Published by Dancers' Group, In Dance is discourse and dialogue to unify, strengthen, and amplify.
DECEMBER 2017
Camille A. Brown & Dancers, Dec 8-10 / Photo by Matt Karas
Look up and what do you see—an image that inspires? What are you thinking now? Through images and words curiosity arises and inspiration abounds. Dancers’ Group’s staff has frequent and lengthy conversa- tions about what artists, events, and topics we will feature in In Dance . We grapple with a wonderful problem of having more content—ideas for articles—than we have space for in the publication. If you’re a regular reader you will have discerned a prioritization of writing about San Francisco Bay Area artists and companies. This not only supports Dancers’ Group’s mission to promote and make visible the abundance of dance in our region; it also showcases the exceptional artistry taking place here and adds to an expanded and rich discourse that illuminates dance. And there are at least a gazillion types of dance to cover! I’ve been reflecting on this year’s articles and my head spins recalling the 63 pieces—available in print and online—that represent an ever widening range of topics that showcase what it means to move and be moved by artists in our community. A highpoint of curating content for In Dance continues to be the opportunity to engage with writers that are as pas- sionate about dance as the subjects they cover—such as the beloved critic/writer Rita Felciano. Her informed analysis has brought us articles that featured Dance Brigade’s 40th anni- versary and the 39th season of the SF Ethnic Dance Festival, as well as reflections on the waves that Judy Smith has made during her tenure as artistic director of AXIS Dance Com- pany. Writer Robert Avila has provided readers distinct and fresh overviews that look to disrupt borders, while choreog- rapher Nancy Karp penned a first person piece as a reflection and response to the refugee crisis, which was the impetus for her work Memory/Place . In 2017, we ran three distinct articles written by Farah Yasmeen Shaikh about her experiences of performing and teaching in Pakistan. This series provided a forum in which Welcome by WAYNE HAZZARD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
she could discuss how artistic practice is a tool for combat- ing the spread of fear of the “other” — in her case, being a Muslim-American woman. As a frequent contributor to In Dance , Heather Desaul- niers has brought an innate curiosity to pieces that shed light on a diversity of aesthetics and dance traditions. Her smart- ness ensures readers will connect with artists like Miriam Per- etz, the artistic director of Nava Dance Collective—a group of women who perform dance and ritual from Central Asia— and learn about Celia Fushille, the spirited and determined artistic director of Smuin Contemporary American Ballet. Heather’s interview with La Tania, which brought attention to the artist’s illustrious performing career in Flamenco, is one I have revisited. A regular column now appears each month called In Prac- tice by Sima Belmar, a highly regarded local critic, educator and writer. Her conversations with artists, before during and after making dances, continues to reveal a commitment to discussing the complexities of covering dance—a discourse and dialogue that will continue in 2018. Our continued thanks to a roster of regular writers that include Rob Taylor, Patricia Reedy, Kate Mattingly, Claudia Bauer and Ann Murphy. Each has helped us expand our cov- erage of artists working in traditions and those that take on the mantle of new forms of movement, education and perfor- mance. These conversations consistently break down barriers that some see as dividing disciplines, while others inform the freshest viewpoints, which can only continue to inform hearts and minds. We are already starting to plan our feature articles for 2018 and we hope you will send us your story ideas to con- sider—or maybe even step forward to add your thoughts to these pages. Wishing you moments that are filled with wonderfully warm seasonal fun.
Ragamala Dance Company, Dec 2-3 Photo courtesy of artist
Jorge De Hoyos, Dec 3 Photo by Tamir
EXPANDING ACCESS: The Gugulethu Ballet Project
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BY CARRIE GAISER CASEY
WHEN YOU FIRST MEET Bay Area ballet teach- er Kristine Elliott, it’s impossible not to be swept off your feet by her joyous laugh. The former American Ballet Theatre solo- ist radiates generosity and kindness, like a pixie-sized Lilac Fairy. For the past thirteen years, Elliott has brought this positive spirit and her teaching expertise to an area of the world marked by racism, violence, and poverty. In the townships of South Africa, Elliott has been transforming the lives of disadvantaged children through the study of classical ballet. Like everything in South Africa, the name of Elliott’s organization, the Gugulethu Ballet Project (GBP), reflects the legacy of apartheid. “Gugulethu” means “our pride” in Xhosa, one of the languages spoken pri- marily by black South Africans. Gugulethu is also a place, a township created in the 1960s when other black quarters became overcrowded near the city of Cape Town. As Elliott explains, “People were told they had to go live there. They made the most of their neighborhood and built up a place that was theirs. And against all odds called it ‘Our Pride.’” Gugulethu is also the first township that Elliott visited, beginning in 2004 as a guest instructor for Dance For All, which serves underprivileged youth in South Africa. El- liott has traveled to South Africa every year since, with key support from the Flora Family Foundation, Arnold Rampersad at Stanford University’s Office of the Dean of Humanities, and many generous individu- als. GBP frequently partners with Bay Area dance organizations. In 2009 Elliott, with support from the Young Presidents Organi- zation, created a residency and cultural ex- change program at Stanford University for four South African dancers. And, through a travel course that Elliott instituted for the LEAP (Liberal Education for Arts Profes- sionals) program at St. Mary’s College, un- der the guidance of Claire Sheridan, about thirty dancers from around the U.S. have accompanied Elliott to South Africa since 2011. Currently GBP sponsors two dance schools in