WHAT’S SHAKING AT BAY AREA DANCE WEEK? WE’VE GOT A RUNDOWN
Oakland’s Mix’d Ingrdnts troupe slated to receive the Choice award
Divisive times call for unified movements. That’s the sentiment adding a jolt of urgency to the 19th annual Bay Area Dance Week, the vast open-door celebration of all things terpsichorean that runs from April 21-30 in studios, theaters, and classrooms around the region.
Presented by Dancers’ Group, an essential and often behind-the-scenes force energizing the Northern California dance scene, Dance Week arrives at a moment when “the idea of coming together with all our differences is so powerful,” says Dancers’ Group executive director Wayne Hazzard.
“I think of the Women’s March and the idea of all these people coming together. Each was carrying their own signs and their own history. That is so resonant, particularly to our dance communities, whether somebody is making political-based art or not.”
With free admission to all events, Dance Week is designed to coax curious people into trying or checking out a style or tradition they’ve always been curious about, from tango, bhangra and ballet, to salsa, Balkan folk dance and aerial arts. BADW also recognizes the contributions of leading choreographers and organizations like Oakland’s Mix’d Ingrdnts Dance Company, this year’s Dancers Choice Award winner.
Directed by Jennifer “Jenay” Anolin and Samara Atkins, who launched Mix’d Ingrdnts in 2010, the company brings together a diverse array of women artists in an all-styles dance company. The award “is about their sense of female empowerment,” Hazzard says. “It feels like the perfect time to acknowledge their work as a youngish company, committed to their community.”
This year’s Della Davidson Prize recipient is Deborah Vaughn, long-time artistic director of Dimensions Dance Theater. Steeped in traditional dance forms from cultures throughout the African continent and the Caribbean, she creates work exploring the AfricanAmerican experience that honors both sides of the hyphen.
Both awards will be handed out at BADW’s Kick Off event April 21 in San Francisco.
With some 600 dances, classes and workshops, BADW is impossible to
encompass in one story. Here are five Dance Week events that represent the celebration at its most exciting and intriguing. Complete information about Bay Area Dance Week events is available online at www. bayareadance.org. The Kick Off “One Dance”: A group dance that anyone can learn on video, “One Dance” gets Dance Week started with a celebratory street party. Well, it was a street party until last year, when the Union Square gathering was rained out, so this year’s event has moved indoors to City Hall’s grand rotunda. With a routine created by Rhythm & Motion to a remix of Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” the kick-off offers a chance to join hundreds of others dance enthusiasts. Details: Noon, April 21, San Francisco City Hall. “Once Dance” rehearsals will be held from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. April 16 and 7:45-9:15 p.m. April 19 at ODC Dance Commons, 351 Shotwell St., San Francisco. sjDANCEco Festival @ Santana Row: A festival within a festival that marks sjDANCEco’s 15th season, this free outpouring of dance brings out some five dozen dance organizations to Santana Row’s outdoor festival stage, showcasing companies from around the Bay Area, from children’s ensembles to professional troupes. Lin HH Dance, Los Lupenos de San Jose, Los Gatos Ballet, Project B., and Veksler Academy of Music and Dance and others are slated to perform. Details: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 23, Santana Row, San Jose. Aerial Artique — Exploring the Possibilities of Aerial Arts: If you ever wanted to defy gravity, BADW offers several opportunities to get up close and personal with aerial arts, including this introduction to multiple aerial apparatuses for live demonstrations and experimentation with the guidance of trained professionals. Come in tight fitted clothing, with leggings or knee-covering tights highly recommended. Details: 7 to 9 p.m. April 23, Aerial Artique, 132 9th St., San Francisco. Hope Mohr Dance — Precarious Open Rehearsal: The insistently inventive choreographer Hope Mohr offers a peek into her creative process with an open rehearsal for new piece “Precarious.” The full piece premieres at CounterPulse on June 1-3 as part of Hope Mohr Dance’s 10th home season. Details: 2 p.m. April 26, Joe Goode Annex, 401 Alabama St., San Francisco. Tamalpa Dances with Iu-Hui Chua: The matriarch of post-modern dance, Anna Halprin turned her glorious Marin deck into a hotbed of creative exploration. At 96, she doesn’t teach many classes anymore, but she’s mentored many highly accomplished artists, including Iu-Hui Chua. This workshop introduces her Tamalpa Life/Art Process and focuses on “developing fundamental tools of kinesthetic awareness and innovative choices in scoring, movement and improvisation.” Dancers of all levels are welcome. Details: 10 a.m. April 29, Anna Halprin’s Mountain Home Studio, 15 Ravine Way, Kentfield.