TL Collective Review – Bold, Trailblazing Dance

Innovative TL Collective Dance - Photo courtesy of TL Collective
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Founded in 2016 by innovative dancer and choreographer Micaela Taylor, The TL COLLECTIVE makes its Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts debut in the fall of 2021. To quote The Wallis’ artistic director Paul Crewes, “Micaela Taylor’s TL COLLECTIVE is one of the most exciting dance companies to emerge in Los Angeles in recent years.” Bold, inventive, and certainly not the run-of-the-mill dance company, TL COLLECTIVE thinks, plans, and performs outside of the box with an eclectic fusion of classical and contemporary dance with hip-hop – but also a dance which has planted its roots firmly in the psychology of the time.

Photo courtesy of TL Collective

The program begins with “Drift,” the quest for self-growth and stability in a constantly changing world. The bland dress of the talented dance troupe contrasts sharply with the rhythms and pulses of the music and the staccato introduction of just one repeated word. Taylor expertly drew the audience into the mood, sometimes sad and sometimes exploratory. “Time” moved the dancers into a brief but memorable moment. The final work, “’90 Sugar,” explores the life of a young adult in this modern world. Drawing inspiration from the 1990s, when Taylor and the other dancers were born, this whimsical piece is splashed with color and joie de vivre.

Photo courtesy of TL Collective

The TL COLLECTIVE features a highly talented and diversely trained group of dancers with their toes keeping time with classic ballet, contemporary dance, and idiosyncratically-tweaked hip hop. This is an athletic troupe who know their way around every corner of the dance world, whether it be robotics, acrobatics, jazz, or anything in between. And be sure to keep your eye on their facial expressions – critical to an understanding and appreciation of their thoughts and dreams. Taylor’s unusual interpretations offer something a little different for dance aficionados, who will be encouraged to judge their own reactions by their personal experiences and preferences.

TL COLLECTIVE performed on 7:30 p.m. on 10/29 and 10/30/21. The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is located at 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA. For more information and future reservations, call 310-746-4000 or go online.

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