I’m looking forward to you reading the articles in this month’s issue. While this is true every month—grin—these contributions hit a chord with me; the authors inform us on the generosity of spirit in which the featured dancemakers continue to approach their craft. Not that this has not been captured here before, it’s just that reading these pieces gives me a renewed belief in the vital role artists play in our community and, that they are a damn generous bunch. It reminds me of the tremendous love and devotion poured into their work. This love of dance, coupled with the inherent risk that artists take to lay bare their long-held visions of what becomes a dance, are what motivate me and so many to keep on keeping on.
Specifically, for Dancers’ Group, the creative projects we sponsor and the many other entities we see developing work throughout the Bay Area inspires us to rally efforts to find additional resources to support our membership of over 1,000 and growing.
While the numbers are significant, this represents just a small percentage of the creative community with which our organization wants to connect. I’ve mentioned the size of the membership so that you get a sense of the role you play in helping us add to the work that is being done in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you are not yet a member—and we have membership packages as low as free —please consider joining us to make dance more visible and viable. Alright, my fall “pledge” drive is over and, again, I am eager for you to turn the pages, read about your colleagues, and discover new artists to follow and admire.
We are equally proud of the images that grace the cover of In Dance, and this month once again showcases the amazing variety of dance forms and aesthetics that abound, collide and thrive here. Our community looks good.
We’ve launched a new column, “Did You Know?,” in which we ask companies throughout the Bay Area to describe their work, inspirations, humorous moments, favorite dance moves and more, to provide a glimpse into the variety of organizational models and practices. Mona Khan Dance Company—seen on America’s Got Talent as well as on the stage during the SF Ethnic Dance Festival—is the inaugural company to be featured. Please send us your suggestions for dance companies or other organizations that we can consider for this column.
We hope that you will join us Monday, Nov 11, for a panel discussion with ten international dance presenters and producers. They are here for American Dance Recon/SF and over five days they will attend performances and view work in rehearsal settings to better understand our local dance artists and companies. This panel session is free and details are in the community calendar with registration details at dancersgroup.org.
No matter how you define your relationship to Dancers’ Group, it’s a pleasure to connect with you.
Because she’s such a devotee of dance and a fun dancer, I am going to end with a quote from Ellen DeGeneres, “Be kind to one another.”
This article appeared in the November 2013 issue of In Dance.
