Yoga posing as performance art

With the increasing popularity of yoga in this city -- from power and Kundalini to Ashtanga flow and “urban” yoga -- it seemed inevitable that a kind of terpsichorean yoga would rear its posturing head. At least that’s what dancer-yoga teacher-choreographer Laurah Klepinger attempted in a misguided evening of three solo works at Highways Performance Space on Thursday.

Under the banner “A-Theist Dances,” Klepinger, also a feminist scholar dabbling in critical theory, has a sharp, original voice, but one best doled out in small doses. In “A Thesis-Sized Hole in the Universe,” Klepinger, clad in Yoon Mi Choi’s unflattering tunic and baggy pants, repeats a sequence of moves -- outstretched arms and jackknife-like positions on the floor -- while yammering (both live and on tape) about self-indulgence and the dance-making process.

A premiere, “Dear Howard ... ,” incorporates statistics on sleeplessness and depression in the guise of a letter to a boyfriend. Klepinger’s limited movement vocabulary -- jumping, backbends and jerky motions -- are not engaging enough to support the verbiage.

The 30-minute premiere, “Both/And: A Politics of Innocence,” combined Carol McDowell’s video of Klepinger doing yoga on a deserted beach, with the live performer standing on a pedestal (mostly in “tree” pose), surrounded by a large frame, expounding upon virgin goddesses, Shiva and cheating boyfriends. These “talking dances,” as Klepinger calls them, need less talk, less yoga, and more dance.

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‘A-Theist Dances’

Where: Highways Performance Space, 1651 18th St., Santa Monica

When: Tonight, 8:30

Price: $13-$15

Contact: (310) 315-1459