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News & Events
Pictured above: Aesha Ash and Kara Davis (Spark* podcasts and rebroadcast of program featuring Aesha).
We are proud of the high quality of work that is being created and rehearsed in our studios. Our Community News page highlights opportunities to see that work. We include listings of showings of work-in-progress, upcoming performances, and television coverage of the artists who are working at the Dance Center.
Spring Dance Inspiration 2008
The Spring Dance Inspiration - A Cure for Brain Tumors is back! The
acclaimed international dance showcase returns April 26th and 27th to the
Cowell Theater at Fort Mason in San Francisco. Vist www.tkfproductions.org for additional information.
Two days of passionate dance performances performed by internationally
renowned guest artists as well as local bay area dancers who will be
contributing their time and talents to help raising awareness of brain
tumors and to raise funds for the National Brain Tumor Foundation.
La Tania, "a Queen of Flamenco", whose
charismatic stage presence will be accompanied by guest singer Jesus Montoya. La Tania will perform the
World Premier of " Solea Por Bulerias ".
Dancing for a cure!
An unforgettable and exciting event not to be missed!
Event Highlights
Tomoko Ozawa, M.D., Ph.D
Brain Tumor Research Center
Department of Neurological Surgery
University of California, San Francisco
TEL: 415-476-9754
tomoko.ozawa@ucsf.edu
KQED Podcasts on Aesha Ash and Kara Davis
These podcasts can be found via iTunes, which can be downloaded for free at http://www.apple.com/itunes/. In order to subscribe, simply open iTunes and go to the music
store. Once there, click Podcasts, then do a search for KQED Spark. Go here for more info on the Spark Series.
Aesha Ash
KQED will rerun SPARK program featuring Aesha and LINES Ballet in December. Called "New Beginnings," the episode will air on Wed., Dec. 27 at 7:30pm and will repeat it on Fri., Dec. 29 at 11pm."It's a new beginning, and all new beginnings are difficult." -- Aesha Ash
In the career of a dancer, taking new steps as an artist can also mean changing your life. That's what Aesha Ash has done over and over, moving from the New York City Ballet to Switzerland's Béjart Ballet Lausanne and then to Alonzo King's LINES Ballet in 2005. Spark visited Ash during a rehearsal, where she discussed her adjustment to the third dance company change of her career.
Ash's willingness to move from place to place is an effect of her motivation to grow artistically as a dancer. Before joining LINES, Ash was about to retire from the dance scene; worn out from the scrutiny of her body that is not like most ballet dancers' stick-thin figures and the pressures of being the only African American woman in the New York City Ballet. However, her move to LINES has revived her love for dance through King's improvisation and contemporary choreography.
Aesha Ash has been featured in the PBS special "Live From Lincoln Center" and photographed for Bazaar, Marie Claire, New Woman, Dance Spirit and Essence. She is the recipient of the Dance Master of America Honor and was the double for actress Zoe Saldana in the dance sequences of the film "Center Stage." Alonzo King's LINES Ballet is considered one of San Francisco's premier dance companies, famous for King's sinuous choreography and his dancers' athleticism and expressive movement.
Kara Davis
"In the arena of improv, there isn't any wrong. It's all right." -- Kara Davis
As the host for the Dancer/Musician Improv Extravaganza at the Margaret Jenkins Dance Lab in San Francisco, Kara Davis creates an atmosphere where dancers and musicians can share their talents with each other and the audience. A dancer is paired with a musician -- based on names chosen from a hat -- to create a three-minute improvisational performance. There are no rules and no mistakes, only a chance to explore creativity with the combination of spontaneous sound and movement.
Davis is a classically trained ballet dancer who now focuses on modern and contemporary dance with Kunst-Stoff. She has taught at Berkeley Ballet and received an Isadora Duncan Award for outstanding achievement in individual performance for her entire 2002 and 2003 season performing with Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, Janice Garrett & Dancers and Kunst-Stoff.
Spark visited Davis at the Dance Lab to see the outcome of her experiment. As expected, unusual but interesting teams such as drummer/ballet dancer were formed. For more information on the Dancer/Musician Improv Extravaganza, which usually occurs the last Sunday of the month, check the Kunst-Stoff's Web site under "Special Events."
PHOENIX DANCE
A film by Karina Epperlein
Congratulations to Karina Epperlein! The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that the field of Documentary Short Subject entries has narrowed to eight films, from which three to five will earn 2006 Academy Award® nominations. "Phoenix Dance" is one of those eight films.
Nominations for the 79th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2007, at 5:30 a.m. PST in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2006 will be presented on Sunday, February 25, 2007, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network at 5 p.m. PST, beginning with a half-hour arrival segment.
About the Film
It seems impossible - but after losing a leg to cancer, accomplished dancer Homer Avila returns to the stage without crutches, performing with Andrea Flores a duet choreographed by Alonzo King. In rehearsal Alonzo says: "It's often when these obstacles come, that you have to reveal to yourself who you are. Who you are is forced to come forth!" We witness determination, skill and courage as Homer collaborates in his now "imperfect" body - and his "one-leggedness" turns into transcendent beauty.
Premiere:
Dance On Camera Festival, New York Film Society of Lincoln Center, Walter
Reade Theater, Jan 6 & 7, 2006
Screenings:
-Florida Film Festival
-Nashville Film Festival
-San Francisco Int’l Film Festival, Golden Gate Award winner
-Cinedans, Amsterdam
-Jacob’s Pillow
-IDA’s DocuWeek, Los Angeles
-Mill Valley Film Festival
-Heartland Film Festival
-Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
-IDA DocuWeek Multi City Theatrical Rollout
-Starz Denver International Film Festival
If you would like to purchase this DVD, go to her website. Sales help cover the costs of the creation of this wonderful film.