South Africa, Dancescape in Zo- lani township in the Western Cape and eYona in Khayelitsha, located in the West- ern Flats near Cape Town. The Project also funds scholarships for intensive summer study in the United States by talented South African students. Apartheid may be defunct as a govern- mental policy, but its legacy endures in the living conditions of the townships. Most of the dwellings are one room shacks with- out running water. Bathing, drinking, and cooking each require individual trips with a bucket to the town spigot. The taxi vans that serve as the main transportation for the townships’ residents cost 10 rand, no matter where you go – to the end of the line or the beginning, and they don’t give change. You can wait as long as an hour and a half for a van. Then there is the violence. Elliott recalls asking one student, Bathembu Myira, about a hole in a shirt he wore to class one day. Bathembu told her that it was the shirt his brother had on when he was caught in gang related cross-fire, shot in the heart, and killed. Given these conditions, Gugulethu Bal- let Project offers not only dance classes but material support. The organization pro- vides lunches and maintains an emergency fund for vehicle repairs, dental emergencies, and other unforeseen circumstances. Upon this foundation of dancer health and safety, Elliott teaches what she calls “life skills” through dance. “The principles inherent in the study of ballet, including self-discipline, perseverance, respect for the self and the
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CONTENTS
Gugulethu Ballet Project Zolani Township / (top) photo by Elaine Mayson , (right) photo by Laura Blatterman
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integrity of the body, are all transferable into the daily lives of the students,” she writes. And there are other benefits to dance training. Ballet teaches cognitive skills important for child development such as count- ing, distinguishing right from left, and remembering multi-step directions. More- over, the artistic expression
ON THIS PAGE / Gugulethu Ballet Project by Carrie Gaiser Casey 4 / In Practice: Sue Li Jue by Sima Belmar 5 / Sustaining Nicaraguan Culture by Rob Taylor 6 / December Performance Calendar 9 / A Conversation with Johnnie Cruise Mercer by Benedict Nguyen 12 / Artistic Practice and the Genre Binary by Natalie Greene with Eric Garcia and Erin Mei-Ling Stuart
in ballet can be cathartic for youth living in difficult circumstances. GBP provides a refuge from, and an alternative to, the vio- lence and crime that plague South Africa’s townships. Some of the students have gone on to professional international careers with Ram- bert Dance Company, Cape Town City Bal- let, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake , and with tours of the Broadway hit The Lion King . Many have returned to South Africa to start
their own dance companies and schools, such as the aforementioned Bathembu Myira, who returned in 2015 and opened eYona in Khayelitsha township. This sum- mer, GBP sponsored two dancers, Odwa Makanda and Lwando Dutyulwa, to study at Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet summer program. Past recipients of the scholarship program have studied at Academy of Ballet in San Francisco, Zohar School of Dance in Palo Alto, Kaatsbaan International Dance
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Gugulethu Ballet Project / photo by Andrew Warth
Center in New York and the Alvin Ailey School in New York. On December 18, Gugulethu Ballet Project will host a conversation between American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Misty Copeland and Laurene Powell Jobs, at City Arts and Lectures in San Francisco. All proceeds from the event will go to sup- porting the Gugulethu Ballet Project. Copeland herself got her start in ballet at an outreach program, the San Pedro Boys and Girls Club. She also serves as the figure- head for the American Ballet Theatre diver- sity initiative Project Plié and as a passion- ate advocate for breaking down economic and racial barriers to ballet training. As she writes in her memoir Life in Motion , “ [A]mong disadvantaged children, or children of color who are often not exposed to this art form, I believe that ballet provides much to learn.” The December 18 event promises to be an enlightening discussion of diversity in ballet from one of its most visible trailblazers. For her part, Elliott views diversity of body type, skin color, background, and ex- perience as absolutely essential to growing the art form of ballet. She has personally
Gugulethu Ballet Project / photo courtesy of artist
witnessed how changing the demograph- ics of ballet enriches and broadens its aes- thetic. In 2008, Elliott brought a ballet by Bay Area choreographer Amy Seiwert, The Gift , to stage in South Africa. Elliott and original cast member Emily Hite taught the piece to the dancers as meticulously and as accurately as possible. “We wanted to hon- or Amy,” Elliott recalls. But when the piece was finished, the two women stepped back and said, “This is a new dance.” Even while dancing the same steps, the South African dancers brought a different energy that transformed the choreography of the ballet. Elliott reflects, “I just always learn so much more than I give in South Africa. There’s a reciprocation of learning. They teach me
about what is valuable in life - about com- munity, family, and music.” Every small donation to Gugulethu Bal- let Project counts to assist with tuition, the nutrition program, ballet shoes, and salaries for the South African dance teachers. While the needs in the township might seem lim- itless, Elliott maintains a characteristically positive attitude. “One by one, you help one by one. And what seems to be sort of an overwhelming task, to look at these beauti- ful talented children, and they have nothing in the world, but the power of dance can change their lives.”
CARRIE GAISER CASEY, PhD is a dance research- er and writer who serves on the Board of the Gugulethu Ballet Project. Since 2011 she has taught dance history for the LEAP program at St. Mary’s College. Currently Carrie is researching the working processes of choreographers Cathy Marston and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa through a grant from the San Francisco Ballet.
