Christina Campodonico

Christina Campodonico is a Los Angeles-based arts journalist, dance critic and a founding member of the online newsmagazine Ampersand. Her writings have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeleno, LA Stage Alliance and The Argonaut. Before jumping into arts reporting in her native SoCal, she immersed herself in modern dance at Princeton, soaked up cultural criticism at USC and continues to enjoy watching other people perform.

Chloe Arnold and Syncopated Ladies perform a "Savage" remix at the Sepulveda Basin | Still from "Dance Break" Southland Sessions

Article

Southland Sessions

7 Dance Videos That Helped Us Get Through 2020

From bathtub ballets to TikTok dance challenges, our screens have exploded with dance videos since the coronavirus pandemic forced us to dance together but apart. Here are a few performances with SoCal connections that helped us get through 2020.

A Viver Brasil dancer in resplendent yellow dress | Courtesy of Viver Brasil

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Southland Sessions

How Viver Brasil Empowers Black Bodies and Brought Afro-Brazilian Dance to Disney

Viver Brasil expands the circle of Afro-Brazilian dance and perception of samba beyond feathered headdresses, bikinis and heels, empowering Black bodies and narratives in the process.

Danza Floricanto at the Dance Resource Center Awards in 2015. They were performing a piece called "Las 3 Fridas," a reinterpretation of Frida Khalo's painting, "Las 2 Fridas." | Courtesy of Danza Floricanto

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Southland Sessions

Amid Pandemic, Danza Floricanto/USA Finds New Boyle Heights Home

After decades of being primarily “nomadic,” Danza Floricanto/USA finds a new home in Boyle Heights during an unprecedented pandemic.

The final toss during “D-Man in the Waters” performance. | Courtesy of Rosalynde LeBlanc

Article

Southland Sessions

What A 30-Year-Old Dance Can Teach Us About Coping with a Pandemic

“D-Man in the Waters” is solely about AIDS, but a new documentary reveals that if the landmark piece of postmodern dance were restaged today — during our current COVID crisis — it might take on a whole new meaning.

Silhouette of an L.A. Dance Project dancer in "12 Variations." | Screenshot from 12 Variations."

Article

Southland Sessions

Dancers Leap Through Hoops to Sustain Themselves and Their Art

With urgent need brought on by the pandemic, as well as the challenges of AB5, the dance world is in a precarious position. This has sparked a wave of efforts to try and counteract the effects of an unpredictable time.

American Contemporary Ballet dancer Josh Brown lifts up and embraces dancer Sarah Bukowski in a dance. | Pierre Michel-Estival

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Southland Sessions

Learning to Dance Again in the Time of COVID-19

Los Angeles artists have discovered innovative ways to dance together but apart.

Maura Townsend's "Pendulum (A Call for Change)," 2014. | Courtesy of BlakTinx Dance Festival

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Southland Sessions

BlakTinx Dance Festival Uplifts Voices of BIPOC Choreographers

“Dancing on the Edge,” an online dance festival, showcases the creative voices of Black and Latinx choreographers.

A dancer performs on the pavement of the Santa Monica Airport. | Matthew Brush

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Southland Sessions

Jacob Jonas’ Creativity Soars Within Pandemic’s Restrictions

Creative restrictions can often mean creative breakthroughs, as seen in Jacob Jonas’ ‘Parked’ and #adigitaldance projects.

Martha Graham in Immediate Tragedy. Photograph by Robert Fraser, 1937. Courtesy of Martha Graham Resources, a division of the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance, Inc.

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Southland Sessions

Martha Graham’s Lost ‘Immediate Tragedy’ Is Recreated After Photographic Discovery

Martha Graham’s reaction to the Spanish Civil War, the lost “Immediate Tragedy” performance is reimagined for the digital age and presented online as a way to reflect on today’s tragedies.

Rediscovering SoCal

L.A.’s Olympic Aspirations

KCET Cinema Series

Rediscovering SoCal

L.A.’s Olympic Aspirations

KCET Cinema Series

Christina Campodonico