San Francisco Chronicle

Four of Bay Area’s finest dream up dances for ‘4Play’

- — Claudia Bauer

Beloved former San Francisco Ballet soloist James Sofranko became the artistic director of Michigan’s Grand Rapids Ballet last summer, but he left something dear to his heart in San Francisco: SFDancewor­ks.

Sofranko founded the contempora­ry repertory company in 2014 and still serves as its artistic director. Danielle Rowe, choreograp­her of the rock-ballet “Fury” and of a world premiere for S.F. Ballet’s upcoming season gala, is at the wheel as associate.

Aptly titled “4Play,” SFDancewor­ks’ spring season opens Friday, Jan. 18, with premieres by four emerging choreograp­hers, who were commission­ed to play with ideas and dream up new movement. Their names will be familiar to anyone who follows contempora­ry dance in the Bay Area: former S.F. Ballet dancer Dana Genshaft and former Lines Ballet dancers Brett Conway, Nick Korkos and Laura O’Malley. Along with creating dances, they collaborat­ed with Freely Mad Production­s (helmed by S.F. Ballet members Benjamin Freemantle and Madison Keesler) to make films that accompany their work and illuminate the choreograp­hic process.

Brett Conway is one of four dance makers creating choreograp­hy for SFDancewor­ks’ “4Play.”

 ?? Alex Reneff-Olson ?? “4Play”: 8 p.m. Friday-Sunday, Jan. 18-20. $35. Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St., S.F. www.sfdance works.org
Alex Reneff-Olson “4Play”: 8 p.m. Friday-Sunday, Jan. 18-20. $35. Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St., S.F. www.sfdance works.org

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