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San Francisco BayPress Release from 5th Annual Bay Area Dance Awards
Fifth Annual Bay Area Dance Awards Announces Recipients
for the 2006-07 Performance Viewing SeasonSAN FRANCISC0—April 29, 2008—On Monday, April 28, the best in Bay Area dance was celebrated at the fifth annual Bay Area Dance Awards, a cornerstone event of Bay Area National Dance Week.
The Bay Area Dance Awards was presented by Dancers’ Group in partnership with the 22nd Annual Isadora Duncan Dance Awards (“The Izzies”), Bay Area National Dance Week, Voice of Dance, and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
Isadora Duncan Awards (“Izzies”) were awarded in nine categories to dancers, choreographers, their collaborators, composers, and others contributing to the vitality and advancement of the Bay Area’s dance community. There were also Special Awards and awards for Sustained Achievement. This year, in celebration of its 10th Anniversary, Bay Area National Dance Week presented its first annual Dancers’ Choice Award, recognizing a significant contributor to the Bay Area dance community.
The event was hosted by CK Ladzekpo, director of the African music program at the University of California at Berkeley and by Farah Yasmeen Shaikh, administrator and dancer with the Chitresh Das Dance Company.
The evening also included performances by local companies Los Lupeños de San José and students of the San Francisco School for the Arts and a moment of reflection for local, national, and international dance artists who passed away during the year.
Izzies Awards for the viewing cycle September 1, 2006 through August 31, 2007 were given as follows:
Music/Text/Sound (Two Awards Given)
Abbos Kosimov “Shodiana”, 2007 San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival
Under the Radar team w/ musical direction by Matthias Herrmann, “Under the Radar”Visual Design
Jo Kreiter, David Fredrickson & Stephen McCaffery/figureplant, Sean Riley, “Live Billboard Project”, Flyaway Productions
Individual Performance
Ibrahima Diouf, “JUSAT”, Diamano Coura West African Dance Company, 2007 San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival
Ensemble Performance
Danny Luong, Peter Luong, “Lion Leaping Through the Plum Blossom Mountain to Reach the High Green, Leung’s White Crane Lion and Dragon Dance Association”, 2007 San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival
Company Performance
Jess Curtis/Gravity, “Under the Radar”
Restaging/Revival/Reconstruction
“Misa Flamenca”, Miguel Santos, Theatre Flamenco of San Francisco
Choreography
“Under the Radar” team with direction by Jess Curtis, Under the Radar
Sustained Achievement (Three Awards Given)
Miguel Santos of Theatre Flamenco of San Francisco
Pam Hagen of SF Dance Center and co-founder of LINES Ballet and San Francisco Dance Center
Pick School of Ballroom DancingSpecial Awards (Two Awards Given)
“Diaspora Negra”, Gabriela Shiroma, Director of De Rompe y Rajas Afro-Peruvian Cultural Association
“Kathak at the Crossroads International Festival & Symposium”, Chitresh Das, directorDancer’s Choice Award
Jessica Robinson, Executive Director, CounterPULSE
Background on Artists & Performances
Music/Text/Sound
Abbos Kosimov “Shodiana”, 2007 San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival
Mr. Kosimov is a specialist in the dobra (frame drum). He founded the Abbos Group of National Instruments and received the title of Honored Artist of Uzbekistan. He provided the percussion for dancer Tara Catherine Pandeya, also nominated for her performance in the 2007 San Francisco Ethnic Dance FestivalUnder the Radar team w/ musical direction by Matthias Herrmann, “Under the Radar”
Directed by Berlin musical artist Matthias Herrmann, the musical/textual/creative Under the Radar Team is comprised of eight artists: Ulrike Bodammer (Berlin), Claire Cunningham (Glasgow), Jess Curtis (SF), Kaz Langely (England), Jörg Müller (France), Maria Francesca Scaroni (Italy), Patrick Simms (SF), and Matthias Herrmann (Berlin). Each contributed and shaped unique, original material in collaborative processes conceived by Jess Curtis.Visual Design
Jo Kreiter, David Fredrickson & Stephen McCaffery/figureplant, Sean Riley, “Live Billboard Project”, Flyaway Productions
“Live Billboard Project” introduced site-specific dance into the commercial theater of large-scale billboard advertising. Two stories above the busy, dirty sidewalk at 24th and Mission Streets in San Francisco, four female aerialists swung through the air, bounding off a 20-by-30-foot billboard that offered no products, only the question: "Does Beauty Ravish You?" Jo Kreiter directed (Flyaway Productions), David Freidrickson/figureplant provided scenic and prop elements, Stephen McCaffery/figureplant provided graphic design, and Sean Riley provided rigging expertise (Gravity Design, Inc.).Individual Performance
Ibrahima Diouf, “JUSAT”, Diamano Coura West African Dance Company, 2007 San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival
