LINES Ballet dances to beat of own drummer

LINES Ballet dances to beat of own drummer

Unique movement, cultural exploration mark dance troupe

By Elizabeth Bull

Alonzo King happens to be a dancer. But he could be a painter,
writer, sculptor or actor because dance, to him, is just a way to
express an idea.

"The question ‘Who am I’ is the question that man asks himself,"
King says. "Like a scientist, I’m trying to discover the X factor
and trying to clearly state my ideas to help others discover who
they are. I’m just using dance to express my ideas."

King’s company, the LINES Contemporary Ballet, will perform this
weekend at the Veterans Wadsworth Theater. This is the first time
King’s company will dance at UCLA and he’s excited to present his
ideas to the university community.

"It’s important for people to see new work," King says. "As
dancers we must communicate and I believe that at the university
level minds are eager; they’re more open to accepting the arts.
There is an openness with youth."

The performances will feature two Southern California premieres
for the company, "Rock" and "String Quartet." They will also
present their most famous work, "Ocean," with music by Pharoah
Sanders.

King, who has studied ballet since childhood, created both the
LINES Contemporary Ballet and the San Francisco Institute of
Choreography in 1982. Since then, his company has toured the United
States and Europe, and the Institute has become one of the largest
in California.

King’s inspiration comes from his years of studying dance and
the movement of dance itself.

"Movement is something I’m fascinated with – why we move, why we
don’t. It’s a whole different language that communicates," King
says.

In the 14 years the LINES Contemporary Ballet has performed,
King has received praise for his realistic and pulsing approach to
modern ballet and ethnic African dance. King, though, claims to be
oblivious to outside influences and prefers to work on exploring
the personal side of his dance.

"Style is a by-product and movement is distilled to show our
ideas," King says. "With every process there is a discovery. We
discover things about ourselves and we work with ideas. Dance is
material, but our ideas are what we are mainly trying to
communicate."

King even admits to "not going out much" and seeing what other
artists in his field create. "I don’t compare my company with
others," he says, "In the artistic process you only get a glimpse
of who you are."

To discover more about King and the ballet company, Amanda
Wilkinson, a recent graduate with a master’s in dance movement
therapy, will present a pre-performance lecture both evenings. She
trained with King for over five years as a scholarship student
after graduating from CalArts and still holds him as her
mentor.

"Through training with him I learned of the healing aspects of
dance," Wilkinson says, "I learned how it can heal a person and
transform a life."

In the lectures, Wilkinson will discuss King’s unique approach
to movement and share the experiences of the LINES Contemporary
Ballet dancers. "The lecture doesn’t come from an academic point of
view but from more of a personal insight from my experience and
understanding of the company and Alonzo King.

"He seeks to really reach into the heart and meaning of what
dance is," Wilkinson says. "There is a realism that is compelling.
He asks you to reach inside yourself and find elements of
truth."

Not only does King search for truth through dance, but according
to Wilkinson, he is also looking to unify different cultures and
ethnicities.

"He has a company of multi-ethnic dancers and what binds them is
their common exploration into the dance art form," Wilkinson says.
"He pulls in various cultures such as music and ideas from Spain
and Africa, but his purpose is to find the universal elements – the
undercurrent of commonality in life."

But, through searching for a common principle in dance, King has
managed to create an original and distinct style by simply looking
at dance in a new way.

"It’s the approach to moving that is different," Wilkinson says,
"But that approach makes the result moving and unique."

DANCE: Alonzo King’s LINES Contemporary Ballet at the Veterans
Wadsworth Theater on Friday and Saturday evening at 8. Admission is
$11 with a valid UCLA I.D. For more info call (310) UCLA-ART.

LINES Contemporary Ballet graces the Veterans this weekend.

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