Gugulethu Ballet Project presents Misty Copeland in Conversation with Laurene Powell Jobs: Nourse Theater, SF, Dec 18, gugulethuballetproject.org
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IN PRACTICE: Sue Li Jue
by SIMA BELMAR
The Nature of Nature: Backstory The Nature of Nature was born out of an en- counter with a San Fran- cisco Examiner article about fashion designer Colleen Quen and her husband, furniture design- er Rick Lee. Quen, who has designed costumes for several of Alonzo King LINES Ballet works, was discussing a 2000 col- laboration between her and Lee around the theme of the five Chinese ele- ments—metal, wood, earth, water, and fire. Sue said, “She made gowns and he made furniture. My husband, Richard, read the article and said, ‘You have to read this. It sounds like a mirror im- age of us!” (Richard, an optometrist by day, had been making sets for Sue since the founding of FEDM in 1999.) Inspired by Quen’s story, Sue gave her a call: “We talked for
WHEN I WAS writing dance reviews for the San Francisco Bay Guardian and other local and national publications in the late 1990s and early 2000s, I thought I was one of the more dancer-/choreographer-friendly critics. But looking back through those reviews, I did not find a dancer’s dance critic there. I found neither an open mind, nor a diplomatic pen, nor a generous heart. Instead, I found a voice performing its authority. And I rue many of those journalistic performances. One of the reviews I regret the most was of Sue Li Jue’s Facing East Dance & Music (FEDM) performance of The Nature of Na- ture (2001). I won’t go into detail about the ways I would write that review if I could turn back time. I was mean. I didn’t understand. I was mean because I didn’t understand. When my review of The Nature of Nature came out, Sue called me right away. “Why do you hate me so much?” she asked. Hate her?! Well, revisiting the review I can see why she felt that way. So we met for coffee. I was humbled by her willingness to confront bad press head on and face to face. I still wasn’t totally convinced critics and choreog- raphers should be having those sorts of con- versations, but my grasp on the relationship between these two historical adversaries had begun to slip. Fifteen years later, I contacted Sue to process again. (She was over it. I was not.) I wanted to let her know that I’d thought about that review and our conversation nu- merous times during my graduate training— in fact, it was while writing my dissertation that I came upon Yutian Wong’s critique of my review in her excellent book Choreo- graphing Asian America , sparking an extend- ed reflection on my dance critical career and As she had fifteen years prior, Sue met me with gen- erosity and openness. She’s rather badass that way. the role of the dance writer. As she had fif- teen years prior, Sue met me with generosity and openness. She’s rather badass that way. During our conversation this past May, I learned that after 32 years, Sue is retiring from the Physical Education Department at UC Berkeley. So this article now has a dual purpose: to offer readers insight how The Nature of Nature came to be—giving it the attention I now believe every work deserves, attention to process—and to pay tribute to Sue’s service, her unwavering commitment to dance in higher education, and her enduring love of dance.
course loads. When she began, PE dance lecturers taught 10 two-hour classes a week. Then it went up to 11. Then 12. “When it got to 13 we were all dying and injured, so they brought it back to 12. Jason Britton [PE Lecturer] rallied through the union to get us down to 11. So that’s where we sit now. That’s a lot of dancing.” Plus, those are 11 different classes, e.g. modern dance levels 1-4, jazz levels 1-4, etc., taught to as many as 40 students at a time. When she first came to PE, it was a de- gree-conferring department with graduate student instructors (GSIs, also known as TAs), comprised of lectures, labs, and ac- tivity sections. At the time, you could get a Bachelor of Science degree in PE with a spe- cialty in dance. But then the tenured faculty, who were teaching science-based movement classes, moved out of PE into Integrative Biology/Molecular and Cell Biology, taking their lectures and labs with them. PE was left with the activity sections— tennis, swim- ming, dance, etc.—and these courses became “merely” recreational, offering elective credit towards graduation. The disestablishment from department to program meant the re- maining faculty “had no leg to stand on.” When PE director Kathy Scott, the pro- gram’s last tenured faculty member, stepped down as director two years ago, Sue stepped up—unwillingly. Having no aspirations to becoming director, Sue put her name for- ward under the assumption that she would be co-directing with another colleague. When that colleague neglected to put her own name forward, Sue was hired. “I’d al- ways said there’s no way I’m ever going to direct this department. But I said, all right, I’ll do it for a year.” A year became two, and although the pay raise is nice and teaching 4 rather than 11 classes a week a relief, Sue finds herself “administrating like crazy. It’s not really me.” When Sue decided to step down as direc- tor she realized she’d have to retire because she couldn’t imagine going back to teaching 11 classes per week. But Sue is hardly done moving and shaking. She is recently certi- fied in Kinesiological Stretching Techniques and feels like she has a second career in her: “Maybe I can share this work with students who, these days, are so out of their bodies.” When I encountered The Nature of Na- ture in 2001, I had neglected to consider the concept of hybridity. I was looking for a certain authenticity, which now is the dirti- est word in the book, because what the hell is it and who the hell gets to decide? Fur- ther, back in the day, I didn’t think backstory should be part of a critical view. Now I have the exact opposite opinion. Pretending a work exists in a modernist vacuum is ridicu- lous. By reaching out to me to discuss my review, Sue became the first catalyst for my turn away from writing dance criticism from a position of authority to writing dancing as a conversation with dance makers and think- ers. And for that, I am forever grateful. SIMA BELMAR , PhD, is a Lecturer in the Depart- ment of Theater, Dance, & Performance Studies at UC Berkeley. She is also a freelance dance writer and writing coach as well as one of a cohort of five writers at the Low-Residency Writing Labora- tory at the National Center for Choreography in Akron, Ohio.
Sue Li Jue / photo courtesy of artist
45 minutes. I had been considering a piece about the five elements—how they relate to nature, personality, physicality—so I asked her if she wanted to do the costumes. And she did.” Quen also made the costumes for FEDM’s 2003 Held So Close , a piece about Angel Island, which Sue worked on for two years in collaboration with the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation. With Asian American scenic collabora- tors, Sue also came into contact with Somei Yoshino Taiko Ensemble—“At the time, it was like, Wow! Taiko! Who does that? Now, everyone!”—and decided to hire only Asian American dancers. But she got significant pushback from presenters, granters, donors, dancers, and both artistic and academic men- tors: “A lot of people were saying, ‘You’re not making Asian American dance, you’re just making modern dance.’ And some peo- ple were like, ‘You really ought to get off the Asian thing.’ And I thought, Wow! You don’t think it’s necessary that I explore this?” I asked Sue what she makes of this response with 20/20 hindsight: “I’m not really sure what they meant, but it was very important to me to have all Asian dancers, yes, for a visual look, but it was also an understanding. I mean, I’ve never picked rice in a rice field, I’ve never lived in China, but there’s some kind of a thread there, through your parents, through your genealogy. I’d say my more successful years were those beginning years when I was hot and heavy to do that. When
I loosened my grip on the importance of an all Asian company and doing every work about Asian Americaness, I felt less urgency and focus for making dances.” Despite ramping down her choreographic practice, Sue continues to face East to keep herself grounded and inspired. Physical Education at Berkeley Sue started ballet and tap when she was six, and took her first modern dance class at Mills College with June Watanabe, whose company she joined in 1982. While dancing for June, company member Aida Pisciotta, who had been teaching in the Physical Edu- cation department at UC Berkeley, declared that she would be moving to New York “to seek her dance fortune.” The department hired Sue for one semester to teach jazz and modern. Aida stayed in New York; Sue stayed at Cal. Sue spent her first two years at Berkeley as a Visiting Lecturer, becoming a Continu- ing Lecturer after the campus changed their policy: “They said that they were losing too many good lecturers with the two-year cap. I had to reapply through a search and I’ve been there ever since.” Once Sue completed six years as a Lecturer, she was given a re- newable three-year contract, and considers herself “fortunate” to have had her contract renewed over and over again Within the context of adjunct precar- ity, Sue and her colleagues also carry heavy
Expand every dimension of your art at Mills. Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, Mills College offers BA , MA , and MFA degrees in dance. From ballet to butoh, Mills encourages students to push the boundaries of: • Choreography • Theory • Pedagogy • Technology • Performance GRADUATE FACULTY Sherwood Chen Ann Murphy Kara Davis Sheldon Smith Sonya Delwaide Victor Talmadge Molissa Fenley
thinking bodies moving minds
MAKE A STATEMENT.
