Martha Graham, Agnes de Mille, Alvin Ailey, and Twyla Tharp all got their start in Los Angeles. But when it came to building a career, they went East. This has ever been the story of dance in L.A. Nothing sticks; no one stays. The L.A. Dance Project, which the former New York City Ballet principal Benjamin Millepied established in 2012, seems to be bucking the trend, however. This small troupe with deep pockets is both infiltrating the city—meeting people where they picnic—and drawing the contemporary dance world to it, as with MovementFest L.A. Hosted by L.A.D.P. in the company’s centrally located warehouse, MovementFest L.A. models itself after any number of festivals worldwide. It combines studying dance, making dances, and watching dances. The people who teach workshops also show their work—to the community of practitioners they’ve just formed and to lay audiences. The difference is: this isn’t a vacation gig. It’s by and for Los Angeleños, who will still be in L.A. come September, to meet again. —Apollinaire Scherr