LEIMERT PARK : A Musical Slice of Postwar Black Life

For dancer and choreographer Pat Taylor, the upcoming performances of “Midtown Sunset” with jazzman Mark Shelby are a dream come true.

When Taylor and her two partners opened the Dance Collective studio on Degnan Boulevard a year ago, she had envisioned joining forces with the musical talent that regularly jammed at the World Stage, a small but prolific jazz spot across the street.

“There’s so much artistic ability here, I knew right away I wanted to do something,” Taylor said. “Now it’s come to fruition.”

With the aid of a $5,000 Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibits artists’ projects grant, Taylor and Shelby, a bass player and leader of the Black/Note Jazz Quintet, were able to mount “Midtown Sunset.” It is a concert piece based on and named for one of artist Romare Bearden’s seven collages depicting slices of postwar black American life.

Taylor had always been inspired by Bearden’s work. “I try to capture the feeling of improvisation, the complexity and rhythms, coloring and phrasing of his work,” Taylor said. “I did a lot of research on Bearden and found out he was very much inspired by jazz. Illustrating his work with dance and jazz music made sense.”

Taylor’s six-member troupe, the Jazzantiqua Dance Ensemble, will perform “Midtown Sunset” accompanied by a quartet that Shelby formed for the concert.

“This is the first large-scale piece I’ve composed for dancers, and it’s been a real challenge,” said Shelby, 28. “But the whole spirit of the piece, the nature of the art, made it easy for me to do. And the fact that Pat and I do our work here really makes it part of the community too.”

“Midtown Sunset” performs at 8 p.m. Friday and at 3 p.m. Feb. 20 at the Morgan-Wixson Theatre, 2627 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica. Tickets are $8 and $10.

Information: (213) 292-1538.