Combining the timely with the timeless

Responding to violence against women, the devastation of war and other issues of the day, “Holding Up the Sky” offers a strongly crafted hour of dance theater at the Gascon Center Theatre in Culver City.

Overseeing a capable 10-woman cast, production artistic director Madeline Leavitt emphasizes bold contrasts, juxtaposing her south Indian bharata natyam choreography with artful modern dance sequences choreographed by Paula Present.

The two dance idioms converge in the finale, with a corps of modern dancers reflecting the Indian motifs defined by Anjali Tata and Shaheen Sheik. The juxtapositions mostly serve to remind us that many Euro-American priorities -- including the desire for peace -- remain just as urgent elsewhere in the world.

The six-part, hourlong performance begins with a display of the superbly mobile back and shoulders of Chelsea Gilbert, contrasted with a gymnastic floor duet and a seated circular ritual for five others.

Evan A. Bartoletti’s multilevel set helps separate the components in such large-scale passages, but Present’s choreo- graphy always makes its purposes unmistakable.

Beginning with a throaty vocalise by Marie Bergenholtz, a mimed and danced antiwar conference in a semicircle of chairs displays the specificity of Present’s talent to the utmost, while the power of the ensemble reaches maximum impact in her percussive war quintet.

The original score by Hanna Levy (with additional music by Ariel Blumenthal, Martha Gonzalez and Marla Leigh) skillfully reinforces the shifting moods of the piece and sometimes makes witty use of such familiar forms as tango and ragtime. Resourceful lighting by Lisa D. Katz adds to the professionalism of the production.

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‘Holding Up the Sky’

Where: Gascon Center Theatre, 8737 Washington Blvd., Culver City

When: Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m.

Ends: April 13

Price: $10 (Thursdays) to $20

Contact: (310) 399-3132