Archives for January 2013

The Isadora Duncan Dance Awards Committee announces the “Izzies” nominees and honorees for the 2011-12 performance season. The winners will be announced in an awards ceremony on Monday evening, March 25, 2013 at Z Space, 450 Florida St, San Francisco. izzies-sf.org

Outstanding Achievement in Choreography
Jess Curtis, Angus Balbernie, Silke Z., Jess Meets Angus, Jess Curtis/Gravity and Silke Z./resistdance, CounterPULSE, San Francisco

Shinichi Iova-Koga, Dana Iova-Koga, Dohee Lee, Line Between, inkBoat, ODC Theater, San Francisco

KT Nelson, Cut Out Guy, ODC Dance, Novellus Theater, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco

Gina Patterson, The Inconstant, SKETCH 2: The Women Choreographers, ODC Theater, San Francisco

Lizz Roman, DEEPER, Lizz Roman & Dancers, CounterPULSE, San Francisco

Outstanding Achievement in Performance – Individual
Fanny Ara, Romance, Fanny Ara Presents, Marines Memorial Theater, San Francisco

Sarah Griffin, In the Time, Amy Seiwart/Imagery, ODC Theater, San Francisco

Monique Jenkinson aka Fauxnique, Beautility, San Francisco City Hall, Rotunda, San Francisco

Shinichi Iova-Koga, Line Between, inkBoat, ODC Theater, San Francisco

Daniel Santos, ODC/Dance, 2011-2012 Season, Novellus Theater, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco

Outstanding Achievement in Performance – Ensemble
Fanny Ara and Manuel Gutierrez, Juncal Street, Fanny Ara Presents, La Peña Cultural Center, Berkeley

Rodney Bell and Sonsheree Giles, Full of Words, AXIS Dance Company, Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, Oakland

Jess Curtis and Angus Balbernie, Jess Meets Angus, Jess Curtis/Gravity and Silke Z./resistdance, CounterPULSE, San Francisco

Pearl Marill and Cason MacBride, Missed Connections, WestWave Dance Festival, ODC Theater, San Francisco

Daniel Santos and Jeremy Smith, Cut Out Guy, ODC/Dance, ODC Theater, San Francisco

Outstanding Achievement in Performance – Company
AXIS Dance Company, Full of Words, Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, Oakland

La Tania Baile Flamenco, Despertar es un Color, Cowell Theater, San Francisco

LEVYdance & The Foundry, Low Down, Z Space, San Francisco

Savage Jazz Dance Company, Friday February 10, Laney College Theater, Oakland

Vishwa Shanthi Dance Academy, Poorthi, Novellus Theater, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco

Outstanding Achievement in Music/Sound/Text
Michael Galasso, Music; Catherine Galasso, Sound Design, Bring on the Lumière!, Catherine Galasso, ODC Theater, San Francisco

Jason McGuire, Musical Direction, Juncal Street, Fanny Ara Presents, La Peña Cultural Center, Berkeley

Ramon & Jessica, Music; Dina Maccabee and Jesse Olsen Bay, Composer/Performers, In the Time, Amy Seiwert’s Imagery, ODC Theater, San Francisco

Watersaw – Nicole Laby with Chris Evans, Mark Fassett, Michael Tomatore, Music, DEEPER, Lizz Roman & Dancers, CounterPULSE, San Francisco

Dan Wool, Composer, Full of Words, AXIS Dance Company, Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, Oakland

Outstanding Achievement in Visual Design
Matthew Antaky, Installation Artist & Lighting Design; Mary Domenico, Costume Design; Frederic Boulay, Projection Design, The Water is Clear and Still, Liss Fain Dance, Z Space, San Francisco

Lauren Elder, Set Design; Ian Winter, Video Design, this.placed, Nina Haft & Company and Facing East Dance & Music, ODC Theater, San Francisco
Alex Ketley, Video Design, No Hero, The Foundry, Z Space, San Francisco

Amy Rathbone, Set Design, Installation & Drawings; Allen Willner, Lighting & Stage Design; Frank Lee, Stage Design & Construction; Alice Wu, Costume Design, Line Between, inkBoat, ODC Theater, San Francisco

Olivia Ting, Media Design & Video Editing; Ben Estabrook, Videography; Patty Ann Farrell, Lighting for Videos, Reflections, Leonora Lee Dance, CounterPULSE, San Francisco

Outstanding Achievement in Restaging / Revival / Reconstruction
Maria Caligari, revival of Scotch Symphony by George Balanchine (1952), San Francisco Ballet, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco

Jean Pierre Frolich, revival of Glass Pieces by Jerome Robbins (1983), San Francisco Ballet, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco

Alonzo King, revival of Who Dressed You Like a Foreigner by Alonzo King (1998), LINES Ballet, Novellus Theater, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco

Gary Masters, with assistance from Maria Basile, Hsiang Hsiu Lin & Raphael Boumaila, restaging of Missa Brevis by Jose Limon (1958), sjDANCEco, The California Theater, San Jose

Raymond Rodriquez, revival of Graduation Ball by David Lichine (1940), Ballet San Jose, San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, San Jose

Special Award Honorees
Krissy Keefer and Dance Brigade – From Wallflower Order to Dance Brigade: A 35-Year Retrospective Celebration – for performances chronicling the founding of the Wallflower Order through narrative, video archival footage, and re-creation of past repertory performed by Dance Brigade at the Novellus Theater, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on November 18-20, 2011

*Dancers Group – 2012 Bay Area Dance Week  – for making this year’s festival unique through organization, support, and presentation of free dance events in the San Francisco Bay Area during the week of April 20-29, including the flash-mob style opening celebration in One Dance to the participatory and powerful closing of Anna Halprin’s Planetary Dance

Cal Performances – Fall Free For All  – for presenting, producing, and commissioning various genres of dance, both renowned and emerging artists, to serve the UC Berkeley Campus and the broader public especially to new audiences and younger generation through free performances on September 25, 2011

Sustained Achievement Honorees
C. K. Ladzekpo, founder and director of the African Music & Dance Ensemble – for over 40 years of teaching and promoting African music and dance at U.C. Berkeley and throughout the San Francisco Bay Area

Jamila Salimpour, founder of Bal Anat – for her pioneering work and over 50 years of dedication to the art of Raks Sharqi and American Belly Dance
SFArtsED (San Francisco Arts Education) – for 50 years of bringing professional arts education to San Francisco schools, and for over 25 years of developing dance education for San Francisco elementary and middle school populations

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This article appeared in the January/February 2013 issue of In Dance.

