“Planeix and Crocker have a genius that comes from their relationship. Watching them leaves you breathless.”

La Tribune de Genève, Switzerland

The Thelma Pearl Howard Foundation

bilingual theatre

Bluepalm parent dance

Community through Art, Art through Community

Since its inception, Bluepalm has been involved in cultural initiatives that link art and community. Following their interdisciplinary studies at MUDRA, school of French choreographer Maurice Béjart, then world tours in Mr. Béjart’s company and the Grand Théâtre de Genève, Jackie Planeix and Tom Crocker created 20 dance/theatre pieces that were performed in leading contemporary showcases: Pompidou Center (Paris), la Maison de la Danse (Lyon), P.S. 122 (New York). ‘Dance Talks!’ received the L.A. Weekly Performance-Creation Award; ‘Childhood’ was created in collaboration with Fabien Ruiz (choreographer of the Oscar-winning film, ‘The Artist’). Certified by the French Ministry of Culture, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, and California Arts Council, Bluepalm designs innovative projects, residencies, and creations that blend artistic expression, personal development, and community-building.

Why Bluepalm Dance and Theatre?

Weave professional dancers, amateur adults, and children into a common artistic project; explore inter-generational relations through mother/daughter workshops; create bilingual theater productions; invite participants to design self-portraits with text, movement, sound, and video, these are a few examples of Bluepalm Dance/Theater projects which share the common goal of creating community through art, while placing art at the center of a community. Jackie Planeix and Tom Crocker put their vast professional experience to use in the design of performance pieces or innovative courses, drawing their inspiration from the genius of each participant to create an ensemble that is conceptually and technically rigorous.

Some of our Partners

• Lyric Hyperion Theatre, Los Angeles: bilingual adaptations of ‘No Exit’ and ‘The Chairs’; creation of ‘I, Je(u)’, an original, bilingual dance/theatre piece
• Centre Chorégraphique National d’Angers; Loyola Marymount University; University of California, Riverside; CalArts: ‘Video-Portraits’ of young professional artists
• Montebello Unified School District, California: dance class for second-language parents; integrating native and adoptive cultures
• Centre Chorégraphique National de Rillieux-La-Pape (Lyon): ‘… therefore I am’: production created with dancers of the Compagnie Maguy Marin, children, and adults from the Velette community
• California State University, ‘Sketches at State’: multicultural student work
• ‘Goodnight, America’: fantasy tales for sick children in L.A. County’s Children’s Hospital
• ‘Silverlake Cross-Gen’: mother/daughter, adolescent/child workshops