www.mills.edu/dance
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“IT’S MORE THAN LEARNING THE STEPS”: Grace Torres and Luis León sustain Nicaraguan Culture through Dance
by ROB TAYLOR
ONE OF THE WONDERS of the San Francisco Bay Area is the breadth of cultural dance forms being sustained here and available for audiences to experience. The San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival is one of the best plac- es to witness that breadth, and highlighted that role in 2016 when they presented Nica- ragua Danza, Hijos del Maíz , a local com- pany led by Artistic Directors Luis León and Grace Torres. Nestled between performances from two Festival mainstays ( LIKHA - Pilipino Folk Ensemble and Dunsmuir Scottish Danc- ers (such is the mercurial world of an Eth- nic Dance Festival), Nicaragua Danza, Hijos del Maíz introduced Nicaraguan dance to the wider dance community at the Festival in a trio of pieces collectively titled Somos Nicaragua Multiétnica (We are Multiethnic Nicaragua) . It was a vibrant introduction to dances from Nicaragua's Atlantic coastal region, the Miskito Coast. The pieces includ- ed traditional indigenous Miskito dances, dances drawn from Afro-Caribbean cultural traditions, and a Creole mixture of African and European dance forms that formed dur- ing the era during the 18th and 19th centu- ries when Britain was a dominant presence in the region. When I spoke with Grace, she began by explaining that the company’s name, Hi- jos del Maíz , which translates to “Children of the Corn,” was chosen because corn is a central commodity incorporated into almost every meal, and has strong cultural currency in Nicaragua. “As a cultural-folkloric group, we wanted our name to have a connection to that culture,” Grace further explained that “there’s also a song, [“Somos Hijos del Maíz”] from a member of the Mejia family, which is this famous musical family in Nica- ragua, [that] lists all the ways corn is impor- tant to the country.” The company seeks to honor all of corn’s many cultural references. Grace was raised in the capital city of Ma- nagua, on Nicaragua’s Pacific side, and she
honestly didn’t know much. It felt like she was looking at videos on YouTube and try- ing to mimic them. But I didn’t want to be the dancer telling the director, ‘you’re doing it wrong,’ so I just didn’t go back.” Instead, Grace danced with other companies that practiced Afro-Haitian and Afro-Peruvian traditions. Then one day, Luis León got in touch with her. Luis, now Hijos del Maíz’s primary di- rector, had danced in one of the other large Nicaraguan dance companies, Ballet Folklórico Nicaraguense , led by Francisco González. He had moved to the Bay Area and had heard that Grace had danced with Ballet Folklórico Tepenahuatl . “He came to my house, and we started talking – he and his wife both dance,” she explains, and very suddenly they decided to form the company in 2011. “We started very small and now we have a nice group of people.” The company originally had four direc- tors, but as one might expect that wasn’t a sustainable model. “It was too many people saying, ‘no I want to do this,” so we decided we need one director, and whatever that per- son says goes,” she tells me. So “we decided that Luis is the director and I am the right hand.” Grace further explains that “Luis and I share responsibility with the adult com- pany, and I am very big on cleaning up the movement and making sure that we are con- necting and turning at the same time. But Luis takes care of the kids and does all of the choreography for them, the costumes, everything.” The company's rehearsals are very structured and focused on upcoming performances, so she says that “it’s very rare that we just work specifically on movement, there’s always a show that we are preparing for, especially the kids, the kids dance a lot, even more than us.” Their Rotunda Dances Series performance at San Francisco’s City Hall on December 1st will feature both companies. They are bringing their youth group to do five short
didn’t visit the Atlantic side until relatively recently. Nicaraguans are introduced to dance as a national cultural form very early. She tells me that, “unlike here [in the U.S.], where dance is an elective... in Nicaragua, dance is part of your regular curriculum from a young age and the dance that is taught is folkloric... everyone learns these songs and the basic steps as little kids,” in school. While she was in school, Grace trained with Blanca Guardado who was also found- er and director of one the of national Nica- raguan folklorico ballets, Ballet Folklórico Tepenahuatl. “One day when I was about 17 I asked her if I would be good enough to be in that Ballet, and when that would be,” Grace explains, “she laughed and said, ‘well, you can do it now.’” That was the beginning, and for Grace there was nothing better than the experience of being part of a large dance company, performing on a regular basis. When I asked her to share something from her mentor that she now seeks to instill in the dancers she works with, she explains that it’s all about the repetition. “I’m focused on making the dancer better. I focus on the practice. In dancing, it’s all about the repeti- tion – your muscles need to know the cho- reography so if your mind goes blank in the middle of a performance, your body will still push through.” Despite her love of dance, there was a long break from dancing after Grace moved to the U.S. in 2004. After a few years she began feeling the urge for what she calls the “structure of group dance with rehearsals.” She continues, “the rehearsal part, the pro- cess, that work is what really excites me. That process of seeing how a few steps and some patterns can create something so big and beautiful to watch.” She was stymied in her attempts to find a Nicaraguan dance company. “There was one group that did it a little bit,” Grace ac- knowledges, “but although the person who ran it did it out of a love for Nicaragua, she
