Each year the Broadway Center for Performing Arts in Tacoma brings in a circus-based troupe, and they always pick a good one. This year it’s Galumpha, an East Coast trio of dancers who combine acrobatics, physical comedy and truly beautiful visuals in a Sunday afternoon show that will appeal to all ages.

Formed ten years ago, Galumpha’s success (including appearances on “The Late Show,” MTV, theaters and festivals around the world and plenty of awards) springs from a combination of inventive choreography and a light-hearted take on the world. Pieces like “Velcro” take an everyday item and explore the hilarious fall-out from over-applying it; others like “Human Fly” balance the dancers impressively on each other’s backs and feet while using perfectly-timed choreography (angled arms, fussing hands) to imitate another creature.

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Thanks to Spaceworks (the Tacoma Arts Commission’s summer-fall arts project for empty spaces), downtown Tacoma’s hosting a lot of cool art these days. Some of the coolest is in Tollefson Plaza, and next week for third Thursday ArtWalk we’ll get to see a new dance work by one of the South Sound’s most inventive choreographers, Carla Barragan.

Barragan, an Ecuadorian-American choreographer who’s known for inventive, thoughtful site-specific work in Tacoma, Seattle, South America and elsewhere, has turned for her 20-minute Tollefson piece to the Gulf oil spill. In “Thick,” dancers from Barragan’s group BQDanza move around the plaza …

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Seen pole dancing yet? Next week you’ll have two opportunities to see local pole dancers show off their athletic art here in Tacoma – at Barefoot Collective’s 8@8 night on Monday, and at Poledello dance studio on Wednesday.

The Monday night 8@8 is part of a regular Barefoot series of works-in-progress nights. Each performer gets around eight minutes to present something they’re working on, with eight performers starting at eight o’clock (get it?) The audience gives feedback, and it’s a great chance to see new work and offer your take on it. Monday night’s line-up includes a …

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Pacific Lutheran University students will bring a wide variety of movement styles to campus during “Dance Ensemble” this weekend.

The event, featuring Bollywood, Modern, Ballet and Step, will be in the Eastvold Auditorium on the PLU campus Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Thirteen original dance numbers will be performed by the university’s School of Arts and Communication. The ensemble is directed by Associate Professor Maureen McGill.

Read more from the press release….
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Like hip-hop? Want to support local youth? Check out KRUNK. The annual hip-hop-a-rama is back again this Saturday night courtesy of D.A.S.H. (Dancing, Acting and Singing in Harmony), the Hilltop school for low-cost tuition in dance and singing.

Now in its fifth incarnation, KRUNK is a celebration of all things hip-hop, and this year features all dancers from the past nine years of D.A.S.H.’s dance troupe Reality Check doing their thing along with other Tacoma and Seattle dance teams.

All proceeds directly support D.A.S.H Center programming and its mission to provide quality performing arts education to inner-city youth at no …

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I don’t often cover Seattle events. When I do, it’s because there’s something really worth going to – and on Sunday night, there definitely is. Tacoma ballet  company MLKBallet is dancing at the Triple Door club in Seattle, home to many funky fusions of classical, rock, alternative and indie. With them will be our very own Vicci Martinez, who’s launching a new CD featuring “Hearts and Bones,” a full-length piece composed in collaboration with MLK choreographer Kate Monthy.

“Hearts and Bones” is a collection of beat-heavy, reverb-chord numbers that reflect in Monthy’s choreography as emotional risk, betrayal and …

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Well, I was busy this weekend. Apart from an illuminating concert from the Northwest Sinfonietta (to find out just what difference a conductor makes, go here for the review) I also went along to the Barefoot Collective‘s latest evening show at the Merlino Arts Center. The review’s here, but I just have to say that seeing what Barefoot and Tacoma City Ballet are doing in that building to create a multi-discipline, collaborative arts center is inspiring. The two very different dance companies share rehearsal space, collaborate on projects, join each other in class and …

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Tacoma, do you realize how lucky you are? You not only have several reputable ballet companies but two creative contemporary dance companies working to break the bounds of dance, while collaborating with ballet companies to mix things up even more. For a mid-sized town, that’s pretty good going.

One of those dance companies, MLKBallet, is producing an event next week, part of the MOVE! series it’s getting quite a following for. (More on that next week.) The other company is the Barefoot Collective, which is staging an evening this weekend of completely new work from two Tacoma choreographers and Barefoot members: …

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