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‘Giselle’ for the club scene

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Special to The Times

The rave is hot, crowded and noisy, with a hint of drugs and sex in the air. Two dozen dancers gyrate to the techno sounds of Darude. Clad in denims, sexy halter tops and animal skin prints, they also sport Ugg boots and black platforms, setting off purple fishnets and spider-patterned stockings.

But upon closer inspection, a number of the women are wearing toe shoes. And the rave? It’s actually a scene from “Elle,” a two-act contemporary ballet based on the 19th century romantic classic “Giselle.”

The reworking is the creation of Sarah Harkness, artistic director of the L.A.-based Meh-Tropolis Dance Theatre. Of course, it’s not the only classical work to be updated or re-envisioned, whether it’s dance, opera or musical theater. Witness Matthew Bourne’s alternative “Nutcracker!” last month in Orange County and L.A., as well as this season’s Los Angeles Opera premiere of William Friedkin’s take on “Ariadne auf Naxos,” reset in Malibu.

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Opening Friday night for a three-weekend run at the Stella Adler Theatre in Hollywood, “Elle” includes 27 dancers ranging in age from 14 to 35 and marks the start of the company’s third season.

“The classics were always my favorite stories,” says Harkness, 25, who grew up in Chico. “But when I saw Paris Opera Ballet’s ‘Giselle’ in 2000, I thought many people might feel removed from it. I knew then that I would want to stage my own version and make it more accessible to college kids who might not bother seeing it.”

The story, of course, is timeless: Doomed heroine loves but loses boy to beautiful heiress, goes mad, kills herself, only to wind up in an afterlife with other jilted women, ultimately forgiving boy and finding redemption in -- what else? -- eternal but, alas, nonphysical love. Harkness has updated her tale to modern-day L.A., with scenes set in cluttered apartments, a swanky country club and Venice Beach, among other locations.

“Giselle’s” graveyard scene is still intact, but instead of Wilis (the jilted maidens), Harkness features a dozen “damned souls” that could have walked off the set of George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead.”

Another departure is the jettisoning of Adolphe Adam’s score. Harkness opted instead for a pastiche of rock and techno music, with some Lou Reed and Shirley Bassey thrown in for mood.

A taped Bassey belts out the theme from “Love Story” to open the one-hour, 40-minute work, with Elle (Gina Johnson) and Andrew (Albrecht in the original narrative, here danced by Joe Hedderich) sensuously sprawled on the floor.

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“Elle’s” simulated sex means the production is off-limits to anyone younger than 13, even though none of the dancers is nude. (Harkness says that the faux drugs and excessively dark cemetery scene were also factors in branding the production adult.)

Sandwiched amid the vices, there is plenty of dance. The pointe work, which features edgy partnering and unison bourrees -- a corps of swift-stepping women on toe -- is peppered throughout “Elle,” bumping up against other styles that include pop-and-lock techniques, jazz and martial arts moves.

Harkness says she was able to explore the world beyond ballet when performing with Chico Community Ballet and choreographing and dancing at Loyola Marymount University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in theater with a dance minor in 2001.

Johnson, 24, was at Loyola at the same time. A company member since Meh-Tropolis’ inception and also its assistant artistic director, Johnson danced with Montana’s Northwest Ballet Company for seven years before moving to L.A. to attend college. “For those who don’t want to do just ballet, just commercial dance or just music videos,” Johnson says, “Meh-Tropolis is a wonderful fusion of theater and dance.”

Hedderich, in his second season with the troupe, comes from a slightly different background. An accomplished pianist, he has a degree in music from Michigan State University and began ballet only five years ago, at 23. To him, the music of “Giselle” was problematic.

“I like the story but never really liked Adam’s score,” Hedderich says. “I thought it was light and airy and written in major keys, although the story’s themes are dark and passionate. Sarah has tapped into something. It’s like Baz Luhrmann doing a remake of ‘Giselle.’ I love it.”

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While the jury’s still out on that, whatever “Elle” may be, it’s certainly in keeping with the troupe’s quirky name: “Meh-Tropolis,” Harkness says, “is whatever you want it to mean. It has the feeling of a city, where dancers could go to be challenged and inspired. ‘Meh’ stands for anything and everything -- the possibilities are endless.”

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‘Elle’

Where: Stella Adler Theatre, 6773 Hollywood Blvd., second floor, L.A.

When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Jan. 20-22, 27-29; 2 p.m. Sunday Jan. 23

Ends: Jan. 29

Price: $15 to $18

Contact: (310) 838-2236

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