Celebrating Four Nights of Dance Across Laguna Beach from August 6 – 9, 2026
LAGUNA BEACH, Calif., June 5, 2026 – Laguna Dance announces a new live dance performance series, the inaugural Laguna Dance Summer Stage: WE The People, Aug. 6–9, 2026, across multiple venues in Laguna Beach. The four-night event will feature both free and ticketed performances highlighting collaborations with professional dancers.
The inaugural series explores themes of unity, nature and collective creativity, bringing together artists of varying experience levels in a shared process of training, creation and performance. In conjunction with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the program reflects on national identity, resilience and artistic expression. All venues for WE The People are presented in collaboration with community partners, including the Laguna Beach Unified School District, the City of Laguna Beach, the Laguna Art Museum and the Laguna Playhouse.
“Experience dance in ways you’ve never seen before, on the beach, in a museum, on stage, and in
the heart of the community,” says Jodie Gates, founder of Laguna Dance. “WE The People is a first-of-its-kind experience: a celebration of community, creativity, and collaboration that connects local beauty with global artistry.”
SUMMER STAGE SCHEDULE
Thursday, August 6 — MOVE with US!
Main Beach Cobblestone
Laguna Canyon Road/Beach St at Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Time: Starts at 5:00 p.m.
Cost: Free and Open to the Public
Versa-Style Street Dance Company was founded in 2005 by Los Angeles natives Jackie Lopez
and Leigh Foaad. Versa-Style was created to promote and celebrate the artistry of hip-hop and
street dance culture. Named LA Weekly’s “Best Dance Troupe for Hip Hop Empowerment” and
Red Bull Magazine’s “Heroes of the Year” in 2019, the company brings together highly skilled
street dance artists reflecting the beauty and diversity of Los Angeles. An audience participation
segment will follow the performance.
Thursday, August 6 — MOVE with US!
Laguna Art Museum
307 Cliff Dr, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Time: Starts at 7:00 p.m.
Cost: Free and Open to the Public
The evening continues at the Laguna Art Museum with a special performance by the Chinese Dance Company of Southern California, which was co-founded in 2019 by the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center and Pan America Chinese Dance Alliance, with a mission to provide performance opportunities for dance lovers throughout the region. Based in Orange County, the company tells classic Chinese stories through traditional dance while also inspiring original choreography that reflects the experience of Chinese Americans.
Friday, August 7 and Saturday, August 8 — Rennie Harris Puremovement American
Street Dance Theatre: Nuttin’ But A Word
Laguna Playhouse
606 Laguna Canyon Rd, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Time: Starts at 7:00 p.m.
Cost: $78 general, $25 students
Founded in 1992 by Philadelphia native Lorenzo “Rennie” Harris, Rennie Harris Puremovement is widely credited with pioneering the genre of Street Dance Theater, bringing hip-hop from the street corner to the concert stage. A Guggenheim Fellow and recipient of three Bessie Awards, the Herb Alpert Award, and the Doris Duke Artist Award, Harris has been hailed by the London Times as “the Basquiat of the U.S. contemporary dance scene,” an artist whose work honors the African and African American roots of hip-hop while speaking to the full breadth of human experience.
Sunday, August 9 — Voices Unbound (Two World Premieres)
Laguna Playhouse
606 Laguna Canyon Rd, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Time: Starts at 7:00 p.m.
Cost: $78 general, $25 students
Voices Unbound is the title of our world-premiere Sunday evening performance on August 9 at 7pm at the Laguna Playhouse. This special evening marks the first of what we hope will become many summer residencies, bringing dancers and choreographers of all ages together to create new works. The culmination of three weeks in the studio creating new dance works will be shared on this special evening. More than 150 professional dancers auditioned for the opportunity to be one of 6 dancers to participate in this inaugural summer series, and we are honored to present over 30 performers ranging in age and expertise sharing the stage.
This year’s program features a world premiere by renowned choreographer Peter Chu, alongside a newly imagined work by Jodie Gates with film excerpts by the award-winning producer, cinematographer and director, Greg MacGillivray. Ms. Gates received an Innovation Grant from the City of Laguna Beach, which served as the catalyst for the summer stage events titled WE the People August 6 – 9, celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Voices Unbound will showcase contemporary ballet and deeply expressive contemporary dance works that are visually stunning—a true feast for the eyes. Peter Chu’s choreography is known for its physicality and emotional resonance, while Jodie Gates, one of the few female contemporary ballet choreographers with a deep expertise in ballet, brings classical form into a bold contemporary context.
Tickets and information available at lagunadance.org.
About Laguna Dance
Founded in 2005, Laguna Dance is a nonprofit arts organization based in Laguna Beach, California, dedicated to presenting professional dance through performances, education and community engagement. The organization collaborates with regional partners and presents nationally and internationally recognized dance companies and artists while supporting emerging talent through scholarships and outreach programs.
For more information about Laguna Dance, visit lagunadance.org.
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