Through our ongoing “New View” series, we introduce newcomers to the dance community. This month, we asked Hallie Dalsimer a few questions about herself and her role in the dance community here in the Bay Area. Hallie grew up in Santa Fe and has danced with choreographers there as well as in New York, Tel Aviv and at festivals around the world, in addition to presenting her own choreographic work. She is a teacher of Gaga, the movement language developed by Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin.

Dancers’ Group: What brought you to the Bay Area?
Hallie Dalsimer: I’ve considered moving to the Bay Area a couple of times before, and decided to spend a few months here last spring to feel it out. The Bay seems to have all the basic elements I’ve been looking for in a long term home – a vibrant artistic community; proximity and ease of access to some staggeringly beautiful nature; and a general pace of life that is neither driving nor plodding. As someone who has moved quite a bit, it is exciting to find that there are so many potential lifestyles here; one could make a significant personal shift without having to leave their community and start over somewhere else.

DG: The Bay Area is…?
HD: Vibrant. Varied. Full of possibility.

DG: What’s your gig(s)? How do you spend your time?
HD: My primary gig is teaching Gaga at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance. It has been a wonderful place to land – Summer Lee Rhatigan has been welcoming and generous with her support (both of myself and fellow Gaga teacher James Graham); the students are receptive to and excited about exploring this work; and we hope to see more and more interest from the wider dance and non-dance communities. I’m working on a few projects of my own, one of which is a roving site-specific piece that I hope to have up and running this coming spring/summer. I am also open to finding collaborative opportunities and freelance gigs as a dancer.

DG: What’s your secret spot in town?
HD: Not so secret, the top of Mt. Davidson offers a spectacular view of the city and is a great spot for a little morning yoga/qi gong practice.

DG: What’s your favorite food?
HD: Green chile – it’s a northern New Mexico thing (and nothing like Texas style chili). Also figs, persimmons and blueberries.

DG: What event(s) will we find you at in 2013?
HD: The News on January 8th, curated by Laura Arrington. La Alternativa & Alternative Conservatory’s FRESH Festival, December 31st – January 12th. I haven’t gotten much past January yet. Oh yes, and [Bay Area] Dance Week. It’s such a great opportunity to see who’s doing what and try new things, and we will likely be offering some Gaga classes.

DG: What’s your favorite Bay Area institution?
HD: There is so much I have yet to explore both in dance and in the wider community. So far, I am finding myself drawn to the programming at KUNST-STOFF arts, and am really enjoying what Yannis Adoniou, La Alternativa, and THEOFFCENTER are offering there. Also, The Lake Merritt farmers’ market is pretty awesome.

DG: First dance memory?
HD: Choreographing a solo to Sweet Home Alabama in my living room around age 11. I don’t remember many of the details, but I started doing lyrical jazz around that time so there were probably some layouts and fan kicks in there…

DG: Guilty dance pleasure?
HD: Watching So You Think You Can Dance. I’ve had a lot of discussions about the ramifications of dance being presented in this commercial form/ forum; and while I agree that it problematically reduces dance from art to entertainment, I do think that opening people’s minds to the possibility that dance is interesting/ exciting/ relevant to them is a good thing for such a marginalized art form. And some of those kids are really fantastic.

DG: Shortlist of inspiring people, books, moments, classes, etc?
HD: What comes to mind as I write this: The Little Prince. Pema Chodron’s When Things Fall Apart. P.O.R.C.H. and Witch Camp at Ponderosa. Gaga intensives in Tel Aviv (especially 2009 and 2012). A workshop with Matanicola in Berlin last August.

My dear friends Ariel Cohen and Stephanie Miracle, both passionate and dedicated art makers.

Teachers Kathleen Hermesdorf, Jules Beckman, Patricia Beaman, Jennifer Nugent, Elise Gent, (African dance), Tzipi Weiner (yoga), Sean Teabor (yoga), Jonathan Cutler (Sociology), Ann Wightman (History/ Latin American Studies).

A moment in a class with Ronn Stewart when I was 16 – his neighbor had shot his dog and the pain he was feeling was so evident in the movement, I felt like I was a channel for his raw emotion. It was my first experience of transcendence through dance.

Meditating in the jungle in Koh Phangan Thailand – getting a glimpse of how someone could sit atop a mountain without moving for years on end…

Building the Due Return (a giant immersive art installation centered around a 75’ long, two-story ship) with Santa Fe art collective, Meow Wolf. The wonderful community brought together by the dance parties of Team Everything (Santa Fe). The music of Nils Frahm.

DG: What’s heaven to you?
HD: Being present enough to appreciate all the gifts I am constantly receiving and to recognize the gifts in the challenges I am confronted with. Loving friends and supportive community.

DG: What’s hell to you?
HD: The feeling of chasing after things (people, friendship, opportunities). Getting mired in bureaucracy and political games/ posturing.

DG: What question do you wish we asked?
HD: Why do you make art? The short answer is, to raise questions and spark dialogue about how people engage with one another and with the wider world.  The language of dance is not literal, and I believe this space – the space between creative intent and viewer experience – is one of the communicative strengths of the art form.  I aim to make work that is accessible to a wide range of people, work that engages the viewer and invites them to dive into their own experience. The key to creating this invitation is to cultivate awareness and become more present within our own physical experience because the witnessing of a fully embodied moment resonates on a universal, human level – it invites everyone into the conversation.

