Talking Dance

It's not just a rumor propagated by local dance devotees: The Bay Area really is home to the most happening dance community in the country outside of New York City. The scene here isn't nearly as centralized as Manhattan's, though, so artists tend to lack the same naturally occurring opportunities to pat each other on the back and talk art. Rather than whine about the situation (well, they've done that, too), a group of community-minded dance folk launched the Dance Discourse Project last fall. The goal was to host salon-style conversations about local dance on a rotating series of topics, with each installment featuring a panel of local artists. The refrain at the first installment was somewhat predictable: The SF dance community is "too fragmented." While the debate played out over how to create more dialogue among artists, the organizers sat back and smiled, knowing they'd done just that. Six months on, the vision for a more connected community seems nearer reality than ever. The third installment of the Discourse Project, "For the Record: Dancers Debate the Body Politic," is not only the first to be copresented by an alliance of S.F. dance presenters (ODC Theater, Project Artaud Theater, CounterPULSE, and Dancers' Group), it's also the first to coincide with a performance festival on the same topic (with the same name). The lineup of panelists features some of the best known in the area for tackling political themes, including Flyaway Productions' aerial dance diva Jo Kreiter, butoh artist Ledoh, Contraband icon Sara Shelton Mann, and NYC's downtown darling Miguel Gutierrez (originally a Bay Arean himself). Add ODC Theater's fiery, articulate director Rob Bailis and razor-sharp CounterPULSE forewoman Jessica Robinson, and this tête-à-tête, spanning both stage and salon, may be the liveliest conversation about West Coast dance in years.
Wed., May 7, 8 p.m., 2008