Nicaragua Danza, Hijos del Maíz / photo by RJ Muna
folkloric pieces. Then the adult company will perform a piece from the Atlantic coast, that was set on the company by choreogra- pher Cleopatra Morales, who was a college instructor of Luis’ in Nicaragua and is well known for opening the dances of the Atlantic coast to a wider audience. I ask Grace about their hopes for the fu- ture of their company, and she shares that “we really want to help our students – kids and adults – grow as dancers...we would also love to be able to take our dancers to Nicaragua.” As a start they recently invited Cleopatra Morales to work with the com- pany, and Grace says “it was hard financial- ly but we made it work and it was doable. We want to do more of that.” The company – like so many others practicing cultural dance forms in the Bay Area – is also on the lookout for space. “we are looking to cre- ate more stability to have space to create and practice our cultural forms with young peo- ple,” Grace continues, “so that Nicaraguan groups—not just us, but other companies coming up have a space to create.” When I ask Grace about her personal hopes she reveals that “since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a dancer. I decided a few years ago that I’m not going to be able to live off of dancing. My husband is a Salsa teacher and has the blessing of making living out of it. But Luis and I have our 9 to 5 jobs, and we do this out of love.”And to that end, she says that “I feel fulfilled as long as I can keep doing what I’m doing. As long as I can dance, and keep learning, and work with oth- er dance companies, and can see my group growing, that fulfills me and that’s enough.” At one point in our conversation, Grace tells me that when she was member of Bal- let Folklórico Tepenahuatl in Nicaragua, her focus was on “the steps and the movements, but I didn’t know much of the history of that piece. I didn’t ask enough questions.” But, she tells me that “from Luis I’ve really learned to not just be a dancer, but to ask questions to try to understand why we dance, and why the dance exists. It’s more than just the steps.” She concludes by saying, “I think if I put a lit- tle more effort on that side, and making sure all our dancers have that knowledge too, the dancing will keep getting stronger.”
ROB TAYLOR is a writer and non-profit administrator living in the Bay Area.
Nicaragua Danza, Hijos del Maíz / photo by Steven Blumenkranz
Rotunda Dance Series presents Nicaragua Danza, Hijos del Maíz: Dec 1, City Hall Rotunda, SF, dancersgroup.org/rotunda
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DEC 2017 calendar VISIT THE ONLINE COMMUNITY CALENDAR, to find additional events and to submit a performance. dancersgroup.org
Kinetic Arts Productions Kinetic Art Theater, Oakland CIRCUS VERITAS is a circus / theatre produc- tion about what it means to tell a lie in the crazy world of the circus. Saturdays, Dec, 2, 9, 16, 4 & 8pm; Sundays, Dec 3 & 17, 3pm, Sundays, Dec 3, 10, 17, 7pm, $24.50-75. kineticartsproductions.com That ‘70s Bellydance Show Dragon Theater, Redwood City In the U.S., the Middle Eastern clubs of the 1970’s featured musicians and dancers from Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, Iran, and more, creating a unique blend of music and dance that developed into the roots of belly- dance in the U.S. This tribute to classic Ameri- can bellydance brings together established local artists in a modern stage show. Sun, Dec 3, 7pm, $30. lidabellydance.com Formerly based in San Francisco, Berlin- based artist Jorge De Hoyos presents two solo works in one evening. The Rite of Spring is a dance piece that wrestles with the ques- tion of killing and self-sacrifice from the point of view of the ‘Chosen One”. An Apology for Losers is an interrogation of the self and the audience to call out guilt, rage and the eeling of powerlessness in the face of the world’s many problems. Sun, Dec 3, 7pm, $10-20. safehousearts.org Jorge De Hoyos SAFEhouse Arts, SF
Rotunda Dance Series: Nicaragua Danza, Hijos del Maíz City Hall Rotunda, SF
A multi-generational performance of Nicara- guan dance to live music, part of the monthly series presented by Dancers’ Group and the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival. Fri, Dec 1, Noon, FREE. dancersgroup.org/rotunda Smith/Wymore Disappearing Acts ODC Theater, SF World premiere of Six Degrees of Freedom , a new evening-length work featuring performers in a hallucinatory virtual world where technol- ogy is only moments away from conscious- ness. Fri-Sat, Dec 1-2, 8pm, $30. Discount for DG Individual and Company Members. odc.dance RAW presents Preethi Ramaprasad / Heidi Carlsen / Rohith Sankarraman SAFEhouse Arts at 145 Eddy St., SF Preethi Ramaprasad presents Vriksha: A Different Giving Tree using the South Indian classical dance of Bharatanatyam. Rohith Sankarraman presents Love, Peace, and Com- passion . Heidi Carlsen presents One Chrysan- themum : A solo adventure where a woman faces her fears, escapes to freedom and finds her voice. Presented by RAW (resident artist workshop), a residency program of SAFEhouse Arts. Fri-Sat, Dec 1-2, 8pm, $10-20. SAFEhouseArts.org