Hallie Dalsimer grew up in Santa Fe, NM, graduated from Wesleyan University in 2005 (BA Government), and has recently relocated to the Bay Area. Hallie is one of the first Gaga teachers to come from outside of the Batsheva Dance Company. In addition to her current classes in San Francisco, Hallie has taught in Santa Fe, New York, Tel Aviv, and as the full time Visiting Artist for the University of Maryland Baltimore County in the fall of 2011.

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This article appeared in the January/February 2013 issue of In Dance.

Dancer-actor-visual-artist extraordinaire Antony Rizzi is coming February 7-9 to KUNST-STOFF arts to perform An Attempt to Fail at Groundbreaking Theater with Pina Arcade Smith, his recent piece where he simultaneously plays choreographer Pina Bausch, performance artist Penny Arcade and filmmaker Jack Smith. American born, Rizzi worked with [William] Forsythe from 1985-2003 before branching off to make his own choreography. Still based in Frankfurt, Rizzi and I talked online recently, where I learned more about his artistic approach and his perspectives on dance.

Emmaly Wiederholt: How would you characterize your artistic priorities right now?
Antony Rizzi: Umm gosh. Well, I want to say cooking. That’s my joke line.

I love to combine it all. I love to combine theater, dance, film and photographs. I like to mix all the things that I do. My last work was all about prostitution in dance and how that’s happening again. The birth of modern ballet, Nijinsky, started with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. All the ballerinas in the Paris Opera would go to the finest hotels to sell themselves after a show. Prostitution was big and Nijinsky was a prostitute, being passed around until he finally met Diaghilev and they said, “Hey let’s change the ballet world.” And it’s actually kind of happening again. I don’t know about the states but in Europe a lot of my students are supplementing their income by prostituting themselves.

It’s what pops up in my brain that needs to be talked about at the moment. Seeing Penny Arcade, the performance artist, perform when I was quite young at 27 in a piece called Bitch! Dyke! Faghag! Whore! made a big fan out of me. That’s why in An Attempt to Fail at Groundbreaking Theater half of me is Penny Arcade. The other half is Pina Bausch. I feel both of them really grab for compassion and for issues, although Pina is much more abstract and Penny is more direct commentary. And then I threw Jack Smith into the mix. Not because I knew Jack Smith, but I have been compared to him. Penny Arcade was good friends with him and took care of him when he was dying, so I’d heard her imitate his voice for years.

But to go back to your question, I’m always trying to communicate a certain message or reminder, always trying to remember what it is to be a human being. At the moment I’m trying to do a performance inside my apartment. I have a very beautiful, large, old, pre-war apartment and the whole room is covered with polaroids. It was for a performance in my apartment last year. I’m trying to figure out how to do a new performance here that incorporates food, a very intimate show for like ten people. The show last year was great. We only did 8 shows and we made $5000. We had people pay what they wanted and people paid $100, saying, “This was the best thing I’ve seen in years.”

EW: You come from a ballet background. When during your career did you find yourself delving into more theatrical and experimental dance/performance art? What was the transition like?
AR: I was always taking photographs as a kid. I wanted to be an actor. Then I saw Baryshnikov dance and suddenly I said, “I want to do that.” I started very late at 16. I got offered jobs at Les Ballets Trockadero or Frankfurt Ballet, and I chose Frankfurt Ballet. That first year we hardly danced at all. It was all very strange weird productions. I remember learning this piece where there was screaming and I just started laughing. You know, like, what the hell is this? So I think it was through my experience working with Forsythe and seeing the work of Pina Bausch which blew my mind as a twenty-year-old, seeing the combination of theater and dance. And for me that was always my problem with dance: how do I get the thought across with just a movement? Seeing Pina Bausch’s work I saw how it could be incorporated. In the work of Forsythe I just thought it was this weird thing. I had no idea what it looked like. I had no idea the power of it. Back then people hated it. Everybody was walking out and booing. They hated us. It was so radical. And then slowly it flipped. I was just talking about that today, how those first ten years of the company we weren’t really famous and people were joining because they believed in Billy, not because it was joining the cool company. I’m not saying that after that was bad, but those first ten years were an amazing, mind blowing experience.

EW: Do you still take ballet class? How would you characterize your personal relationship with ballet right now?
AR: I still love it. I still love taking class when the teacher is good. I took class today. I love teaching it and I love taking it. I think it’s also because it’s the only training I ever did. I became a modern dancer just from throwing myself around with Forsythe. We always made fun of modern class. We were such ballet snobs. And you know, after improvising with Forsythe for years on deconstructing lines and shape and understanding that we’re drawing space, suddenly my ballet got really good. From doing all the weird stuff my approach towards ballet became this whole other thing. And that’s what I try to get to my students. It’s too positional, the ballet world. I can see why a lot of people are afraid of it. When people take my class they say that, they say “I’m so afraid of ballet and you make it so approachable.” There’s so much great leg work that modern dancers don’t get, that articulation, which makes them richer. I just saw Sidi Larbi, he’s a choreographer from Belgium, and he was choreographer of the year. I saw his work and whatever, I didn’t like the work so much but the dancers were great. There was no real definition in their style. There are all these companies that mix everything; it’s hip-hop-yoga-ballet-jazz, and let’s put some talk in it too. It’s a big mix now. I always tell my students, go take anything. Take tap dancing. It will make you richer and you’ll be a better tool for choreographers. I don’t know what it’s like over there but here the dancers make up so much material. The director is more like an editor.

