Heidi Duckler Dance Presents Architecture Through the Body: A Living Legacy – Closing Event

Heidi Duckler Dance Presents Architecture Through the Body: A Living Legacy
An Exhibition Showcasing 40 Years of Movement & Architecture

Join us for A Living Legacy, an exhibition by Heidi Duckler Dance at the Southern California Institute of Architecture, honoring four decades of site specific performance,  a powerful dialogue between dance and the built environment.

Closing Event + Live Performance
Friday, July 25, 2025 | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
(Performance begins at 8:00 PM)
The exhibition concludes with a special site-specific performance, bringing HDD’s rich history to life in motion. The evening will feature dancers Colleen Loverde and Alejandro Perez in a new work choreographed by Artistic Director Raymond Ejiofor, with live music by Pauline Lay. This live performance will bring HDD’s archival journey to life, offering audiences a powerful embodiment of the company’s legacy and ongoing evolution.

RSVP Link

Location: 350 Merrick Street, between Traction Avenue and 4th Street.

Early bird tickets are $10 for general admission and $25 for admission with refreshments through July 10. Starting July 11, all tickets will include refreshments and be $25.

Celebrate HDD’s legacy and vision for a future where dance and architecture continue to push boundaries and create new ways of seeing.

Raymond Ejiofor:

Raymond Ejiofor is a Gates Millennium Fellow and earned a Master of Public Health Policy from USC and his B.S. in Decision Science from Carnegie Mellon University. Raymond began his training under Judith Rhodes Calgaro in Arlington, VA, and at the Dance Theater of Harlem. Under the direction of Greer Reed, Ejiofor was a founding member of the August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble (AWCDE), which was named “25 to Watch” in 2012 by Dance Magazine. Ejiofor has danced and created works with Daniel Ezralow, Ryan Heffington, Chole Arnold, Aszure Barton, Lula Washington, Bryan Arias, Danielle Agami, Sidra Bell, Kyle Abraham, and Robert Battle. Ejiofor currently collaborates with various companies, including Ezralow Dance, LA Opera, Post: Ballet, and David Roussève/REALITY. Some of his credits include the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, MTV VMAs, American Music Awards, Audi, Hermès, Samsung, Apple, Beijing Dance Festival, and Lincoln Center: David H. Koch Theater. He has performed with artists such as P!NK, Sia, Katy Perry, Pharrell, Dua Lipa, The Weekend, 30 Seconds to Mars, and Daft Punk. He has worked on various major motion pictures, including Spirited, Bad Hair, and 80 For Brady, as well as TV shows like the Late Late Show with/ James Corden, Physical, and the Emmy-winning episode of Love Death + Robots. Choreography commissions include Heidi Ducker Dance, August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble, Berkeley Ballet Theater, and the Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts Center at Vista Del Mar.  His choreography can be seen in film and music videos for artists such as Little Boots, Robot Koch, GirlvBoy, and Oddnesse. Ejiofor also served as a choreography consultant for the Paper Doll Militia, touring aerial production “Warped”. Ejiofor was the 2023 Artist in Residence with Heidi Duckler Dance serving as a choreographer, curator, and collaborating creative producer for the organization. Currently, Ejiofor is the Artistic Director of Heidi Duckler Dance.

Colleen Loverde:

Colleen Loverde is a dance artist, creator, teacher, explorer and questioner. She was born and raised in Lake Zurich, IL, and received her B.F.A. in Modern & Jazz Dance at Point Park University where she was awarded Outstanding Senior Dance Artist in 2017. Colleen’s work is informed by the recognition that everything is connected and there is infinite wisdom to be uncovered within these connections. The intention of building awareness and cultivating balance between the interplay of the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual energies is inherent in her process.Colleen has performed with LED Boise, Heidi Duckler, Open Space, Post: Ballet, Northwest Dance Project, and on a variety of multidisciplinary projects. She has had the opportunity to perform works by choreographers Ihsan Rustem, Wen Wei Wang, Felix Landerer, Patrick Delcroix, Lauren Edson, Heidi Duckler, Luca Veggetti, Franco Nieto, Noelle Kayser, Johannes Wieland, Michaela Taylor, Shannon Gillen, Ryan Mason, Alice Klock, Luke Murphy, Gregory Dolbashion, MADBOOTS, Garfield Lemonius, Alexandra Damiani, Patrick O’Brien and herself.

Alejandro Perez:

Alejandro Perez is a first-generation Mexican-American from Los Angeles, California, wherein he has been a tangible presence in the dance community and beyond, first seen performing internationally in a street dancing crew. He has been a dancer and a collaborator with Sidra Bell NYC, ISHIDA Dance, Dawsondancesf, Heidi Duckler Dance, Mike Tyus & Co, in addition to other companies throughout the United States. In recent years Alejandro has focused primarily on teaching opportunities. He has created and set works on California School for the Arts, LINES Ballet Training/Summer Program, for Youth America Grand Prix, and Joffrey Ballet Academy Training Program/Studio Company for winning Works 2025.

Pauline Lay:

Pauline is a violinist, solo artist, improviser and a long-standing music events curator/organizer based out of Los Angeles. She performs solo improvised pieces with acoustic and electronic instruments. Her latest recording “Alloy / Pulp” was released by Japanese tape label Heavy Mess. She also frequently collaborates with fellow LA musicians in a multitude of contexts, from duets to her piece “5×5,” a composition for 25 synthesizers.