Sense Object The Finnish Brotherhood Hall, Berkeley
Tandy Beal & Company / Photo by Jana Marcus
Scott Wells & Dancers Dance Mission Theater, SF
This work is a collage of Valentine’s works, a fearless life/art process that refers to the history of crystal ancestors, queer nature of the universe, and challenges the aesthetics of drag culture. Oscillating between grotesque theater, expressive dance, and performance art. Tue, Dec 5, 8pm, FREE. senseobject.com
detour dance Mission District, SF
Ragamala Dance Company Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley Ragamala Dance Company brings productions rooted in the South Indian Bharatanatyam classical dance form. Written in Water ex- plores the cultural complexities of the modern world through the metaphor of the ancient Indian board game Snakes and Ladders, with a live music score performed by an ensemble of four musicians, including jazz trumpeter Amir ElSaffar, known for his distinctive fusion of contemporary jazz and Iraqi maqam. Sat, Dec 2, 8pm, Sun, Dec 3, 3pm, $58. calperformances.org ODC Pilot Program ODC Dance Commons Studio B, SF Interspace/ology explores the physical and virtual space between our bodies and the world. Questioning what happens in the worlds, spaces, and connective tissue between us. Now in its 27th year, ODC’s Pilot Program brings together six artists for an 11 week process of choreographic development and self production. Sat, Dec 2, 8pm; Sun,
Wells and Kathleen Hermesdorf first moved to SF together 25 years ago as two young artists. Looking back on their careers, they ask each other, “was that good for you?” Fri-Sat, Dec 1-2 & 8-9, 8pm; Sundays, Dec 3 & 10, 7pm; Sun,
A site-specific dance theater event, Fugue tra- verses the streets, collecting stories of queers, people of color and longtime residents of the city en route to a fabled “new city.” Fugue is an experience that explores ideas of transience, nostalgia and utopia. Fridays, Dec 1 & 8, 8pm; Saturdays-Sundays, Dec 2-3 & 9-10, 4pm & 8, $15-30. detourdance.com/fugue
Dec 10, 4pm, $20-28. scottwellsdance.com
Dec 3, 4pm & 7, $15. odc.dance/pilot69
Molly Heller / Photo by Duhaime Movement Project
Garrett + Moulton Productions / Photo by RJ Muna
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Sharp & Fine ODC Theater, SF
Mixed Nuts AND OTHER HOLIDAY DELIGHTS Whether you like your “Nuts” pure or mixed, there's an abundance of opportunities to fulfill this season’s dance traditions, re-told and re-imagined just for you.
A new, evening-length narrative dance piece about two sisters and what happens when one of them turns into a lion. Built on spoken text devised by the cast, the show is a hybrid of real memories and surreal fiction, told with dance, live music, original text, and singing. Thu-Sat, Dec 7-9, 8pm, $15-25. sharpandfine.com SAFEhouse Arts SAFEhouse Arts at 145 Eddy Street In honor of SAFEhouse Arts Founder and Executive Director Joe Landini, celebrating 25 years of dance making in San Francisco, 5 on 25 features new works by Alma Esperan- za Cunningham, Nina Haft, Ronja Ver as well as Landini. Plus an encore presentation of SoMa Now and Then , a collaboration between Amy Lewis and Landini which premiered last fall as a walking tour of San Francisco’s historic leather district. Thu-Sat, Dec 7-9 & 14-16, 8pm, $15-30. safehousearts.org Using African American vernacular forms— social dancing, Double Dutch, hand-clapping games, and ring shout—to explore the self-discovery and playfulness of childhood, innovative choreographer Camille A. Browns’ BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play draws on the games girls play to tell a story of black female empowerment. Fri-Sat, Dec 8-9, 8pm; Sun, Dec 10, 3pm, $54. calperformances.org Ultimate Alliance Dance Company City College of San Francisco, SF A performance showcase, Creative Arts at CCSF’s new Wellness Center. Sat, Dec 9, 7pm, $10-15. facebook.com/ultimatealliance.danceco Molly Heller Shawl Anderson Dance Center, Berkeley Salt Lake City dance artist and University of Utah Assistant Professor, Molly Heller pres- ents very vary . This piece chapters the remembered, imagined, and future lives of the work’s six performers. Sat, Dec 9, 8pm; Sun, Dec 10, 3:30pm, $15-20. mollyheller.com Camille A. Brown & Dancers Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley
Tandy Beal & Company Joy! Hammer Theatre, San Jose Fri-Sat, Dec 1-2, 7pm; Sat-Sun, Dec 2-3, 2pm, $20-45.
tandybeal.com/joy SMUIN Ballet The Christmas Ballet
Sunset Center, Carmel & Mountain View Center for the Arts, Mountain View & YBCA, SF Fri, Dec 1, 8pm; Sat, Dec 2, 2pm; Wed-Sat Dec, 6-9, 8pm; Sat-Sun, Dec 9-10, 2pm; Thu-Sat, Dec 14-16, 8pm; Sun, Dec 17, 2 & 7pm; Thu, Dec 21, 8pm: Fri-Sat, Dec 22-23, 2 & 8pm; Sun, Dec
24, 2pm, $25-89. smuinballet.org ODC/Dance The Velveteen Rabbit YBCA Theater, SF.