EW: What is your general process when you build a piece? Do you have a signature way of working?
AR: Usually I have an idea. Like this Pina Bausch piece, I was in Rome and I met an old girlfriend who was a baby ballerina in Boston. She’s a nun now and I hung out with these nuns in Rome and I was blown away. I said to myself, I need to make a piece about them. They’re so focused on love. I really got excited about their way of life and I wondered who else lives like that. I try to live like that. Pina Bausch lived like that. And from there it goes, and usually it goes quite quickly. It depends who I’m working with. That piece was made in 4 days. Snowman Sinking, the piece I do with my mother was made in a week. I have ideas in my brain; a certain subject matter is resonating in my head. And I’m taking pictures that matter too, even though I don’t realize it. And it all just starts to flow together. Usually it’s a point about something. I tend to be very critical of the world. I’ve always been critical. It used to drive my father crazy. I wanted to be a movie critic when I was a kid. And so I’m taking that criticism and using it as an instigating point. The Pina Bausch piece is very much a lecture on avant-garde of the past and present, and I think it’s very important for young artists to see the work. It talks about success and failure, this ca-pitalistic idea of success, how it’s just destroyed the Bohemian art world.

EW: When you work with a dancer or collaborator, do you take their training into consideration, or their personal charisma?
AR: Personal charisma, what kind of personality they are, whether they’re creative. Being musical is also important, it’s half the battle. I once did a performance with Forsythe called The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude. We had some strong ballet dancers in the company and he made this killer ballet. And he said he wanted me to do it. So I had fun going back to super ballet world. And at dress rehearsal Billy Forsythe came up to me and said “Jesus Christ you’re so fucking musical! It looks like you’ve got technique.” And I thought to myself, I’m going to take that as a compliment.

EW: What trends do you see emerging in contemporary dance/theater/art that you are most excited about?
AR: I’ve seen a lot of pieces that just don’t have any content. They’ve got some sort of concept behind it but it looks too much to me like, “We’re going to do a piece with rugs, so what can we do with a rug?” Interesting is the role of performance art and people going into states of being onstage. I find that’s a new element. And I see tons of people copying the Forsythe stuff. I just saw Wayne McGregor do a lecture and I actually complained on his Facebook, “You know you could have given some comment you got this from Forsythe who got it from Laban.” The other thing I’ve found with Forsythe’s work that’s affected dance is a fluid extreme elastic movement. I’m getting so bored. I just want people to fall down once in a while. Or be uncoordinated. In America people don’t really know Forsythe so well. They just know him from the ballet. But that’s like 1/8 of what we did. I mean, let’s be honest, America’s five years behind. And that’s fine. It can catch up. It’s not like a race. But things have advanced a lot over here the way people perform with this whole thing of talking onstage. People have really developed that, and not just like “Oh I’m going to talk on stage.” It’s one of the lines in the show when I’m Penny Arcade and I say “I’m the godmother of performance art. I know what you’re thinking, a bunch of dancers that are going to start talking. I can feel your pain already.” This performance is really a play with dance. It’s not a dance piece. We just performed it in Munich and people were in shock. It’s very audience participatory. They have to do the lights, they have to help me with costumes, and they have to play Jack Smith for a while because I’ve had difficulty playing three roles at once so it’s very give and take. I made it in 4 days, I don’t have time for a lighting man, I’ll just call out cues to a stranger in the audience. It’s very makeshift.

Antony Rizzi’s, An Attempt to Fail at Groundbreaking Theater with Pina Arcade Smith will be presented at KUNST-STOFF arts, February 7-9. kunst-stoff.org

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This article appeared in the January/February 2013 issue of In Dance.

After a seemingly endless election season, everyone could probably use a break from talking politics. But politics (and policy making) carries on, so here’s a quick run-down on what this election may mean for the arts in the next few years and what we all can do to stay involved.

National
While President Obama has long been a supporter of the arts, we can expect that the focus of any arts-related policies in the next few years will lean towards three areas: fiscal prudence, job creation and education.

Compared to Romney’s threats to defund the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), their staff must be feeling some relief. While it hasn’t always been wonderful under the Obama administration (the NEA has seen a 13% decrease in funding over the past two years), at least there’s a good chance it will be around to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2015.

And Obama has proposed a 5.5% increase in the NEA budget for next year, which if adopted by congress will bring their budget up to $154.3 million. This would increase state and regional arts agencies funding by $2.7 million, and direct funding to non-profits by $4 million.

Other than this proposed increase to the NEA, the Obama administration has been fairly quiet about their arts platform for the upcoming four years. The Democrats as a whole have been more transparent, including a specific Arts & Culture section in their platform:

“[Democrats] are committed to continuing the policies and programs that have already done so much for our creative arts industry and economy. Investment in the arts strengthens our communities and contributes to our nation’s rich cultural heritage. We will continue to support public funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, for the National Endowment for the Humanities, and for programs providing art and music education in primary and secondary schools. The entire nation prospers when we protect and promote the unique and original artistic and cultural contributions of the women and men who create and preserve our nation’s heritage.”

The arts were not mentioned once in the Republican party platform, which continues an unfortunate shift from just 25 years ago when Republicans considered arts and culture programs national treasures worthy of taxpayer support.

Partly because of this deep divide between the two parties, it’s unlikely we’ll see significant new efforts on behalf of the administration to support the arts in the next couple years, but there are a few promising programs in the works.

The first is a partnership between the NEA and the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) to develop nation-wide data on economic activity in the creative arts. The BEA is collecting information on a select group of commercial and non-profit entities, tracking their contributions to the gross domestic product.

Previously, the BEA only broadly reported estimates for the performing arts every five years, sometimes combining it with other areas such as sports and recreation. The new reporting will provide separate data on dance, theater and music; and shares industry details such as employment estimates of arts practitioners and those working in industries that produce goods and services for the arts such as dancewear makers.

Preliminary estimates will be released in 2013, and in 2014 the BEA will publish the findings in The Survey of Current Business, a key publication for leaders in economics and policy.

This project is part of the NEA’s current research agenda of ‘impact analysis’ – looking at how the arts affect various areas of our life including economy, science, education and human development.

