The Lula Washington Dance Theatre will appear at the new Eli and Edythe Broad Stage at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center on Saturday, December 13, at 7:30 p.m.

The acclaimed Los Angeles-based company will perform to live jazz, African drumming and 60’s music by the Beatles, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix and others.

Washington’s appearance is a kind of homecoming. Years ago, when the drive to raise $45 million to build the theater had just got underway, choreographer Washington brought her dancers to Santa Monica College to perform for donors — often outdoors on cement –- to help raise money.

Broad executive director Dale Franzen consulted Washington during the architectural design phase to ensure that it would meet dancers’ needs. As a result, the stage has sprung floors, ample wing space, crossover space, mad other needed amenities.

“We danced here when there was nothing at all,’ Washington remembered, “Now we have this fantastic new facility. It’s an excellent space for dance. We’re proud to be the first from outside the campus to dance here.”

Over the years, the company has grown from purely local to a nationally recognized ensemble. The New York Times recently praised the company’s performance at Lincoln Center Out of Doors. “Live jazz. Athletic bodies, jumping and undulating. Rousing, infectiously enthusiastic performances by fine dancers. There’s much to enjoy about the Lula Washington Dance Theater.”

Washington is a graduate of the UCLA Dance Department. Her company has danced annually for UCLA’s Design For Sharing in UCLA Royce Hall since 2000 when it celebrated its 20th anniversary. Now in its 28th season, it performs all over the United States, most recently in Maui, Hawaii, Arkansas, Minnesota and Las Vegas, as well as Kosovo.

Washington will also present the nostalgic “Ode To The Sixties,” set to music from the era, and excerpts from her riveting, high-energy Harambee Suite, which is normally done as part of her annual Kwanzaa celebration. Harambee contains African drumming and dancing, with performances by young people from her dance school on Crenshaw Boulevard, joined by the company.

Tickets to the Broad Stage performance can be purchased from the box office at Santa Monica City College: 310-434-3200, or, via web at: www.thebroadstage.com. The Broad is at 1310 11th Street in Santa Monica 90401.