What you you get when you combine modern dance and opera, set to a complicated and lovely piece of specially commissioned music, and you stage the entire performance on two tall ships moored at the Port of Los Angeles? You get Heidi Duckler's Beyond the Waterfront. "A dance opera story of sirens and sailors on the ships and the wharf, Beyond the Waterfront pays homage to the late Leonard Bernstein with a multi-sensory work that tackles themes of collaboration, sustainability, and the influence of humanity on environment."

It felt magical sitting on the wharf, with all the nautical and industrial sights, smells and sounds all around us as the blue hour transitionied into night, while at the same time Heidi's performers danced on the ships in front of us and members of the L.A. Opera sang. I can understand why the sirens gave Odysseus such a hard time leaving.

http://www.heididuckler.org/beyond-the-waterfront/

Here are some shots.