Also on the national agenda, Obama has moved forward a new initiative that funds arts education in eight of the nation’s lowest performing schools. Based on research that arts education improves student performance, the Turnaround Arts Initiative from the President’s Committee on Arts and Humanities selected eight schools to receive $15 million for arts supplies, educator training and arts curricula.

The program is being developed in conjunction with the Department of Education, and will test the hypothesis that “high-quality and integrated arts education boosts academic achievement, motivates student learning and improves school culture in the context of overall school reform.” As this program unfolds, it may become an invaluable case study on arts education impact.

More information on this program, the research study this project is based on, and other arts and humanities initiatives from the Obama administration are available at the President’s Committee on Arts and Humanities website (pcah.gov).

One more thought on the national picture for the arts: the big topic after the election was how the shifting demographics played out in this election. Issues of importance to young voters and the increasing Latino population greatly impacted this election. The Bay Area has already been adjusting to demographic shifts for a number of years, but as resources continue to shift from Boomers to Generation X/Y, knowing who your audience might be is just as vital as knowing who they are now.

Local
Due to congressional redistricting, a number of Bay Area residents will have a new representative in congress this year. We’re fortunate to have a history of strong arts advocates – all of the incumbent Bay Area representatives scored an “A” or “A+” according to the Americans for the Arts’ recent congressional score card (there are two new Bay Area representatives in 2013 – Jared Huffman [D] and Eric Swalwell [D]).

With the new congress kicking off in January, it’s not yet possible to tell how redistricting will broadly impact the arts in the Bay Area. We can expect that the Democrat’s supermajority in California will prompt more legislation than usual to move forward, and in general the Democrats have been favorable to maintaining or increasing arts programs, but representatives have already mentioned ballot initiative reform, tax reform, and health care improvements will take priority in 2013.

What will affect many artists indirectly is the passage of the Proposition 30 tax increase. This tax increase is expected to raise $6 billion annually for California’s education system. Without the passage of Prop 30, the state was expected to cut millions of dollars for public schools – notable cuts included eliminating many arts programs at K-12 schools and reductions in arts and humanities courses at the university level. With Prop 30 passing, many of these draconian cuts are now off the table.

To keep these cuts off the table, it continues to be important to demonstrate the impact that art has on our community. In November, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee shared a new study by Americans for the Arts affirming the significant economic impact art has on the local economy.

“The nonprofit arts and culture sector is vital to the character of our City and now we have proof that it is critical to our local economy,” said Mayor Lee.

“Not only are the arts a cornerstone of our tourism industry, but we’ve seen first-hand how investing in the arts can help transform economically depressed neighborhoods and help them attract and sustain new businesses and jobs.”

The study also shows that despite the challenging economic climate, the arts sector continues to deliver billions of dollars into the nation’s economy.

“This is great news for our local arts and culture organizations, because this economic impact study sends a strong message that when we support the arts, we not only enhance our quality of life, but we also invest in the City’s economic well-being,” said Grants for the Arts Director Kary Schulman. To read the entire Americans for the Arts report, visit sfartscommission.org.

While it’s wonderful that Mayor Lee acknowledges the economic importance of the arts, it’s vital that our community offers concrete ways to engage the arts in all city planning. Mayor Lee cited innovation as one of the three main areas of focus for the 2013 and 2014 budget:

“Cities like San Francisco thrive because of their ability to cultivate innovative ideas. In order to meet the demands of the 21st century, we must all embrace innovation. Innovation in the public sector doesn’t just mean bringing technology into government, it is a different way of thinking, of collaboration, of solving problems, of doing more with less… and building on the incredible talents of both our public employees and the private sector in this City—the most innovative on the planet.”

This focus on innovation is echoed throughout the Bay Area. It’s important that as our local governments focus on this as a tool for economic and cultural development, artists remain visible as an important part in cultivating and sustaining innovation. As Randy Cohen from Americans for the Arts framed it, “We all have to make the case to our government leaders… we need to integrate artists into all aspects of municipal government so no decision is made without artist input (from manhole covers to traffic signal boxes to public garages to tourism).”

Now What?
With the start of a new legislative year, now is the time to make sure that your local and state congressional representatives are informed about the arts and understand their impact.

A personal letter can be a powerful tool for providing information that can be used by representatives when discussing the arts with fellow congressional leaders.
•  First and foremost – thank them for their past support of the arts!
•  Share a personal story about how the arts have changed your life or your community (if there’s anything I’ve learned from meeting with my representatives it’s that politicians love to share constituents’ stories).
•  Share information on issues that are important to you, such as arts education in public schools or tax deductions for charitable giving (see side-box).
•  Direct them to any research being done, such as the Americans for the Arts “Arts & Economic Prosperity Study” or the President’s Committee on Arts and Humanities website.

And encourage your friends, family and audiences to write to their congressional leaders. Especially those living in areas whose leaders may not be as informed about the impact the arts have on our cultural and economic growth.

Possible Changes to Tax Deductions for Charitable Contributions
In this fiscal climate, congressional leaders are currently looking for ways to close tax loopholes. One of the “tax loopholes” that has been discussed regularly is the deduction for charitable contributions.

The personal income tax deduction for charitable contributions was originally created as a way to reduce government waste by encouraging individuals to donate directly to organizations that provided government-like services. This includes the non-profit activity of many arts organizations – such as training programs that promote creative thinking and innovation or performance programs that share cultural learning.

As representatives debate how best to address the current fiscal climate, eliminating the charitable deduction may seem like a quick boost to the nation’s tax revenue. That both Republicans and Democrats now see this as a potential way to ‘reduce government’ and raise revenue is problematic, as it undercuts our communities’ ability to provide these invaluable services.

