4 World Premieres: LACDC

L.A. Contemporary Dance Company (LACDC) premiered four world premieres at Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts Center featuring work commissioned by Artistic Director Jamila Glass.

In October 2024, LACDC returned to the stage with four world premieres by Los Angeles and Spain-based choreographers showcasing works that explore how our inner lives affect our outer behavior.

When our minds are racing and the mental chatter gets too loud, how do we bring ourselves back to the middle to find some semblance of peace?

Featuring choreography by Mario Glez, Myles Lavallee, Spenser Theberge, and LACDC’s artistic director Jamila Glass and original music by AEREA, Slade Mctaggert, and Maxwell Transue. Glez’ work was commissioned in partnership with Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) and the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain.

They were also proud to welcome visionary philanthropist Glorya Kaufman to the final performance and closing night reception.

LOS ANGELES CHOREOGRAPHERS INSTITUTE

Finished up an invigorating week with the first cohort of the Los Angeles Choreographers Institute, an intensive leadership development program co-created by L.A. Contemporary Dance Company’s artistic director Jamila Glass and executive director Napoleon Gladney. This program incorporates a holistic approach to the business side of dance-making. It seeks to lessen the information gap that exists for choreographers beyond movement creation with a focus on navigating leadership, collaboration, and business with authenticity.

NEW FILM: Movement Choreographer

Jamila completed work as a Movement Choreographer on the upcoming film Missing Rhythms directed by Regina Hoyles.

NEW WORK: CHOREOGRAPHY RESIDENCY

Jamila completed a two-week choreography residency with L.A. Contemporary Dance Company where she created a new work set to premiere Fall 2024. Stay tuned for performance dates.

Lectures at Pace University

Jamila returned to Pace University for the 2nd year in a row to lead two lectures on her work as choreographer in film and television. In the Choreography For Camera Class, Glass spoke to the process of translating from script to screen and shared how her journey (USC, LACDC) is woven into her creative process.

2ND TCU CHOREOGRAPHY RESIDENCY

Texas Christian University’s (TCU) dance students had such a wonderful experience with Jamila Glass during her Spring 2023 residency that their School of Classical & Contemporary Dance invited her to return in the Fall of 2023 to do another teaching & choreographic residency. She is honored to share the bill for their Fall Concert with world-renowned choreographer Sidra Bell.

CATCH ME ON THE SMALL SCREEN

You can spot me in a national commercial for Mastercard featuring Jennifer Hudson and in a music video for the new film Transformers: Rise of the Beasts: “On My Soul” by Tobe Nwigwe and Nas, featuring Jacob Banks.

I JOINED THE CHOREOGRAPHERS GUILD!

Excited to be a part of the CHOREOGRAPHERS GUILD - a movement representing professional choreographers and choreography teams working in film, television, commercials, music videos, live concerts, and other media. LEARN MORE

TCU Choreography Residency

Many thanks to Texas Christian University (TCU) for hosting me in Fort Worth, Texas for a 10-day choreography residency where I created a 10-minute work on their students. Despite a winter storm in the middle of the process, where the campus was closed and my rehearsals were cancelled for four days, we managed to finish (and clean it) and the work is a whole vibe! SUPER PROUD.

After watching a run-through, TCU’s Dean of the School for Classical & Contemporary Dance Elizabeth Gillaspy described my new work as “endlessly fascinating.”

TCU Professor Keith Saunders (formerly of Dance Theatre of Harlem) said the work is “hella nasty, funky, and super sophisticated.”

FUN FACT: TCU was the first university in the nation to offer a Bachelor of Fine Arts in ballet. 

L.A. TIMES FEATURE

'It was very cathartic to allow ["and then life was beautiful"] to unfold out of me, and it allowed me to create from a very honest place, rather than being concerned about what people might want to see,' [Jamila] says.” - Steven Vargas (L.A. Times) | READ MORE (7 choreographers on how dance changed in Southern California in 2022)

DANCING IN SNOW REVIEW (SF)

"L.A. Contemporary Dance Company… performed it flawlessly Friday evening in a touring presentation at San Francisco’s ODC Theater. …It's one hour of highly theatrical contemporary dance [with] a distressing undercurrent. The costumes alone are worth the trip.” - Jennifer Norris (Jen Norris Dance Reviews) | READ MORE

LACDC DELIVERS A VERY POWERFUL PERFORMANCE

“LACDC is rapidly becoming one of LA’s strongest companies... With three world premieres on the program, Artistic Director Jamila Glass has guided to greater heights of professionalism. The work presented was powerful and the cast is probably one of the strongest since LACDC was co-founded in 2005 by Kate Hutter Mason.” - Jeff Slayton, L.A. Dance Chronicle | Read full article