In Concert With the Elements

On a recent warm afternoon, members of Hae Kyung Lee & Dancers splashed through the waterfall at downtown’s California Plaza--for a reason. They were rehearsing for Saturday’s performance of “Ancient Mariners.”

The troupe will incorporate the fountains of the plaza into the performance, which will include a full-sized boat, 300 floating balloons and fish. “Mariners” is billed as a meditation on the powers of water to transform one’s life.

The free program will also feature the original score of composer Steve Moshier and his seven-piece Liquid Skin Ensemble, which often performs the music for Lee’s work.

The choreography is billed as a blend of Lee’s Korean ancestral strengths and contemporary style. The show, which begins at 8 p.m., was commissioned by Grand Performances, a nonprofit organization that sponsors a variety of multicultural concerts and performances, all of them free.

Pre-performance rehearsals at the plaza, open for all to watch, are part of Grand Performances’ strategy of exposing more Angelenos to the world of dance. The organization also has committed itself to showcasing local choreographers and their companies. Lee, a faculty member of Cal State L.A.’s department of theater arts and dance, has performed around the world.