Ibrahima began dancing professionally at age 12 with Diamano Coura West African Dance Company led by Naomi and Emmy Award winner Dr. Zakariaya Diouf. His electrifying solo illustrated a youthful enthusiasm that defied gravity. Presented at the 2007 San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, by one of the Bay Area’s foremost West African dance companies, the complete original work explored a personal journey and its universal expression in ritual blending traditional West African dance with contemporary American influences, and featured both traditional and pop music from Senegal and Mali.Ensemble Performance
Danny Luong, Peter Luong, “Lion Leaping Through the Plum Blossom Mountain to Reach the High Green, Leung’s White Crane Lion and Dragon Dance Association”, 2007 San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival
This teenage dynamic duo performed the Chinese Lion Dance in the Cantonese style similar to the type preserved by Cantonese opera groups in the late 18th century. They brought to life and gave personality to the traditional costumed character by jumping atop eight poles to drumming accompaniment. Often humorous, their elevated dance symbolized the goals that human beings try to attain during their lifetimes, and the eight posts represent the obstacles and challenges encountered in life to reach those goals.Company Performance and Choreography
Jess Curtis/Gravity, “Under the Radar”
Jess Curtis founded Jess Curtis/Gravity in 2000 as a research and development vehicle for live performance engaging body-based art. “Under the Radar” dealt with issues of virtuosity, ability, and disability with an international cast of disabled and non-disabled performers.Restaging/Revival/Reconstruction
“Misa Flamenca”, Miguel Santos, Theatre Flamenco of San Francisco
“Misa Flamenca”, performed by Theatre Flamenco de San Francisco at Cowell Theater, was revived from its original 1975 season. Its use of church and marriage ritual set to flamenco forms, nicely lit by Patrick Toebe, enhanced by the Spanish cape which engulfs any male with mystery and panachel was choreographed by Miguel Santos, and incorporated bits of street life, custom and ritual to evoke Spanish life.Sustained Achievement Awards:
Pam Hagen – 25 years
Ms. Hagen founded LINES Ballet in 1982 with Alonzo King and Robert Rosenwasser. Together they grew the company from a start-up to a national and international touring organization. Pam served as Executive Director through 2001 and as a member of the Board of Trustees (1983-2007). She helped to found San Francisco Dance Center in 1989, managing it until 2007. She oversaw the Center’s move to its current home at Seventh and Market Streets. She served as a founding member of the steering committee for Bay Area Celebrates National Dance Week, as a panel member for the Art Commission’s Cultural Equity Program, and as a member of the mid-Market Project Area Committee.Miguel Santos – 40 years
Miguel Santos has been with Theatre Flamenco since its inception, serving as principal dancer and choreographer. In 1987, he assumed the role of artistic director from Adela Clara and held that post until 2007. He began his studies in classical ballet with Carmelita Maracci. His Spanish dance training began in Los Angeles in 1954, and soon thereafter he traveled to Spain where he studied with all the major flamenco teachers. Mr. Santos has performed with Teatro la Zarzuela of Madrid and later, José Greco’s company, during which time he appeared in the film “Around the World in 80 Days”. He also performed in Lola Montes’ company. He performed in “La Traviata” for the San Francisco Opera and for the Seattle Opera with Beverly Sills. A three-time NEA Choreography Fellowship recipient, Mr. Santos’ major works include “Misa Flamenca”, “Concerto No. 2”, and “Regionalismos”, among many others. Mr. Santos has served as a panelist for the California Arts Council. He currently teaches flamenco at the San Francisco Dance Center and is artist-in-residence at Fair Oaks Elementary School in Redwood City, California.Pick School of Ballroom Dancing – 45 years
Pick School of Ballroom Dancing was founded by Rhona Pick and her dance partner, Roy Hinton, in 1961. Rhona and Roy were the undefeated United States West Coast professional ten-dance champions. They renamed the school the Hinton Pick School of Ballroom Dancing. The dance team trained and competed throughout the U.S. and Europe representing the U.S. in world championships in Berlin (1966), Zurich (1968), at Blackpool, England and London's Royal Albert Hall many times. In 1968 Roy and Rhona founded San Francisco's International Grand Ball Dance Championship. The celebrated dance team retired from professional competition in 1974.Special Awards
Special Award: “Diaspora Negra”, Gabriela Shiroma, Director of De Rompe y Rajas Afro-Peruvian Cultural Association
Peruvian-born Gabriela Shiroma founded De Rompe y Rajas Afro-Peruvian Cultural Association which seeks to create theatrical productions that unite the Bay Area Latin Americans and Hispanics. “Diaspora Negra” brought together local and international dancers and narrator representing Colombia, Uruguay, Venezuela, Cuba, Peru, and Mexico to explore their common link to the African culture as expressed through its dances in the New World. It was performed at the Mexican Heritage Plaza in 2007.Special Award: “Kathak at the Crossroads International Festival & Symposium”, Pandit Chitresh Das, director
