It might seem paradoxical, but organizations devoted to teaching and presenting dance are not particularly nimble.
The art form often requires considerable space and specialized facilities, minimum needs that make dance companies and schools especially vulnerable to displacement. With the arrival of Bay Area Dance Week, a massive if modestly titled celebration of all things terpsichorean that actually runs 10 days from April 26 to May 5, the challenges and opportunities created by the region’s booming economy are on full display.
With more than 400 events, the 21st annual BADW offers curious novices, dedicated artists and everyone in between free access to classes, performances, open rehearsals, lecture demonstrations and the uproarious Kick Off Event noon April 26 at Yerba Buena Gardens, where Rhythm & Motion leads One Dance 2019 (bayareadance.org/kickoff). After the group dance event, which usually draws hundreds of participants, Rhythm & Motion offers an array of mini-classes in the Yerba Buena Forum.
Presented by Dancers’ Group, BADW is a massive undertaking designed to celebrate the art form and introduce people to the international array of styles that thrive here, from ballet, belly dance, bhangra and samba to break dancing, hula, tango and Balkan folk dance. This verdant ecosystem is under strain, however, according to Michelle Reynolds, the Dancers’ Group program director.
“There have been some shifts as studio spaces have experienced displacement in the last year or so,” she says. “In San Francisco, some schools don’t have space currently, or are relocating after negotiating circumstances about leases. Dance Week is a celebration of the extraordinary wealth of dance here and also a very public statement that dance culture in the Bay Area is worthy of support to make sure it remains vibrant.”
Part of Dance Week involves honoring the people who make the region so rich in dance resources. This year’s Della Davidson Prize recipient is choreographer Sarah Bush, who has presented incisive, socially engaged work since 2007 as the founding artistic director of Oakland’s Sarah Bush Dance Project. The Dancers Choice Award winner is Santa Clara’s Sangam Arts, “a great representation of the extraordinary classical South Asian dance coming out of the South Bay,” Reynolds says.
Here are 10 suggestions for the BADW curious.
Flyaway Productions perform “The Wait Room”: Just awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, Jo Kreiter’s aerial dance company presents a site-specific dance about waiting and weighting, exploring of the physical, psychic and emotional burdens of prison for women with incarcerated loved ones. Details: 8 p.m. April 26, 1125 Market St., San Francisco.
S.F. Ballet Fan Fest — Company Class Observation: An up-close look at San Francisco Ballet dancers’ daily training on stage. Interactive booths outside War Memorial Opera House provide opportunities to try on a tutu, learn about pointe shoes and explore the company’s season. Details: 10 a.m.–2 p.m. April 27; War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco
Spring Dance Festival: This becomes a festival within a festival, as sjDANCEco presents more than 60 Bay Area dance organizations during a nonstop seven-hour program, from youth ensembles to professional companies and everything in between. Details: 11 a.m.–7 p.m. April 28, Eastridge Center, San Jose.
Tour Smuin Contemporary Ballet’s new home: Smuin proudly shows off the company’s new digs, a major accomplishment by a beloved Bay Area dance institution. Details: 3-5 p.m. April 29, 1830 17th St., San Francisco.
Flowtoys: Dancing with poi: An introduction to poi dancing, the art of movement while swinging two small weights around on cords. Details: 7-8 p.m. April 30, flowspace, 6315 Doyle St., Emeryville.
AXIS Dance Company open rehearsal: The nation’s premiere ensemble featuring dancers with and without disabilities, Axis presents an open rehearsal with excerpts of recent works. Participants must rsvp to info@axisdance.org. Details: 4-5 p.m. May 1, Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice St., Suite 200, Oakland.
“Dances for Camera” – Screendance Shorts: The San Francisco Public Library, in partnership with Dance Film SF, presents two collections of short screendance films in two programs of original choreographic works for camera. Details: 5-7:30 p.m. May 2, San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin St., San Francisco.
Afro-Haitian dance with Blanche Brown: Brown, something of a dance legend in the Bay Area, offers an introduction to the technique, culture and spirituality of Haitian dance, covering rada, nago and petro dance traditions as well as carnival and banda dances. She’ll be accompanied by a group of traditional drummers. Details: 7:15-8:45, May 3, ODC Dance Commons, 351 Shotwell St., San Francisco
Nordic Footnotes — Nordic folk dance: A one-hour class precedes a dance party featuring hambo, polska, springar, schottis and other traditional dances of Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland, accompanied by live music. Details: 7:30-10 p.m. May 4, St. Bede’s Episcopal Church, 2650 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park.
Bulbfest 2019 — Resilience: An outdoor dance and visual arts festival featuring more than 10 dance groups including contemporary, hip hop, tap and ethnic styles, with many artists creating outdoor sculptures, paintings and interactive works. Details: Noon-4 p.m. May 5, Albany Bulb.
Contact Andrew Gilbert at jazzscribe@aol.com
BAY AREA DANCE WEEK
When: April 26-May 5
Where: Classrooms and venues across the Bay Area; kick-off “One Dance” celebration is noon April 26 at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St., San Francisco
Tickets: All events and demonstrations are free, most do not require registration; bayareadance.org.
