Dance school brings back showcase

CARMEL VALLEY » Since 1997, innovation, collaboration and innovation have defined SpectorDance's Choreographers Showcase. This year, however, the Monterey Peninsula-based dance school is adding one more tenet to its annual exhibition in movement — activism.

Titled “Choreographers Showcase Re-Imagined: Dance the Makes a Difference,” the event's 2022 iteration is poised to take place from May 17-20 at Carmel Valley's Hidden Valley Music Seminars, 104 West Carmel Valley Road. Attracting audiences and artists alike, the showcase is not only an opportunity to view cutting-edge performances, but also a chance for local dancers to take master classes from visiting choreographers. And, for the first time next week, an invitation to galvanize change.

“I've been working with social issues for over 30 years,” said Fran Spector Atkins, founder and artistic director of SpectorDance. “We opened that up to choreographers to see if they would be interested in presenting works that addressed social issues. The response has been phenomenal.”

Atkins explained that this year's slate performances — which are scheduled for the evenings of Thursday, May 19 and Friday, May 20 — will feature statements on anything from rape and immigration to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For her own presentation, Atkins said she is designing a piece about wildfires.

“There's going to be a lot of interesting work that, I think, will evoke conversation,” she said.

Selected from what Atkins described as a “rigorous application process,” choreographers to be featured in next week's showcase will include local artists like Monterey-based Camrin Dannelly and Santa Cruz dance director Angela Chambers. But the roster stretches far beyond Central Coast talent, presenting choreographers from as far as India.

Meanwhile, workshops are bound to offer a similarly mixed bag of dance experiences. For a base price of $25 a piece, those interested in a hands-on showcase will have their pick of lessons in South Asian classical dance and Indian interpretive dance, improvisation, or contemporary dance.

“It's a really diverse program,” Atkins said. “I'm excited about the delivery, (and) to see everyone come together.”

Next week's Choreographers Showcase will be the event's first live presentation since the pandemic pushed performances online in 2020. Over the past two years, Atkins said she organized two virtual versions of the showcase but that there's “just a thrill” of being back in-person.”

“Cathartic is the word I'd use,” she continued. “I think personally, everyone has been so kind and helpful. … It's overwhelming, frankly. It's just such a joy doing it again.”

For more information about SpectorDance's Choreographers Showcase, go to https://www. spectordance.org/choreographers-showcase.html. Performance tickets begin at $25 for adults and $15 for seniors and children under 12. Masks and proof of vaccination will be required for attendance.