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Dance IS Festival
2006 Participants Announced!
Dance IS Borders
Friday, March 3, 2006 |
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Dance IS Journey
Saturday, March 4, 2006 |
High School |
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Berkeley High School Dance Production |
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Moreau Catholic High School |
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The Branson Dance Performance Ensemble |
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College |
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Saint Mary’s College Dance Company |
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Mills College Repertory Dance Company |
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Paco Gomes and Dancers/SF State |
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Professional |
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Frank and Bryan Dance |
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Ahdanco/Abigail Hosein Dance Company |
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High School |
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Marin Civic Ballet School |
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GRRRL Brigade |
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East Oakland School of the Arts Dance Production Class |
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College |
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University of San Francisco Dance Company |
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Aspect Contemporary Dance |
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Professional |
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Zari Le'on Dance Theater |
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Carol Kueffer Dance |
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Kinesis |
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ABOUT THE DANCE IS FESTIVAL
 The 1990's saw a dislocation of arts groups, both large and small. When Dancers’ Group closed its doors in The Mission in San Francisco, it seemed that dance in the Bay Area was in a serious predicament. Dance groups needed a way to come together to share resources, space and audiences. We decided to meet with local dancers to see what the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts could do to become part of the dance community.
After much planning, we received more than 30 definite RSVPs from dancers for our September 11th, 2001 meeting.
One by one, on that terrifying day, more than half of the planned attendants called to see if the meeting was still taking place, each dancer wanting to do something passionate and meaningful. From that emotional meeting came the building blocks which eventually developed into this First Annual Dance IS Festival. It was so clear to all of us that in this time of uncertainty, what dancers have to say needed more than ever to be seen. Bringing together dance groups from high schools and colleges as well as professional dancers, we've shown the whole spectrum of what's happening in the East Bay Dance scene.
Our dance advisors asked many questions: Where can East Bay choreographers present their work? Could local college dance departments get together and perform together? How can more people see the vibrant work going on at the high school level? How can we grow a new audience for dance? How can we break down barriers between dancers and their supporters?
We wanted to create a new festival with new people and new angles to a Bay Area dance event and succeeded in including:
• high school, college, and professional groups performing together
• a unifying theme for each performance
• group sharings, several weeks before the performances to build community, share dances, and discuss our work
• an East Bay festival featuring East Bay groups (we all love San Francisco, but we make our homes over here for a reason)
We hope you enjoy the performance and discover what dance IS all about!
Bridget Frederick and Jill Randall,
Dance IS Festival Co-Chairs
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