Most arts organizations rely heavily on individual donations to operate – with donations representing between 40-70% of their annual revenue. Multiple studies have shown that charitable giving significantly increases when incentives are provided (specifically through tax-deductions) – and that when the incentive is taken away, donations decreased in size and frequency.

If government wants to continue relying on the non-profit community to provide valuable services, eliminating the charitable tax deduction is not a viable option. Recently, President Obama announced that he will not support a cap on deductions, estimating that such a limit would cost charities at least $10 billion annually. While this is good news from the White House, it’s important that we get congress on the same page so that this doesn’t become a bargaining tool. Contact your elected officials and be sure they are informed about the importance of the personal income tax deduction for charitable contributions.

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This article appeared in the January/February 2013 issue of In Dance.

As the first high notes of fiddle fill the air, a group of twelve men in jeans and flannel shirts begin to clap rhythmically. A banjo joins the fiddle, and the men are off—stomping out a strong beat against the wooden floor, their toes and heels hitting the boards in a driving thump-clackity-thump as legs fly merrily. These are the Barbary Coast Cloggers, an all-male clogging ensemble known for their energetic and upbeat performances.

If America is, as the saying goes, a “melting pot,” then clogging is one of the earliest fusions drawn from that steaming cauldron. Once known as “American step dancing,” clogging is the first folk dance form of the United States. Ian Enriquez, Artistic Director of the Barbary Coast Cloggers, explains, “When the country was first formed, people from different countries would play instruments together, and you would have this blend that included Scottish and Irish fiddles, German mandolins, and African banjoes.” Immigrants and Native Americans mixed disparate musical styles, instruments and dance moves, teaching each other steps and notes as they went. From this mixture, our ancestors created bluegrass music and clog dancing. Contemporary audiences may be more familiar with tap-dancing, clogging’s highly syncopated off-shoot. Clogging, born in the Appalachian Mountains, retains a more relaxed, bucolic feel. Musing on the dance’s early formation, Enriquez says, “In a national history loaded with division, slavery, and discrimination, it’s uplifting to imagine people from such different backgrounds and cultures coming together and partying.”

In this respect, the Barbary Coast Cloggers remain true to the roots of the genre: the group itself is composed of men from diverse backgrounds and age ranges. The guys who perform in the Barbary Coast Cloggers ensemble have a wide range of day jobs: therapists, school principals, police officers and even piano tuners. But, like those early Appalachian cloggers, these men are brought together by a shared love of music, dance and camaraderie.

The Barbary Coast company is unique in that it is the only all-male traditional clogging group in the country. They began performing in 1981, an off-shoot of The Foggy City Squares, a gay square dance group dating back to the ‘70s. Though the current company is a mix of gay and straight men, the group’s all-male cast remains a part of their appeal. Audiences love the Barbary Coast Cloggers, says Ian Enriquez, because they’re responding to that boisterous masculine energy. Whereas some choreographers may portray masculine “strength” in dance using anger or violence, Enriquez is inspired by the “joyful and rambunctious” spirit of male dancers like Gene Kelly. For the Cloggers, Enriquez says, “Everything we do is about the joy of dance, and the audience responds to that.”

Sharing a love of dance

If the men of Barbary Coast Cloggers have an obvious love for dancing, then it’s no surprise that they love to share this joy with others. Though winter is generally a quiet time for the company, they regularly participate in several festivals throughout the year: the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival in June; the Bay Area Tap Festival in August; and the San Mateo Harvest Festival in November.

Year-round, the Cloggers also teach classes, open to dancers from all ages and walks of life, ladies included. Clogging is an easily accessible dance for newcomers: the distinctive metal taps can be glued to any comfortable pair of shoes. Sunday nights at the ODC Dance Commons, Ian Enriquez leads a two-hour lesson that gets progressively harder, encouraging students to push their skills and learn from advanced dancers. In the new year, the company will expand their class offerings, leading advanced classes on the weekends and beginning/intermediate classes on Monday nights at City Dance. Enriquez explains, “People like to have their weekends free. With weeknight classes, we can serve more working folks. I’m looking forward to teaching more people how to clog.”

The group also shares a dedication to charity work, and has been acknowledged by the City and County of San Francisco for its charitable contributions, which have helped raise thousands of dollars for local causes, including AIDS support organizations, MS and breast cancer research and the arts. Since its formation, the Barbary Coast Cloggers have focused their time and energy on providing entertainment at fundraisers in San Francisco, including a commitment to the Sundance Stompede and the Richmond-Ermet Pediatric AIDS Foundation. For one memorable show, the Cloggers donned Santa suits and joined Nancy Sinatra on-stage for “These Boots are Made for Walking,” a number that brought the audience to their feet. As Enriquez puts it, “We don’t turn down gigs for non-profits. It’s just a matter of two things: if we have enough dancers available for the evening and they have a good dance floor, then we can do it.” Of course, it’s a special bonus to perform a show that both entertains and educates, allowing the group a chance to speak about clogging’s rich history.

Clogging with a modern sensibility

Though clogging has a long tradition in bluegrass music, the Barbary Coast Cloggers recognize that folk dance is a living tradition, with room for growth. In addition to their traditional repertoire, the men of Barbary Coast dance to many types of music, from contemporary hip hop to pop hits, and even tunes from other parts of the world, like Hawaii and Algeria. As Artistic Director, Ian Enriquez welcomes the challenge of honoring the company’s traditional heritage, while also experimenting with the art form. In a daring move, the group performed to “Gangnam Style” at this year’s Harvest Festival. A pop music phenomenon from South Korean rapper PSY, the video for this song has given new meaning to the phrase “viral video.” With its immense popularity (garnering the highest single video viewing count on YouTube, at 867 million, as of November 2012), Enriquez says, “It was a lot of pressure, to do our own version. But the crowd loved it.”

