Laguna Dance Festival returns with a David Bowie tribute and a free look behind the scenes

The Laguna Dance Festival is returning Oct. 4 to 7 with a David Bowie tribute, a free dance experience that will take audiences behind the curtain on a live rehearsal, and a weekend program featuring some of the hottest young dancers in the field today.

Plus, a bonus show on Oct. 25 will bring an Afro-Colombian troupe to a Laguna Beach church for a live show of percussion, dance and singing.

Celebrating its 14th season, the Laguna Dance Festival has established itself as an important annual cultural event in Orange County and a key showcase for new and established dance companies and artists.

The festival already entertained local audiences during the summer with two free performances by Los Angeles-based companies. Entity Contemporary Dance Company performed July 29 at the Festival of Arts grounds, and Contra Tiempo Urban Latin Dance Theater presented two free shows there on Aug. 26.

On Oct. 4 at 7 p.m., the co-directors and dancers from Complexions Contemporary Ballet will offer a free, one-hour demonstration of a performance at Laguna Playhouse. Attendees will get to observe the rehearsal process, speak directly with performers and gain a deeper understanding of the dances being performed during the festival.

“I often hear from audience members — how do I learn how to watch dance? How can I learn to appreciate it more?” said Jodi Gates, founder and artistic director of Laguna Dance Festival. “These questions are valid. I truly believe that the more we can offer opportunities of casual conversation and giving knowledge of what might appear abstract, the more helpful it will be toward understanding dance more.”

On Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m., Complexions will present “StarDust,” a tribute to rock icon Bowie, who died in January 2016. The production will feature the rhythms, personas and musical drama of nine Bowie songs, including “Changes,” “Modern Love,” “Young Americans,” “Heroes” and “Space Oddity.”

“StarDust” will take the genre-crossing, gender-bending, boundary-busting music of Bowie and translate it into powerful, poignant movement to create a tribute to his restless artistic invention, according to a statement.

“StarDust” made its West Coast premiere April 20 at the Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

“The audience just had a visceral, palpable experience with the work,” said Desmond Richardson, co-founder and co-artistic director of Complexions. “There are so many people who love David Bowie, including a [new] generation that discovered and was interested in investigating not only himself but his music …. The phrasing and the musicality within the score is just really fantastic for dance.”

Complexions was founded in New York City in 1994 by choreographers Richardson and Dwight Rhoden, who mix methods, styles and cultures to create uncommon movement. They’ve been collaborating with Laguna Dance Festival since its inception, Richardson said.

The “StarDust” performance will be preceded by a talk at 6:30 p.m. General admission is $75, but students with ID can get in for $35.

On Oct. 6 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 7 at 2 p.m., a “Stars of Dance” performance at Laguna Playhouse will feature duets and solos by principal dancers from Ballet West, the National Ballet of Canada and the San Francisco Ballet. Complexions and Diavolo/Architecture in Motion will present repertory excerpts; and dancers from USC’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance will perform various pieces. The Sunday performance will be preceded by a talk at 1 p.m.

One principal dancer, Skylar Campbell of the National Ballet of Canada, is a Laguna Beach native and will be making his festival debut. Another dancer, Beckanne Sisk, starred in the reality TV series “Breaking Pointe” on The CW, and now serves as a principal ballerina for Ballet West, based in Salt Lake City.

General admission is $65; students with ID can get in for $35.

On Oct. 25, the acclaimed Colombian dance company Sankofa Danzafro will perform director Rafael Palacios’ “La Ciudad de los Otros”. The troupe will showcase powerful Afro-Colombian contemporary dance with live drumming and singing. The performance will be in Bridge Hall at Neighborhood Congregational Church, 340 St. Ann’s Drive in Laguna Beach. Admission is $50, which includes a reception.

Gates said her organization, founded in 2005, is dedicated to education and keeping close ties with the local community.

“A huge part of the mission that’s rooted in the community is to inform and contextualize the critical practice of dance,” she said. “Typically we are very successful at turning audience members into dance lovers, because we’re accessible. We bring works that will not just challenge one’s own experience, but also entertain.”

If You Go

What: Laguna Dance Festival

When: Oct. 4-7 and 25

Where: Most performances at Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach

Cost: $50 to $75 per performance for general admission; students with ID, $35; some events are free

Information: (949) 715-5578 or visit lagunadancefestival.org