Mark Morris Dance Group / Photo by Julieta Cervantes
San Francisco Lesbian/ Gay Freedom Band Dance-Along Nutcracker YBCA Theater, SF Sat, Dec 9, 3pm & 7pm; Sun, Dec 10, 11am, 3pm, $18-30. sflgfb.townalive.com Bravissimo Dance Studio Heartfelt Season Canada College Main Theater, Redwood City Santa and the Grinch accidentally take Suzy to the North Pole. Sun, Dec. 10, 4pm, $25. http://www.bravissimodancestudio.com/ Marin Ballet’s Nutcracker Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium, San Rafael Sat-Sun, Dec. 9-10, 1pm, 3 & 5, $27-$43. marinballet.org Saturdays & Sundays, Dec. 9-10 & 16-17 & 23, 11am & 1pm; Sat, Dec 16, 4pm; Sun Dec 17, 4pm; Fri, Dec 22, 11am & 1pm, $20.50-42.50. nutcrackersweets.org San Francisco Ballet’s Nutcracker War Memorial Opera House, SF Wednesdays, Dec. 13, 20, 27, 7pm; Wednesdays 20, 27, 2pm; Thursdays, Dec 14, 21, 28, 2pm & 7; Fridays, Dec 15, 22, 29, 2pm; Fridays, Dec 15, 22, 7pm; Saturdays, Dec 16, 23, 2pm & 7; Sat, Dec 30, 11am & 4pm; Sun, Dec 17, 2pm & 7; Sun Dec 24, 11am & 4pm; Tuesdays, Dec 19, 26, 2pm & 7, $50+. sfballet.org Mark Morris’ The Hard Nut Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley Fri-Sat, Dec 15-16 & 22-23, 8pm; Sat, Dec 16 & 23, 2pm; Sun, Dec 17 & 24, 3pm; Thu, Dec 21, 8pm, $40-135. markmorrisdancegroup.org Berkeley Ballet Theater’s The Nutcracker Regents’ Theatre, Oakland Fri-Sat, Dec 15-16, 7pm; Sat-Sun, Dec 16-17, 11am-3pm, $35. berkeleyballet.org Mark Foehringer’s Nutcracker Sweets Cowell Theater, SF
Academy of Classical Ballet–California A Winter Wonderland Campbell Heritage Theatre, Campbell Sat, Dec 16, 7pm; Sun, Dec 17, 2pm, $20-25. aocballet.com Symphony Silicon Valley presents The Nutcracker Wed, Fri-Sat, Dec 20 & 15-16 & 22-23, 7pm; Sat-Sun, Dec 16-17 & 23-24, 2:30pm, $38-100. symphonysiliconvalley.org Peninsula Ballet Theatre’s Nutcracker Fox Theatre, Redwood Sat, Dec. 16, 1pm & 4pm, Sun, Dec 17, 2:30pm, $35-60. peninsulaballet.org Peninsula Ballet Hip Hop Nutcracker Fox Theatre, Redwood Fri, Dec 15, 7pm; Sun, Dec 17, 6pm, $35. peninsulaballet.org/hip-hop-nutcracker Marin Dance Theater Sophie and the Enchanted Toyshop Marin Dance Theater, San Rafael Sat, Dec, 16, 1pm, 3 & 5:30, Adults $40; seniors and students $32. mdt.org Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker Flint Center for the Performing Arts at De Anza College, Cupertino Sun, Dec 17, 3pm & 7pm, $28-175. nutcracker.com Sweet Can Productions presents Mittens and Mistletoe Dance Mission Theater, SF Fri & Sun, Tue-Thu, Dec. 22 & 24, 26-28, 2pm; Sat (Adults Only), Dec 23, 4pm & 8pm; Thu, Dec 28, 4pm, $18-60. dancemission.com Oakland Ballet Company’s The Nutcracker Paramount Theater, Oakland Sat, Dec 23, 5pm; Sat-Sun, Dec 23-24, 1pm, $23-90. oaklandballet.org
Fridays, Dec 1 & 8, 11am; Saturdays, Dec 2 & 9, 1pm & 4pm; Sundays, Dec 3 & 10, 2pm; Thu, Dec 7, 11am, $15-65. odc.dance/velveteenrabbit San Francisco’s Youth Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker Mercy High School, SF Sat-Sun, Dec. 2-3, 1pm & 5pm, $24-$26. sanfranciscoyouthballet.org Stapleton Ballet’s Nutcracker Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium, San Rafael Sat-Sun, Dec. 2-3, 1pm & 5pm, Adults $36; seniors and youth $24. stapletonschool.org Bay Pointe Ballet Nutcracker Bob Hope Theatre, Stockton Sat, Dec. 9, 7pm, $24-60. baypointeballet.org
Oakland Ballet Company / Photo by David DeSilva
Menlowe Ballet It’s a Wonderful Nutcracker Menlo Atherton Performing Arts Center, Atherton Fri-Sat, Dec 8-9 & 15-16, 7p; Sat-Sun, Dec 9-10 & 16-17, 2p $35-65. menloweballet.org Dance Brigade’s The Revolutionary Nutcracker Sweetie , the kidz version Dance Mission Theater, SF Sat, Dec 9, 2pm & 6; Sun, Dec 10, 1pm & 5, $17-23.50. dancemission.com
Kinetic Arts Productions / Photo by Shoot That Clown/Eric Gillet
Sarah Bush Dance Project Shawl-Anderson Dance Center, Berkeley Homeward (World Premiere) is about the va- riety and emotional complexity of the places and states we call “home,” performed by a multi-generational cast of Bay Area dance luminaries, including Joan Lazarus and Sue Li Jue. Saturdays, Dec 9 & 16, 8pm; Sundays, Dec 10 & 17, 7pm, $20-40. sarahbushdance.org
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DEC 2017 calendar
Shabbat Art-In CSUEB Dance Studio, PE 140 Hayward
Gugulethu Ballet Project Nourse Theater, SF Misty Copeland in conversation with Laurene Powell Jobs. Copeland will speak about her journey from being a little girl in San Pedro to becoming the first African American principal dancer of American Ballet Theatre. Mon, Dec 18, 7:30pm, $100-1,250. gugulethuballetproject.org Kinetech Arts with CounterPulse CounterPulse, SF DanceHack is an annual event that brings together performers and developers to inspire one another and experiment with emerging technologies, here in SF and around the world. Day 1 will be hacking and creating. Day 2 will bring workshops and evening performance. Performance: Sun, Dec 23, 7pm, $0-20. dancehack.org
Monthly experimental performance events that weave together dance, music, theater, bodywork, napping, projections, community gathering, play, inquiry, discussion, meditation, healing, jam session, Shabbat service, choose- your-own-adventure, psychedelic journeys, hanging out, and whatever inspirations you bring! Performances by Bandelion, CSUEB DanceSing Drum Company and guests. Friday, Dec 15, 6:30p, FREE. dandeliondancetheater.org Stephanie Unger & Artists Temescal Arts Center, Oakland Fantasy and obsession, separation and loss, revelation and hope. Experience romantic and community bonds as told through con- temporary dance and improvisation, spoken word, and live music. Talk back after the 3 pm matinee on Dec. 16th. Fri-Sat, Dec 15-16, 8pm; Sat, Dec 16, 3pm, $10-15. facebook.com/StephUngerChoreography/ Sweat Contemporary Dance Company Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, Oakland Love Epitome is a series of work that exempli- fies the qualities necessary for expansion and growth, and is a gift to dance as dance pushes our minds, bodies and souls all the while uplift- ing our spirits that expresses our collective and individual truths. Sat, Dec 16, 7pm, $20-40. infernoda.com
Sarah Bush Dance Project / Photo by Lisa Harding
Garrett + Moulton Productions ODC Theater, SF