Under Enriquez’s leadership, the Barbary Coast Cloggers have performed contemporary pieces at the Fresh Meat Festival and at the Nations of San Diego International Dance Festival. Enriquez admits that it can be nerve-wracking to walk the line between traditional and contemporary folk dance. But, bolstered by warm responses from festival producers and audiences, the company—and the dance style—will continue to evolve. Enriquez says, “I have challenged the artform, but that’s part of the tradition: to bring in other forms of movement and combine dance steps from mixed backgrounds.” While the group will continue to honor the company’s traditional heritage, Enriquez is encouraged by the success of their modern pieces. “It’s fun to celebrate all the different things we can bring in and help it grow.”

Always looking for a new inspiration as a choreographer, Ian Enriquez has found insight in the emotionally rich music of Los Angeles composer Shawn Kirchner’s Meet Me on the Mountain, a suite of bluegrass and soulful country inspired by the movie Broke Back Mountain. The Barbary Coast Cloggers have premiered dances to two of these songs, wherein Enriquez pushed himself to create more square dance formations. With these successful works under his belt, Enriquez faces a unique challenge. Unlike the other songs on the album, the final song best suited for clogging directly addresses gay marriage. For this reason, Enriquez is understandably nervous. The company’s history is closely connected to the gay community, yet their work remains non-political, and definitely non-romantic. With an all-male company, the Barbary Coast Cloggers rarely do “partner work,” like one sees with co-ed groups. Instead, the company changes partners without end, switching and pairing only briefly. The prospect of creating male-to-male partner work for Kirchner’s song is both exciting and terrifying. Enriquez is ready for the challenge, saying “We just have to confront it and perform it and see what comes of it.” With a track record of crowd-pleasing and critically-acclaimed performances, it seems likely that the Barbary Coast Cloggers will rise to the test with their unique brand of joyful exuberance.

To learn more about the Barbary Coast Cloggers, visit their website at www.barbarycoast.org.

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This article appeared in the January/February 2013 issue of In Dance.

A bounty of generous resources from our dance community and the San Francisco Bay Area is how I found my way through a return of breast cancer and the death of my mother a few weeks before the mastectomy of my right breast. A list of resources that support healing, and living with cancer, is provided at the end of this article.

Part One: Mortality Meets with Performance
I never imagined navigating a life threatening illness while being in that very vulnerable state called performance. Yet there I was, performing with a blessed community of nine performers in January 2012 at The Garage. I had just learned from my yearly mammogram that the cancer has likely returned. The only way I can brave this performance is to keep the cancer secret. I just can’t handle both at once. If someone offered me sympathy I would simply fall apart.

In my heightened state we gather with our composer, lighting designer and stage manager the night before the first performance to make the nine haikus into one dance, Ancestors Speak. I realize the gift for me is experiencing the ties of shared care and creativity. This sharing provides the knowledge that I am not alone.

I fall flat on my face… literally, after the first performance. I am crossing a street and stumble. Never having a chance to put out my hands I end up kissing the rocky asphalt. Obviously I am more scared than I have been able to admit. Scars on my face and vulnerability ten fold I pray that I can perform the second night. Several of the performers from Ancestors Speak sit on stage holding the space for me through my solo, Bare Bones Crow. As I end all the performers surrounds me as I say, “YES”! … to this landslide of darkness. They do not realize the blessing and shelter they provide.

By February the cancer is certain. I am unable to face letting people know. This is when I first ask for help. Kind friends form a phone tree and email to tell family and friends. I create a list and in so doing I realize the gift I have of friends and family.

With cancer no longer a secret I am honored to perform a solo created by Ruth Botchan at the end of February. Consulting Summer’s Clock is based on a poem by Emily Dickenson, about the realization of being halfway through one’s life. However, I am so aware that the end of life is an unknown that this becomes the theme for my performance. I am uncertain I am capable of revealing so much.

This time I face a performance with no secrets. The first night I walk out waiting in cold fear for the lights to come up. In the light I stand inviting being seen in my fear and my love. I slowly raise my right arm, marking the time of now. My hand trembles with the deepest feeling. Uncertainty becomes for the first time a truthful and therefore powerful expression. The middle section is a trio and I am blessed at the end to join them. I feel their heart and warmth. Not knowing if I will be performing again, I treasure each performer and both performances as never before.

At the same time that I am feeling my own mortality I am losing my mother. Mom’s 96th birthday is March 1st. She is receiving hospice care. Her life is coming to a close any time now. The comfort of her arms will not be possible. How will I manage living through her death in combination with the fear of losing my life?

Adding to the waves of fear I am experiencing is the loss to our community of Della Davidson. She dies on March 13th after her long battle with breast cancer. I am amazed at how many women I know and dance with who have had breast cancer. It is not something often shared. It is good to talk with these women and hear their experience. Terry Sendgraff is a long time survivor of breast cancer whose dance I fortunately saw years ago where she revealed her ‘new body’ after her mastectomy.  I call and receive her wisdom and care.

I am told that I must have a mastectomy because the cancer (Ductal Carcinoma) is invasive and spreading through much of my right breast. My surgeon will take a sentinel lymph node at the time of the surgery to see if it has spread beyond my breast. I meet with a plastic surgeon to hear about implant options. All of this information/options is delivered as a bewildering deluge. To help manage all of this new information I worked with the Decision Support Program available through Cancer Support Community. They helped me to communicate clearly with my medical team, ask critical questions about options, and helped ensure that my treatment decisions fit my personal hopes and goals.

I begin getting weekly acupuncture at one of the People’s Organization of Community Acupuncture. They have sliding scale fees of $15-40. I also go to the student clinic at Ohlone Center of Herbal Studies, where they prepare tinctures and teas for me. It is here and at my acupuncture clinic that I receive the loving-care that I desperately need as I prepare for the surgery ahead. I also begin a stress management class. Our teacher is wonderful. I relearn the importance of simplifying and finding joy in the moment. Being aware that at this very moment all is well.

