2013 – East LA
In this sixth installment of the Expulsion series, Heidi Duckler Dance and Danza Floricanto/USA transformed the vacant lot at East 1st Street and North Boyle Avenue, enlivening the space against the backdrop of downtown Los Angeles. With Danza Floricanto/USA telling an expulsion story informed by traditional Mexican culture and folk dance, the performance addressed the idea of “home” and how one builds and shapes one’s sense of belonging. As the sixth installment of the company’s Expulsion Series, this new rendition uniquely combined Heidi Duckler Dance’s athletic movement and Danza Floricanto’s vibrant, percussive footwork. Photo credit: Kaitlyn Pietras.
2012 – Los Angeles
In Los Angeles, Little Ethiopia and Koreatown are separated by five short miles, while their respective countries operate six hours apart. Interaction between the two cultures is intercepted by language barriers, distance, and traditions, but Heidi Duckler Dance brought these communities together in one Expulsion weekend. As the third and fourth segments of the Expulsion Series, Heidi Duckler Dance collaborated with world-renown Korean dance company Kim Eung Hwa Korean Dance Company and Guinness World Record Little Ethiopia Cultural Group Dancers to present four performances, three Curbside Conversation Panels, and two workshops. With the support of the Korean Cultural Center and the Little Ethiopia Cultural and Resource Center, Heidi Duckler Dance produced a weekend of opportunities for the public to engage in cross-cultural programming and discussion.
2011 – Glendale
For the second of the Expulsion Series, four athletic male dancers from Heidi Duckler Dance collaborated with five female dancers from the Iranian-Armenian Djanbazian Dance Company to initiate an open dialogue about the fragile nature of home and the universal experience of being forced to leave it. Upon Architect Alex Ward’s industrial set three stories above the audience, the dancers brought the vacant space to life, while being accompanied by Alex Noice’s original score. With support from Glendale Arts, Heidi Duckler Dance presented Expulsion in downtown Glendale to hundreds of people. Additionally, the company was honored to be a part of the World Festival of Sacred Music 2011.
2010 – Long Beach
The first of the Expulsion Series, this collaboration between Khmer Arts Academy, Long Beach Arts Council, and Heidi Duckler Dance enlivened the heart of Cambodia Town in March 2010. Based on themes of migration and displacement, Expulsion explores the temporary, and often fragile nature of “home.” Alex Ward of lxw design created the three story set, which was constructed of industrial scaffolding, while Alex Noice composed the original score. Expulsion Long Beach melded traditional Khmer and contemporary Western dance to collectively tell the two culture’s “expulsion stories” through performance.
