Dance the summer days away in L.A.

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Summer becomes eclectic when some 20 dance troupes – mostly local – take to the stages of the Ford Amphitheatre and the Hollywood Bowl from now through October. The range of styles is akin to a terpsichorean tasting menu: folklorico, Brazilian and Israeli dance to tango, contemporary and hip-hop.And though concerts under the stars may hold abundant pleasures for audiences, they occasionally present challenges for performers. The Ford, for example, has terraced steps, lush trees and vegetation, and a bi-level performance area that includes a raked stage.

Jacob “Kujo” Lyons is artistic director of Lux Aeterna, a local troupe that fuses break dancing and contemporary dance. Together with Antics’ Amy “Catfox” Campion, they’re on a bill of 10 troupes appearing in J.U.I.C.E., the third annual hip-hop dance festival at the Ford, on Oct. 2.

Says Lyons: “The slanted stage has made it near impossible for our b-boys or b-girls to successfully pull off a decent head-spin without falling, but the oddly-shaped upper stage has offered all kinds of creative possibilities. Every piece I’ve done at the Ford has been tailored to that stage.”

Adds Campion: “Both Kujo and I fell off the stage doing a back spin. The physics of the raked stage means there is less of you in contact with the ground. But,” says Campion, “we love the Ford and I will forever be grateful to them for putting us on that first year, 2007. I was fresh out of grad school and had never done anything on that scale before. They took a chance on us, and we got a standing ovation.”

For a closer look at summer dancing in the area, click here for the Arts & Books section story. And here’s a list of summer dance in L.A..

-- Victoria Looseleaf