LOS ANGELES, CA - At the McCadden Place Theater, the Outlaw Style Thrance Company returns for their fifth year bringing their unique interpretation of dance for the family friendly audiences entitled A Christmas Trance 2004 - Oy Very, And Yet Another Slightly Sarcastic, Sparkling Thrantastic Jumpin’ Jubilee. This troupe definitely thinks ‘out of the box’ and creator Jessica Schroeder takes pride in her motto that her choreography is ‘doing dance an injustice.’

Christmas Trance 2004 showcases a cast of 18 performing animated skits to holiday tunes sung by a wide range of recorded voices from The Barenaked Ladies, Natalie Merchant and The Jackson 5 to The Kaisers, Countie Basie and The Temptations.

What the audience will find is an enthusiastic group of performers determined to entertain. There are cute moments to be noted. Christi Talyn steals the spotlight as the colorful accordion player in the wacky rewritten version of ‘Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker.’ Cadry Nelson and Steve Neumann are a well matched pair dancing to ‘Christmas Day.’ Konima Parkinson-Jones shows promise in ‘I Wanna See Santa Claus.’ Michelle Perdue was amongst those who shined in ‘Go Where I Send Thee.’
      

While these performers have heart and there is not one performer who does not deserve some time in the spotlight, the only real criticism is aimed toward the group numbers. Having as many people as this troupe fits on the stage is always a pleasure to see, but the unison dancing was not particularly clean . There were a few moments in the evening the group jump looked like a rainfall of feet, particularly in the finale number. Unison dancing is an essential element for every ensemble dance repertoire. There is no worry as  this will most likely be remedied during the run. By the looks of the smiles and enthusiasm on stage, this task will be embraced and the performers would more than jump for the challenge.

The Outlaw Style Thrance Company does get a thumbs up in their innovative story telling in each number. Creating characters through only dance is quite the task and it shows that each performer took the time and effort for their part. This show is filled with interesting characters and some totally off the wall. For a holiday theater experience, if Christmas music with dance and invented characters is your cup of tea, then Thrance yourself over to the McCadden Theater for a Thrantastic time.

Presented by The Outlaw Style Thrance Company, A Christmas Thrance 2004 performs at the McCadden Place Theatre, located at 1157 N. McCadden Place in Hollywood, California. Continuing through December 19^th, performances are Thursdays through Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets - $18, General Admission, and $6.00 for children and seniors. Also, there is ample parking in a lot across the street from the theater. - Adrian Rennie

Special Note : Admission for Thursdays are ‘pay-what-you-can’.

For reservations, please call 323-860-6503.

Related Websites to Explore:  www.thrance.com

Return to Arts & Reviews Main Page