Renowned Dance Company BODYTRAFFIC Performing at The Wallis

The world-renowned dance company BODYTRAFFIC is about to do their first live hometown show in Los Angeles in 18 months. From October 14 through 16, they’ll be at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts – and they couldn’t be more excited.

“Our industry, of course, has had a really tough time,” BODYTRAFFIC Artistic Director Tina Finkelman Berkett said, referring to the pandemic. “We couldn’t dance for such a long time. But it feels like [there’s] a very fresh [and] energized air in the studio, and we just feel ready to be back in a theater with people and share what we do.” 

Berkett co-founded BODYTRAFFIC 15 years ago after relocating to L.A. from New York. With the upcoming show, she said that people can look forward to being part of a performing arts experience that feels more celebratory and current than ever before.   

“When [live performance] was ripped from us, we all really understood how much we missed it, and this is our moment to acknowledge that. It raised our commitment.”

Six out of the 10 BODYTRAFFIC dancers are new to the company, so the anticipation for the performance is palpable — but so is the pressure to perform their best. Although it’s the first show in L.A. in a while, BODYTRAFFIC had their first post-pandemic live shows last month in Charlotte and Serbia.

Berkett and BODYTRAFFIC are adept at playing in front of crowds with astronomic expectations, though. In 2015, the U.S. Department of State asked them to be cultural ambassadors in Israel and Jordan. The trip was part of a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and BODYTRAFFIC traveled around Israel to connect with children with physical and mental disabilities.

“It was an absolutely life changing experience,” Berkett said. “When you’re a dancer and you spend every day in front of a mirror so focused on yourself or the other dancers in the room, you get to pull yourself out of that experience and go to another country and see how people are struggling and how dance can light up their soul.” 

“We couldn’t dance for such a long time. But it feels like [there’s] a very fresh [and] energized air in the studio, and we just feel ready to be back in a theater with people and share what we do.”
— Tina Finkelman Berkett

Growing up Jewish in Queens, New York, Berkett said she’s always felt that she is a Jewish artist. 

“I’m a Jewishly concerned human. I believe in community and tzedakah, and these are things that really make me emotional because I have committed my entire life to them. I think there’s something sacred and important about gathering in a synagogue. My Judaism shows up best on stage.”

The show will feature four pieces; two of them are new to the repertoire. One of the works is called “Dust,” and is choreographed by Hofesh Shechter, an Israeli director, and another is titled “Snap.” 

“It’s called ‘Snap’ because it’s meant to snap people out of their dazes,” Berkett said. “How do we snap back into being connected to each other? [We] snap people out of just looking at [their] phones. In this case, how do we snap out of the cloud we’ve all been living under? It’s poignant for people to come to the theater and get this work in front of them to see the dance, joy, individuality and inclusion. This is the moment to embrace these themes.”