As the months progress, I have no heart to go into the studio. My long held practice of working in the studio twice a week comes to a halt. However I go with a joyful heart to a movement symposium with the theme of LOVE. There are four of us. We have been gathering for these symposiums for seven years now. We arrive at the theme by consensus. This one is especially picked for me. At the end I am lying on the studio floor with their loving hands touching me. I float in the warmth.

April, the month of my birth and of Bay Area Dance Week, arrives. I experience a separation from my life in dance.  I have no idea how my body will feel and be after surgery. Will I die? My fear that dance will be taken away from me is nipping at my heels. I am bereft. Fortunately, I have felt the benefit of somatic work since my mid-twenties when I was introduced to Ideokinesis (based on Mable Todd’s book The Thinking Body). I begin regular sessions of Feldenkrais and Carniosacral Therapy. They take me to a deep sensing of my body so I can stay anchored in my wholeness.

In order to keep a movement class in my routine I begin taking a qigong class. I am once again happy to be part of a community who love to move. At the same time I receive the health benefits of this practice. Additionally, I am walking with weights on my arms to build my strength.  I continue weekly acupuncture and taking my herbs. I am eating healthily. My herbalist suggests that getting ready for surgery is like training for a marathon.
I am figuring out how to take a 6-week work sabbatical. Something I thought impossible. I realize the essential act is to ask and help will be given. I am blessed by the willingness of staff to assume parts of my work. I feel their love.

April is also the time that friends help by organizing a Caregiver Schedule and an email group to give people periodic progress reports. Many of my caregivers come from our dance community. With many I have a long-standing close connection. However I am surprised and touched by those who volunteer that I know but not closely.

April 19th I fly to Portland, Oregon to see Mom. It is the last time I see her alive. I shower her with my love. All the old problems between us become insignificant. I hold her and tell her how much I love her. At the end of my visit, Mom sings for me. Singing is always her deepest expression of joy and love.

April 26th, my birthday, my brother calls me to let me know that she will die any time now. It is difficult knowing that I won’t be able to be there for her transition. In order to feel our connection I begin talking with her spirit. Sharing my joys, love, fears and grief. May 2nd Mom dies. Linda, a staff member at Mom’s assisted living shares with me that she sang Mom all her favorite songs the night before her death.  Exactly what I would have wanted for her. This is a dear gift to me as well as Mom.

My surgery on May 24th is coming all too fast. There is no turning back. So forward I must go. I know it is important to find a community dealing with breast cancer and so I attend a breast cancer support group the week before my surgery. I sign up to receive email from this group so that I can keep connected. My stress level is rising quickly and to help I listen nightly to a pre-surgery guided imagery meditation. I get permission to listen to this while having the surgery. This provides me with something beyond my fear to focus on – a safe haven for my spirit. The nipple-sparing mastectomy with sentinel lymph removal (1 to 3 nodes are removed for biopsy to determine if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body) was done first. Then, during this same surgery, my plastic surgeon put in an implant and reduced the size of my left breast. Holy cow! So much altering of my body in one fell swoop.

I wake in the recovery room and hear the great news that the cancer had not spread. This means I am cancer free and will not need radiation or chemotherapy. All I face is healing from the surgery. The primary concern with wound healing is lymphedema (the arm swells). Other possible side effects are numbness in the upper arm (this can be temporary or permanent) and reduced movement in the arm and/or shoulder. My gratitude for my life cancer-free is immense. Now the uncertainty is will I suffer any of these side effects?

Added to these concerns, I return for more surgery on June 6th because the nipple is not healing. It and the implant are removed. In place of the implant a breast tissue expander is inserted. Once the breast is healed and the tissue expanded this expander is removed and I will receive another implant. This will happen many months later.

The caregivers schedule begins the day of my first surgery and continues for a month. I am showered with help, good company and delicious food. Despite the necessity to stay at home I am not alone. My recovery benefits from this. Although I am far from taking up my dance life, I am still connected to the community through many of my caregivers. We talk and we share. I realize that whatever comes I am grateful for my life in this Bay Area dance community. I believe I will find my way to dancing with this new body.  I am healing and I am safe.

On June 24th my family gathers in Sacramento (home for our family since the gold rush era) to celebrate Mom’s life. I wear one of her hats from the 1930’s. This hat became part of a dance I created, Traveling with Bits of Mumbo Jumbo. By wearing it I honor how dance and my mother’s spirit have intermingled. The most precious moment is joining together in singing a favorite of Mom’s, When Irish Eyes Are Smiling. I know now that although I do not have her arms to hold me I have her unconditional love to guide and sustain me through whatever comes.

Healing Resources
National Organizations
American Cancer Society: www.cancer.org

Breast Cancer Actions: www.bcaction.org, www.thinkbeforeyoupink.org

National Lymphedema Network: www.lymphnet.org

General and Local Cancer Resources
Breast Cancer Connections: www.bcconnections.org

Institute for Health & Healing at Sutter Health: www.myhealthandhealing.org

Lotsa Helping Hands: www.lotsahelpinghands.com

Shanti Project Breast Cancer Program: www.shanti.org

Women’s Cancer Resource Center: www.wcrc.org

Psychological/Spiritual Resources
Cancer Support Community: www.cancersupportcommunity.net

Center for Attitudinal Healing: www.cah-northbay.org

Women’s Health Resource Center: www.cpmc.org
(includes The Cancer Buddy Program. It matches volunteers, who are themselves cancer survivors, with newly diagnosed cancer patients.)

Somatic/Complementary Resources
Charlotte Maxwell Complementary Clinic: www.charlottemaxwell.org

Craniosacral Therapy: www.upledger.com

Feldenkrais: www.feldenkrais.com/

Ohlone Herbal Center, Berkeley: www.ohlonecenter.org

People’s Organization of Community Acupuncture: www.pocacoop.com

Part Two of “A Turning Point” will be in the March issue of In Dance.

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This article appeared in the January/February 2013 issue of In Dance.