Moving, grooving, improving
Pasadena’s Lineage Dance Co.celebrates a decade of dancing with the opening of a new center
By Carl Kozlowski 06/10/2010
As artistic director of Lineage Dance Co., Hilary Thomas has helped improve the dance scene in Pasadena for the past decade, with shows at venues around town and across the country. This weekend, the nine-member troupe and its staff will join Thomas in celebrating a decade of success with a four-event gala.
“For the past 10 years, we’ve been dedicated to raising support and awareness for other nonprofits through benefit concerts, and we also work to make dance accessible to all people,” says Thomas. “Every year we put on the Pasadena Dance Festival at the Civic [Auditorium], and we have been looking to open up a performing arts center where we can continue to fulfill our mission with other artists and highlight other local nonprofits.”
Indeed, the modern-dance troupe’s mark on the community has been indelible, as Thomas and her colleagues have always striven to think out of the box by not only offering a series of dance classes for boys in middle school and high school, but also reaching out to the other end of the age spectrum by teaching dance classes to Parkinson’s Disease patients at Huntington Hospital.
“It’s really been an amazing experience,” says Thomas. “It’s a combination of keeping active — a combination of the music and creative movement that uses different parts of the brain than their daily routine. It really helps people suffering from neurological disorders.”
The gala marks the official opening of the troupe’s new space, which includes a dance studio that will provide the first stable home ever for their showcases. This will enable the troupe to stay in one spot rather than hopscotching around town to venues like the Armory Center for the Arts or the Kidspace Museum. And this has the troupe so excited they’re hosting four major events.
Tonight and Friday’s events kick off at 7 p.m. with a reception featuring light hors d’oeuvres and signature drinks before an 8 p.m. dance recital by the Lineage dancers and a 9 p.m. dessert and dance. Admission for each of those nights is $50, and casual attire is suggested.
At 1 p.m. Saturday, there’s a “family fun” event in which Lineage Dance will perform a half-hour show and then have dancing for the whole family. Admission for the family fun event is $25, again with casual attire suggested.
The grand finale to the weekend is the Lineage Gala Night, which will offer heavy hors d’oeuvres and signature dance reception at 7 p.m. before an 8 p.m. dance recital and 9 p.m. dessert and dance event, all for $75, with cocktail attire suggested. All four events will also offer silent auctions.
The Lineage Dance Co. Grand Opening Gala and Fundraiser is at the Lineage Dance Performing Arts Center, 89 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena. Call (626) 844-7008 or visit lineagedance.org.
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