Dancers Rachelle Rafailedes and Nathan Makolandra twist and turn in a stirring duet captured at the recently launched Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles. Directed by Ricky Norris, the short previews Benjamin Millepied’s forthcoming performance, Reflections. Ahead of the star choreographer and filmmaker's milestone residency at the hotel’s revived theatre, NOWNESS presents Millepied’s love letter to Los Angeles.

To love LA, you have to get to know LA. I was always attracted to the diversity of the architecture, the way you go through areas that are stuck in time. It can feel like the 60s, 70 or 80s, with this stunning light. There's also possibly the greatest record store in America in Los Angeles.

I’ve been living for four or five years in Los Feliz, but the LA Dance Company’s home is in Downtown. When I first moved to here, I spent time visiting the old theaters that fascinated me. You have places like the Los Angeles Theater where Charlie Chaplin opened City Lights—there are pictures of Albert Einstein walking out after the show. It touches the heart, a Louis XIV theater that needs to be renovated as soon as possible. LA Dance Project’s new home is the old United Artists Theater at Ace Hotel; because of its proportions and sight lines, it’s really the best old theater for dance in Los Angeles.

The new shows scream LA. All of these dancers are a growing part of the city, with Reflections having visuals by Barbara Kruger and music by David Lang, who was born in Los Angeles and still has family there. LA artist Sterling Ruby designed the set for Justin Peck’s Murder Ballads, with Bryce Dessner from The National creating a fantastic score for us. The third show is by the Japanese choreographer Hiroaki Umeda who created the set and the music, exploring the relationship with technology and movement on stage, something I wanted to explore with the dancers. I couldn’t be happier, because part of my commitment is an understanding of the past in order to move forward, caring for the existing American repertory alongside new commissions.

The LA Dance Project launches at The Theater at Ace Hotel, Downtown Los Angeles (formerly United Artists Theatre) with performances on February 20, 21 and 22.