Laguna Dance Festival Re-Emerges At Thursday's Art Walk

LAGUNA BEACH, CA—Though the summer arts festivals soon end, Laguna Dance Festival is just getting started. The nonprofit presents three dancers who will perform solos during Art Walk this Thursday at 6:30 and 7 p.m. Their pieces will unfold within the Steele Gallery at Laguna Art Museum, where works from the museum's permanent collection and spectators will have a close-up view of the dancers.

Tea Devereaux, Chryssa Hadjis and Justin Pham all earned Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees from the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, founded by LDF artistic director Jodie Gates. Their foundational training is rigorous, but each brings something different to their work. We're looking forward to how these site-specific works unfold. How much movement will be improvised?

Devereaux has danced in pieces created by such esteemed choreographers as Dwight Rhoden and Kyle Abraham while studying at the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing Arts in Dallas, Texas.

Both choreographers' works have headlined Laguna Dance Festival in years past. Abraham brought "Pavement" in 2016, dancing on stage along with his company A.I.M. Rhoden's David Bowie tribute "Stardust" headlined LDF in 2018, performed by Complexions, the ensemble he co-founded with Desmond Richardson.

Devereaux teaches modern and improvisation, and we're looking forward to both aspects at play in her piece at Art Walk.

Pham's main focus is choreography and filmmaking. The contemporary dancer was challenged in numerous genres on national television when he was a So You Think You Can Dance contender at age 18, making it into the top 20. He earned his BFA in 2020, majoring in dance with a minor in cinematic arts.

How will his visual bent inform the movement in his solo at the Steele Gallery?

Chryssa Hadjis's forte is versatility. Her professional dance credits include music videos and commercials. She has danced in pieces created by Travis Wall and Mandy Moore, names fans of SYTYCD and contemporary dance know well. Hadjis is also a certified yoga instructor.

How will her versatility unfold in the vast space of Laguna Art Museum's main gallery?

This is the last Art Walk of the year while the summer trolleys are still running. Take advantage and do some gallery hopping, in addition to seeing a live dance performance.