(Describer) KQED. If Cities Could Dance: Los Angeles. Lilian Ontiveros.
[upbeat music]
(Lilian)
I love this city so much.
It's very diverse.
It's kind of a reminder
of where I come from
and how hard everyone
has worked to be here.
It just challenges you to be
as much yourself as you can be.
(Describer) She and a male partner dance in urban areas, a food market, a diner – as if they are the waiter or cook.
[upbeat Latin music]
[upbeat Latin music continues]
(Roberto)
That's what LA is all about
is creativity
and being original
and adding something
to the dance culture.
(Describer) Roberto Lambaren.
I was dancing for
many years already
as a B-Boy and a friend
of mine brought me in
to do a show for Heidi
Duckler Dance Theatre.
And it was a door opening to me
because I was able to
still do what I do,
my movement with this whole
new way of looking at things.
(Lilian)
What's so unique is
that we only dance
in non-theater spaces,
so as a dancer,
it just provides that much
more sensory exploration.
[light music]
(Describer) In a city center they dance in slow motion in a gazebo.
[light music continues]
[light music continues]
[light music fades out]
(Describer) Back in the restaurant they play hide and seek.
[bright music]
It's always good
to put yourself
in uncomfortable positions
not knowing
what's gonna happen,
and I think that's been the
most significant for me.
Just embracing that and like
taking every day as it comes
and find your own voice
that much quicker because
everyone else is so
themselves and so unafraid.
[bright music continues]
(Roberto)
For a lot of dancers here,
they should always
want to stand out.
And how do you stand out?
You be yourself.
(Describer) He lifts her as they dance through a street crossing.
[bright music continues]
[bright music continues]
(Describer) Credits
Accessibility provided by the
U.S. Department of Education.
(Describer) Accessibility provided by the US Department of Education.
