Odissi Dance Circle performs during the 33rd Annual Festival of Chariots on Sunday, August 2, 2009. Odissi dance is a classical dance form of Orissa and has its origin in the temples. The Festival of the Chariots featured free feast for thousands, free entertainment, exhibits and booths all bringing together the finest in Indian culture. The festival celebrates Lord Jagannatha, the Lord of the Universe, and is put on by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). The Festival of the Chariots is now performed in every country across the world and dates back 5 thousand years to Jagannatha Puri, India.

Members of the Oaxacan Community from Santa Anadel Valle on Sunday, July 12, 2009, walk down Colorado Ave towards St. Annes Church and Shrine in a religious procession carrying marmotas (huge spherical clot lanterns) followed by the Chinas Oaxaqueñas (local women dressed in brightly colored silk skirts and blouses with ribbons in their braids) carrying baskets of flowersand led by a brass band to celebrate their annual La Fiesta de Santa Ana.

The Los Angeles Ballet [LAB] performs George Balanchine’s 'Prodigal Son' at the Broad Stage on Sunday, March 15, 2009. Los Angeles Ballet made its exciting debut in 2006 as the region's own professional ballet company focused on capturing the creative aesthetic unique to Southern California. The Company's first triumph was "The Nutcracker" followed by dynamic repertoires in Seasons I and II, hailed by critics and audiences alike. With a professional ballet presence in Los Angeles, LAB continues to captivate a large, diverse audience and devoted, supportive patrons. With a home-based outlet for their passion, balletomanes in Los Angeles no longer have to rely on visiting companies to experience world class dance. Additionally, a new generation of dance enthusiasts regularly enjoy the company's dynamic dance productions. LAB was most recently featured in a special showcase on the hit FOX television show, "So You Think You Can Dance."

http://www.losangelesballet.org/

The National Danish Performance Team performs to an all-school assembly at John Adams Middle School (JAMS) on Thursday, Jan 15, 2008. The show included high-energy gymnastics & dance, breath-taking acrobatics, and unique Danish artistry from a group of 14 women and 14 men aged between 20-28. This is the first U.S. stop on a 10-month, 18-country world-wide tour for the Danish Team.

Santa Monica City employees dance the "Hava Nagila" (הבה נגילה in Hebrew) at City Hall during the annual Santa Monica City Holiday Party on Friday, December 12, 2008. The Hava Nagila is a Hebrew folk song, the title meaning "Let us rejoice". It is a song of celebration, especially popular amongst Jewish and Roma communities.

(top) Santa Monica College dance student, Mayuri Bhandari, 17, and her classmates perform the 'Bollywood' during the 9th Annual SMC International Festival on Tuesday, November 18, 2008. The festival featured international food, music, art and dancing. SMC is home to nearly 3,000 international students from more than 100 countries around the world. (center) Folklorico de SMC performs during the  festival on Tuesday.

The Austrian folk group Knopferlstreich sing and dance at the Third Street Promenade on Saturday, October 25, 2008

(1) Chock, 36, performs a sacred prayer dance, "The Old One," at Santa Monica High School's Roberts Art Gallery during the 'Dia de los Muertos,' (Day of the Dead) art opening on Thursday, October 30, 2008, 2008. On the drums is Erick Kidd, 32. (2) Artists (left to right) Tinia Fischer, Luis "Wicho" Brizuela and Jose Lopez discuss the altar during the opening. Students' calaveras, retablos, and other traditional images and projects were displayed. Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday celebrating and honoring the lives of the deceased, and celebrating the continuation of life; the belief is not that death is the end, but rather the beginning of a new stage in life. Día de los Muertos dates back 3000 years.