DANCE : Twyla Tharp Troupe Manages to Balance Modern, Classical

The whole point of modern dance was to rebel against the rigid rules of classical ballet. Toe shoes, tutus and the quest for ethereal beauty were the first things to go when modern dancers began their experiments with floor-bound moves and reality-based expressions.

Then, along came the post-modernists with their own “anything goes” attitude. These mavericks, including pop phenomenon Twyla Tharp, incorporated mundane movement--running, jumping, walking--into their expanded dance lexicon, and even shod their dancers in sneakers.

Although Tharp never entirely rejected ballet-based moves, her troupe was basically a group of “stomp and squatters,” to quote the dancers themselves.

What goes around, comes around, and now the battle lines between ballet and modern dance have clearly dissipated. Even Tharp, the mighty iconoclast, has undergone a change of heart. And she’s acquired enough ballet-trained dancers to deliver the goods.

When Tharp’s dancers return to the Civic Theater for four performances, the concerts will highlight both sides of the Tharp oeuvre. Today’s program will feature the mercurial “In the Upper Room,” which echoes the contrasting musical elements in Philip Glass’ score in alternating segments danced with sneakers and pointe shoes. Tharp’s signature piece, “Baker’s Dozen,” is also slated for this performance.

Friday’s show will include “The Golden Section” from “The Catherine Wheel” and “Nine Sinatra Songs,” dressed to the nines in glamorous gowns by Oscar de la Renta. Finally, a matinee Saturday repeats two of the pieces danced in the evening, but adds “The Little Ballet”--originally designed for Baryshnikov--and the classically inspired “Four Down Under.”

Saturday night’s performance will be a repeat of tonight’s concert.

The La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art is best known as a bastion of the visual arts. But the museum has also paid homage to the performance arts on occasions.

This month, designated dance month in San Diego, the museum will celebrate the diversities of local dance by show-casing three area troupes at Sherwood Auditorium. The kick-off concerts Saturday and Sunday, performed by the Samahan Philippine Dance Company, are as much a visual art as a kinetic one.

The two-hour program of ethnic dance, “The Legend of Sarimanok,” is a suite of stylized ensemble dances rooted in the rituals and courtship ceremonies of the Maranao people. The dances date from the rule of the sultans in the southern Philippines.