This three-day event was the largest Indian classical dance festival presented outside of India. As one of the leading masters in the Kathak field, Pandit Chitresh Das created an artist-centered festival that brought together Kathak’s greatest masters and emerging artists, known and unknown, highlighting the depth and complexity of the Kathak tradition. The Festival showcased the traditional Kathak solo, a tour-de-force performance of improvised rhythmic exchange, virtuosic footwork and turns, and epic storytelling, all being replaced in India and internationally by Western-influenced choreography. The event included lectures, dance workshops, panel discussions, exhibitions, and dance performances, and filled both the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater and Forum.Bay Area National Dance Week Dancers’ Choice Award
Jessica Robinson, Executive Director, CounterPULSE
Jessica Robinson is the Executive Director of CounterPULSE, an organization that provides space and resources for emerging artists. As director, she has ushered CounterPULSE through a merger and relocation, tripling the organization’s size. She designed and implemented CounterPULSE’s successful Artist in Residence program, and has curated dozens of performances and workshops. She has also served as guest curator for organizations such as Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and the San Francisco International Arts Festival. She is a writer, performer and political activist and her dance writing has been published in In Dance and on CriticalDance.com. Jessica is an adjunct faculty member at the New College of California where she has designed and implemented courses including “Activist Arts Synthesis”, “Arts Administration and Cultural Organizing” and “20th Century US History through the Arts.” She serves on the Arts Advisory Board of the Oakland Noodle Factory, the steering committee for San Francisco Arts Forum, and the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of Alternate ROOTS, a service and granting organization for community-based artists in the Southeastern United States. She has been the recipient of awards and scholarships from Dance/USA and the Bill T. Shannon Leadership Institute.
In 2004, the Isadora Duncan Dance Awards (“The Izzies”) joined forces with Bay Area National Dance Week (bayareandw.org), Voice of Dance (www.VoiceofDance.com) and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts to present the Bay Area Dance Awards, now one of the City’s major cultural dates. Member profiles and lists ofthis year’s nominees and past winners are available online at www.izzies-sf.org.The Isadora Duncan Dance Awards Committeeseeks to honor local dance artists and promote their visibility, primarily by acknowledging outstanding achievements within a 12-month cycle of performances, running September 1 through August 31. The “Izzie” awards, formed as part of Dance Bay Area in 1984 with awards first given in 1985, are designed to celebrate the unique richness, diversity, and excellence of Bay Area dance. In 1994, the Isadora Duncan Dance Awards Committee regrouped and teamed up with the San Francisco Performing Arts Library and Museum. The committee members are choreographers, dancers, teachers, critics, writers, and arts administrators who serve one-or three-year terms.
VoiceofDance.com was founded in 1997 and has been a true pioneer in bringing the community of dance onto the Internet. Initially a vehicle for dance enthusiasts to voice their opinions about dance performances and reviews, it rapidly blossomed into a much broader resource, providing not just message boards but reviews from the top dance critics, calendar listings for dance performances around the country, a Local Class Finder to find information on dance classes, discount tickets, and a Global Dance Directory to find basically anything you are looking for in the dance world. Today, VoiceofDance.com has become a major conduit between dance organizations and dance fans, funneling calendar listings, discount tickets, reviews, images, movies, links, features and discussion groups all together into one location on the Web.
Bay Area National Dance Week,celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year, is a ten-day festival of free dance classes, open rehearsals, performances and festivals celebrating all kinds of dance throughout the Bay Area. This year's Bay Area National Dance Week will kick-offat 12noon on Friday, April25 with the third annual “West Coast’s Longest Conga Line” at Union Squareand run through Sunday,May 4. For more information go towww.bayareandw.org
Founded in 1982, Dancers’ Group assists and supports the San Francisco Bay Area (SFBA) dance community by creating a nexus of resources, expertise and knowledge. Working to advocate for dance in the SFBA and beyond, we assist in the creation and production of engaging, original dance. Dancers’ Group serves artists at multiple stages in their careers, and assists dancers, choreographers, teachers, funders, dance companies, students, writers, critics and audiences in the passionate pursuit and enjoyment of art.www.dancersgroup.org.
Bay Area National Dance Week and the Isadora Duncan Dance Awards Committee are fiscally sponsored projects of Dancers’ Group. The 2008 Bay Area Dance Awards are supported by grants from the J.B. Berland Foundation and the Zellerbach Family Foundation.
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Background photo © 1999 Michael W. Phelan
Michael
W. Phelan,