Sharing one vision

“It’s obvious when you’ve got a winner -- when a new quality of movement emerges out of somebody’s body. That’s exciting to see,” says Deborah Lawlor, the co-producer, with Benita Bike, of “Festival of Solos & Duets: A Choreographers Showcase,” opening tonight at the Fountain Theatre and running through Sunday.

This is one festival with, well, legs. Now in its ninth year, not only has it provided an opportunity for emerging and established choreographers to present new works -- about 70 since its inception -- but its roster also reads like a who’s who of the Los Angeles dance community. From Postmodern icon Rudy Perez and tango-meister Roberto Amaral to Lula Washington and Helios’ Laura Gorenstein Miller, dance makers participating in the event have looked forward each year to sharing their visions with equally enthusiastic audiences.

In the early ‘90s, Lawlor, who is also co-artistic director of the Fountain Theatre, had been producing a potpourri of dance programs -- mostly flamenco but also some tap, folklorico and modern. The impetus for the first “Solos & Duets” was her desire to see new works, and the concept took root in the close-and-personal 78-seat venue.

Lawlor asked Bike, artistic director of Benita Bike’s DanceArt, to help her after Bike had taken part as a choreographer in the festival’s first outing. The two clicked.

“It’s a lot of interesting people doing different things,” says Bike.

“Besides, the only way we get really good is to perform and show our work to a variety of audiences.”

The process of mounting each new edition is relatively painless, Lawlor and Bike say, at least from their point of view: They put out the word through local dance publications and on the Internet, then sift through upward of 60 entries (there is no application fee). They are amenable to checking out videos but say they prefer live auditions, and they select eight to 10 choreographers each year. Once chosen, the choreographers receive an honorarium of $50 per show and are asked to limit their works to 10 minutes.

“I’m looking for some kind of transformation in the work, where something happens, rather than simply a pictorial event,” explains Lawlor, who would like to make the event biannual. “Solos and duets are much more personal than larger group pieces, and it’s in the personal story, as in theater, that one connects emotionally. In dance, it’s even more powerful, because you connect both viscerally and emotionally.”

Lawler says she and Bike prefer works based on movement rather than concept, with a sense of beginning, climax and end. “It’s not about the performers,” she adds, “although it helps to have beautiful dancers.”

Bike believes that group works tend to operate on a different level from those with only one or two dancers. “Spatially, you’re not going to have five people leaping all over the stage,” she says, but “primarily, many solos are a slice out of someone’s self, at that moment in time. It’s quite extraordinary, really, to see these personal snapshots of people you don’t know but you come to know rather intimately through viewing the dance.

“We look for something that has a kind of integrity -- like we feel it comes from someone’s guts, even if we don’t like those guts.”

Bike and Lawlor aren’t always in agreement, but based on programming needs they compromise in those “gray areas” of taste. Lawlor favors predominantly modern bills, with other genres added to give the modern works a context.

This year’s slate includes Cate Caplin and Gary Franco performing a ‘40s ballroom-style piece; a jazz offering from Christine Baltes; and a solo in the classical Indian Kuchipudi tradition choreographed by Ramaa Bharadvaj and performed by her daughter Swetha. Modern dance again rules, however, with contributions from, among others, PostHouse Dance Group’s Diana MacNeil; Weslie Ching and Hannah Turner; and Paula Present.

Present, who appeared in the showcase two years ago and dances with both Helios and PostHouse, is preparing an evening of her own choreography to be presented at the Ivy Substation this summer. For now, though, she’s concentrating on her solo “Backbone.”

A reworked excerpt from a larger piece, “Holding Up the Sky,” it’s set to original music by Hanna Levy and danced by Chelsea Gilbert.

Present says the piece is a good fit with the Fountain. “Because my solo is about the sensuality and strength of the back, the intimacy of the space is perfect for seeing the details, watching the back move.”

Bike, whose company will perform next month at Anaheim’s Pearson Park, has been involved in dance for more than 40 years. “I’ve seen it all come and go,” she says. “It’s like fashion; people have styles they feel comfortable with. In the end, what develops here is an appreciation for all sorts of movement expression.”

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‘Festival of Solos & Duets: A Choreographers Showcase’

Where: Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., Hollywood

When: Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 3 p.m.

Price: $20

Info: (323) 663-1525