7th Annual Black Choreographers Festival Crosses Bay After Wowing East Bay Audiences
Festival’s “Home Coming” is February 17, 18, 19, 20 at San Francisco’s ODC Theater
February 25 - 27 is Next Wave Choreographers Showcase at Dance Mission Theater, SF
www.bcfhereandnow.com
15 February 2011 -- SAN FRANCISCO, CA: 40 has never looked so fabulous as it did this past weekend when the East Bay’s venerable Laney College celebrated four decades of service by getting its dance on and hosting the annual Black Choreographers Festival (www.bcfhereandnow.com), “a star-studded lineup of artists (that) shifted from city streets and moon beams to Brazilian creation myths in a matter of minutes.” (Wanda Sabir, wandaspicks.com). This coming weekend, the celebration continues with the Festival’s “homecoming” to San Francisco’s storied ODC Theater (3153 17th Street @ Shotwell).
“It is important that we continue to value our educational institutions,” said Kendra Barnes, co-producer of the Black Choreographers Festival, now celebrating its seventh year of Bay-spanning talent. “It is our responsibility as artists and audiences to help the arts programs at these institutions to survive and thrive.”
The annual gathering of the best, brightest and newest in African American dances is “a fascinating festival with momentum on its side” (San Francisco Chronicle). “There is a community spirit here, in the finest sense of the word” (Voice of Dance) and “chance to find standout choreographers whose work should be seen far more often” (San Francisco Chronicle). The annual Black Choreographer’s Festival is a co-production of African and African-American Performing Arts Coalition and K*Star*Productions. San Francisco performances are co-sponsored by ODC and Dance Mission Theater.
“We are proud to have found a vital niche in the community, an event to which artists and audiences look forward,” said Festival co-producer Laura Elaine Ellis. “We were so overwhelmed with requests from artists that wanted to participate this year that we have already started programming for next year. Our return to ODC Theater is a true homecoming. We’re so grateful to Rob Bailis, ODC’s Theater Director, for his long time commitment to the festival, as a founding partner in the early years, and permanent home since.”
Following is the complete schedule for the second weekend of the 7th Annual Black Choreographers Festival
Weekend II – A Home Coming
Black Choreographers Festival: Here & Now
February 17 – 20
ODC Theater
3153 17th Street @ Shotwell
Thursday & Saturday, February 17 & 19 @ 8pm
Program A
Kyle Abraham
(Contemporary Modern dance artist from New York - powerful)
Gregory Dawson - DawsonDance SF
(Contemporary Ballet - former member of Alonzo King Lines Ballet - gorgeous dancers)
Portsha Jefferson (Haitian Dance Company - Amazing Live Music & Singing)
Raissa Simpson - PUSH Dance Company
(Hip Hop Opera piece - dynamic)
Friday, February 18 @ 8pm & Sunday, February 20 @ 7pm
Program B
Deborah Vaughan - Dimensions Dance Theater
w/ Khalil Shaheed and Glen Pearson, plus a full drum ensemble
(Modern/Jazz w/ North African movement influence)
Gregory Dawson - DawsonDance SF
(Contemporary Ballet - former member of Alonzo King Lines Ballet - gorgeous dancers)
Ramon Ramos Alayo - Alayo Dance Company
(Modern Cuban Dance - Hot & Soulful)
Chloe Arnold (Sunday, 2/20 Only)
w/ Tahji Hill - live percussionist
(Vibrant Rhythm tap soloist - show stopping!)
Special Events
REflect Film Series – Saturday, February 19, 7:00pm (free to the public)
Post-performance curtain talks – Thursday & Sunday, February 17 & 20
Following this upcoming weekend’s performances at ODC, the 2011 Black Choreographers Festival will end its run at San Francisco’s Dance Mission Theater (3316 24th Street), February 25 - 27. Festival Tickets are $20 general; $15 advance tickets/students/seniors; $10 children 12 and under. To order tickets, call (415) 863-9834 or go online at www.bcfhereandnow.com. Festival programming is subject to change.
About the Black Choreographers Festival (BCF):
The Black Choreographers Festival: Here and Now serves the community by providing a forum to increase the visibility of African American dance. BCF celebrates the ingenuity and uniqueness of African and African American choreographers by highlighting the importance of the African and African American experience in dance. BCF integral to the Bay Area arts community as it presents local and national artists in a series of contemporary and traditional concerts, showcases, mentoring, educational programs, community partnerships, symposia and archival documentation. BCF endeavors to foster a new generation of audiences and supporters to ensure the longevity of both established and emerging artists. For more information visit www.bcfhereandnow.com
About The African & African American Performing Arts Coalition (AAAPAC):
A San Francisco based non-profit organization, AAAPAC was founded in 1995 by a collective of artists who were looking to create better performance opportunities for African and African American performing artists as well as produce shows that reflect the aesthetic and cultural representation of the African and African American experience. As AAAPAC’s executive director, Laura Elaine Ellis has co-produced successful events such as the Labor of Love Dance Series, The Quilt Project: Pieces of Me, and the Black Choreographers Festival: Here & Now. Funding Awards for past projects
include: San Francisco Grants for the Arts, CA$H, The Creative Work Fund, The Irvine Foundation, Zellerbach Family Fund, The Walter and Elise Haas Fund and the LEF Foundation.
About K*Star*Productions (K*S*P):
Kendra Kimbrough Barnes founded K*S*P in 1996. The mission of K*S*P is to make cultural exchange experiences accessible to the community at large with a focus on African-American constituents. K*S*P attains this goal by forming alliances, traveling, producing concerts & master classes, hosting public symposiums, and providing professional development services. K*S*P has produced 12 seasons of the Kendra Kimbrough Dance Ensemble and has received funding awards from the Zellerbach Family Fund, Oakland Cultural Arts, the Irvine Foundation, the Alameda Arts Commission, and the East Bay Community Foundation.
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