.com/fairs-tickets/ 

Jungle @ The Hollywood Bowl

You might know Jungle for the duo’s iconic music videos filled with choreography by Shay Latukolan. This weekend, they’re headed to the Hollywood Bowl with Aaron Frazer and Bas for a night you won’t forget. Their action-packed live shows are just as energetic as their music videos for songs like “Back on 74” and “Let’s Go Back.”

LOCATION: 2301 Highland Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90068
DATE: September 27
TIME: 8 pm 
PRICE: $60 - $135
LINK: https://www.hollywoodbowl.com/events/performances/2991/2024-09-27/jungle 

‘100 Seconds to Midnight’ @ The Ford

Blue13 will share a new work by Achinta S. McDaniel titled, “100 Seconds to Midnight” at the Ford this weekend. The dance piece, which fuses contemporary with South Asian dance styles like Kathak and Bollywood, takes inspiration from the Doomsday Clock made by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. The Doomsday Clock is designed to warn the public about how close we are to destroying the world, but McDaniel’s piece explores it through the lens of immigrant Americans and third-generation people. Split into three sections — "Vishwas,” “1947,” and “Midnight” — “100 Seconds to Midnight” confronts misogyny and generational colonization. 

LOCATION: 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. E, Los Angeles, CA 90068
DATE: September 28
TIME: 8 pm
PRICE: $10 - $65 
LINK: https://www.theford.com/events/performances/3413/2024-09-28/blue13-100-seconds-to-midnight 

‘This Picture Reminds Me of You’ @ Audrey Irmas Pavilion at Wilshire Boulevard Temple

BODYTRAFFIC will present works from its popular contemporary dance repertory to kick off the company’s new season. “This Picture Reminds Me of You” digs into the feeling of nostalgia by sharing moments where images of our loved ones impact our current day. Works on the docket include “Bloquea’o” by company member Joan Rodriguez, “Snap” by Micaela Taylor and “Incense Burning on a Saturday Morning: The Maestro” by Juel D. Lane. 

LOCATION: 3643 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010
DATE: September 26
TIME: 7:30 pm 
PRICE: $60 
LINK: https://www.bodytraffic.com/performance-home-season/picture 

Pixar Putt @ 2nd & PCH

This pop-up is for the whole family. Pixar Putt is a special mini golf experience where you get to putt alongside your favorite animated characters, from Woody and Buzz Lightyear of “Toy Story” to Joy and Sadness of “Inside Out 2.” The experience is incredibly interactive and immersive, placing you inside the world of Pixar.

LOCATION: 6440 Pacific Coast Hwy., Long Beach, CA 90803
DATES: Now until January 12, 2025
PRICE: $30 - $32
LINK: https://www.pixarputt.com/ 

Things: Non-PST Art Exhibitions When You’re Done Colliding Art and Science

PST ART has consumed my month with moments where art and science collide. If you’re looking to find something a bit more off-theme, here are a few exhibitions worth looking into: 

• ‘signifying the impossible song’ @ Southern Guild: Artists from across the globe contribute to this group exhibition that explores the material culture of objects. DATE: September 13 - November 14 / PRICE: Free / LINK: https://southernguild.com/exhibitions/signifying-the-impossible-song 

• ‘Le Gant de Velours, Traversing the Fantasy, and the Thousand-Yard Stare (Disparate Subjects Happening Concurrently, 1977–1979)’ @ David Kordansky Gallery: This exhibition includes new work by Matthew Brannon, from large-scale silkscreen prints to photography — each provocative and engaging with sociopolitical themes. DATE: September 13 - October 19 / PRICE: Free / LINK: https://www.davidkordanskygallery.com/exhibitions/matthew-brannon5 

• ‘L.A. Story’ @ Hauser & Wirth West Hollywood: Titled after the 1991 film, this new exhibition explores the landscape of Los Angeles in the form of an artistic love letter. DATE: September 12 - January 4 / PRICE: Free / LINK: https://www.hauserwirth.com/hauser-wirth-exhibitions/la-story-fall-2024/ 

• Aaron Garber-Maikovksa & Eddie Martinez @ Blum Gallery: These new solo shows document performance art with broad abstraction or the intimacy of a journal entry with compact canvases. DATE: September 14 - October 19 / PRICE: Free / LINK: https://www.blum-gallery.com/exhibitions/categories/current 

• ‘At Home: Alice Neel in the Queer World’ @ David Zwirner: Curated by Hilton Als, this exhibition reflects the different facets of Alice Neel’s work. DATE: September 7 - November 2 / PRICE: Free / LINK: https://www.davidzwirner.com/exhibitions/2024/at-home-alice-neel-in-the-queer-world 

• ‘The End of You’ @ Night Gallery: New bold installations by Divya Mehra fills Night Gallery’s space with an interrogation of colonialism. DATE: September 14 - October 19 / PRICE: Free / LINK: https://www.nightgallery.ca/exhibitions/divya-mehra2

Keep Reading

If you haven’t already, check out my latest stories here: 

• The First Major Exhibition Dedicated to Alvin Ailey Opens at the Whitney Museum (Dance Magazine)

• ¡Viva La Tradición! La Quinceañera celebrates 15 years of Las Colibrí one grand entrance at a time (LA Dance Chronicle)

Meme of the Week