Dancing the LINES

Alonzo King LINES Ballet, the latest hour-long dance production staged by UCSB’s popular Arts & Lectures at the Arlington, was a real showstopper.

The talented company staged Deep River, which premiered last year as part of LINES Ballet’s 40th anniversary, based on more than four decades of thought-provoking dance.

The production is the result of three years of working in designated time periods in unusual settings including in a confined bubble at their studios, grassy areas in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, and a farm in the isolated desert of Wickenburg, Arizona.

Along with the compositions of Jason Moran and the remarkable voice of Lisa Fischer, the use of spiritual music from the Black and Jewish traditions was selected to address the power of inspiration during difficulty and hope and determination against seemingly impossible odds.

A piece that flows perfectly…