San Francisco Conservatory of Dance San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, SF The SFCD students will perform work they have created during the fall 2017 semester with faculty members. Fri, Dec 15, 8pm, FREE. sfconservatoryofdance.org
Its 15th anniversary season features three world premieres at ODC. A new large-scale ball-pass- ing work for a cast of 18, Zingo , a rambunctious romp for six dancers through a zany and color- fully animated world, and a new work inspired by the music of Mozart. Thu-Sat, Dec 14-16, 8pm; Sat, Dec 16, 3pm, $25-60+. garrettmoulton.org
Menlowe Ballet / Photo by Eric Raeber
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200 Classes a Week 365 Days a Year All Ages All Levels All Welcome
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DEFINITIONS AND CONNECTIONS: A Conversation with Johnnie Cruise Mercer BY BENEDICT NGUYEN
Benedict Nguyen: What does artistic anarchy mean to you? Johnnie Cruise Mercer: The way my art is being made seems constrained by the stage structure that history has developed for art- ists of color. So I think that artistic anarchy is completely saying “No” to how we’re brought up – Let’s build again and let’s destroy this and actually create this thing from scratch. So there’s a bit of healing in the anarchy. I feel like a lot of things – even the idea of radical- ism – has come to a certain place of comfort. So I’m interested in questioning all of it. BN: What are you questioning in your work? JCM: I think I’m responding to expectation. I’m a black artist so there’s a certain way I should be radicalizing my practice or doing certain things. I’m responding to capital- ism; I’m responding to the molds that came before me. And then I’m questioning my part in it, and then questioning the expectation for me to question in a certain way. I feel an expectation to share a certain way, to share a certain type of thing, to present it in a way that is acceptable to certain people. Without the expectation of the community giving to you. There’s a mold, almost like a non-free- dom to ‘Black Radicalism.’ BN: If an artist is read as a radical black artist, what would the people who are reading that, who are casting that gaze upon them, expect out of that work? JCM: They’re expecting them to be black. They’re expecting a certain amount of off- puttingness, or a certain amount of feeling, or a certain amount of disruption, and also a certain amount of selling of your blackness. When people are like, “Oh, you’re a black radicalist. Oh you’re making work that’s black. You’re selling the blackness.”And it’s performing. If you’re performing your radical- ness, you’re not being radical at all, you’re just doing radical stuff to get the next gain profes- sionally. Especially in the United States, most of the things we dwell on as performance art- ists are based on minstrel systems and coonery.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Recently, the National Center for Choreography in Akron, Ohio started a low-residency dance writing labo- ratory. The lab currently houses a cohort of five writers from around the country, includ- ing Bay Area-based Sima Belmar, who con- tributes regularly to In Dance with her “In Practice” column. Dancers’ Group reached out to this group to seek fresh voices and perspectives on dance – coming from across the US – which we can bring back to our community. The following piece emerges from that outreach: Benedict Nguyen in a conversation with New York artist Johnnie Cruise Mercer about social justice, radical- ism, commodification in dance, and more. AFTER A PREVIEW performance of New York- based The Red Project NYC’s recent work, Sanctuary , Artistic Director Johnnie Cruise Mercer facilitated an open and rigorous dialogue with the audience. He openly ad- dressed difficult questions he was grappling with just a week before the premiere about the piece’s composition, music, casting, the- matics, and more. In our chat, Johnnie’s melting gelato simi- larly dripped over its cup as our conversation spilled over the distinctions between radical- ism and anarchy, the tacit (and overreaching) expectations of black artists, and the self- reflection central to creating community and performance. Aware of how I risked repeating these same expectations in the performance of this interview, I hoped to offer space for John- nie to shift the conversation beyond what it means to be a (radical) black artist to the field at large. He introduced his company as a group of artistic anarchists. What follows is his elaboration and ex- cerpts from our conversation:
Johnnie Cruise Mercer / photo by Barbara Shore
Johnnie Cruise Mercer / photo by Barbara Shore
Now, everyone’s not like that. There are black radicalists, who really say, ‘No. I’m gonna stand up for this. This is what I’m doing.’ BN: Care to give a shout out? JCM: Yeah, Brother(hood) Dance! Monstah Black and Hyperbolic! They are disobeying the rules of the stage and in some ways, even using the rules of the stage to make fun of the fact that they’re on stage. I think that’s the interesting thing when you're talking about composition of the body, composition of the society, that you’re no longer composing just the dance work that is acceptable for the space. You’re now com- menting on the actual space itself by rebel- ling against it. When I think about myself and how I go into work, I ask, “Why even do anything in that space in general when the ex- pectation when someone walks in is to watch you give to them and them not necessarily
outwardly give to you?” I mean, if you are in a stage space how do you destroy the stage space to the point where it doesn’t even look like a stage? Just a space that you’re inhabit- ing and that you can engage us as artists in? BN: Earlier, you mentioned how profession- al matters more than the art itself? JCM: Right now, because of capitalist struc- tures and the way that everything is made, you’re constantly put against what you need to do professionally to make work for your personal life and your financial life and what your art is. As a professional black artist, it is easier to label myself as a certain thing instead of actually exploring what it means to me per- sonally. Which doesn’t make any sense to me because in my eyes, blackness can’t even be contained by the word radicalism. A human
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