SPEAK: Shifting the Paradigm

Many of us teaching artists have unwittingly become stuck in dangerous perceptual habits. While this is happening across all levels of education, I want to focus on the issues of college […]

The Body Politic: Baroque Dance Speaks Truth to Power in The Temple of Glory

Dance has never been more political than it is today, with artists creating work on themes of feminism, racism, inequality, violence and the fight for justice. The issues may be topical, […]

Dancing Lessons: How Engaging Dance Audiences Is Educating the Field

How many grants encourage you to come up with your own plan, experiment mid-stream with what works and what doesn’t, and engage in discussions with other grant recipients while in […]

Bringing the Message: Naomi Diouf and Diamano Coura West African Dance Company

My conversation with Naomi Diouf, who with her husband Dr. Zakayria (Zak) Diouf is artistic director of Diamano Coura West African Dance Company, came about because of the upcoming celebration, […]

MAKING THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE: Jo Kreiter Brings Attention to Older Homeless Women

Isadora Duncan Award-winning choreographer Jo Kreiter draws from a variety of disciplines and lenses: gymnastics, Chinese pole acrobatics, social justice and urban revitalization, to name a few. Along with her apparatus-based aerial dance […]

Critical Dialogues: Rachel Howard and Pearl Marill

WHAT IF, rather than writing a review, a critic sat down with a choreographer to have a two-way conversation about the work? That’s the experiment behind Critical Dialogues. For this […]

Critical Dialogues: Heather Desaulniers and Christy Funsch

What if, rather than writing a review, a critic sat down with a choreographer to have a two-way conversation about the work? That’s the experiment behind Critical Dialogues. For this […]

Turn Around to See What’s Coming Next: A Conversation with Brenda Way about ODC’s 45th Anniversary

DURING A RESIDENCY at the American Academy in Rome, ODC’s Founder and Artistic Director Brenda Way remarked on the way early Romans conceived of the future, not by looking forward […]

Grief and Patience: An Interview with Choreographer Stephen Pelton

IN MARCH, Stephen Pelton Dance Theatre returns to San Francisco after seven years with a new, full-length work Lauda Adrianna. I recently had a FaceTime with Stephen from his home […]

Searching for the Right Mix; WestWave Dance Festival 2007

A staple of the Bay Area’s summer dance scene for 16 years, the WestWave Dance Festival (WWDF) is preparing for its 2007 season at Project Artaud Theater. Once again, the […]