SF DanceWorks Announces 2017 Season

Now in its second season, SFDanceworks, a repertory dance company founded by San Francisco Ballet soloist James Sofranko, has announced details for this year's program, June 22-24, co-presented by ODC Theater. The U.S. premiere of British choreographer Christopher Bruce's Shadows and a newly commissioned work by Izzie Award-winning dance maker James Graham highlight a season that also includes works by Alejandro Cerrudo, José Limón, Danielle Roweand Penny Saunders.

With a mission to showcase masterworks alongside works from emerging dance makers within a wide range of styles, SFDanceworks this year presents six pieces in total - from Limón's seminal Chaconne (1942), a solo set to the music of J.S. Bach, to a world premiere by Graham, a Gaga trained dancer and instructor based in the Bay Area. Pascal Molat, who retired last year after a distinguished career as principal dancer with the San Francisco Ballet, will return to perform Limón's Chaconne, with live accompaniment by violinistRené Mandel.

Bruce, considered one of the world's leading figures in dance, an artist with a long association with the English National Ballet, the Houston Ballet, and formerly the artistic director of Rambert Dance Company, created Shadows for Phoenix Dance Theatre in England. The work, a quartet for two men and two women, set to the music of Arvo Pärt, premiered in 2014. Describing his inspiration for Shadows, Bruce has said: "To me, many of Arvo Pärt's compositions evoke images of a European history and tradition steeped in over a thousand years of human experience and, frequently, suffering. These themes, and particularly the turbulence of twentieth-century events, have influenced my reaction to his work Fratres."

Last year's program included a work each by Cerrudo and Saunders, two artists connected with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and SFDanceworks is proud to welcome them back in its second season. The company this year presents Cerrudo's Never Was (2012), performed by dancers Brett Conwayand Danielle Rowe. "The gorgeous duet uses the music of Handel and Purcell and almost extreme physicality to conjure an experience...of pure holiness," (Chicago Theater Beat).

SFDanceworks will present an ensemble work for seven dancers by Saunders. Inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper, Saunders created Soir Bleu in 2015 for Seattle's Whim W'Him. Soir Bleu is the title of one of Hopper's paintings depicting a café scene in Paris. "Hopper found epiphanies in seemingly mundane moments of everyday life," notes Saunders. "Soir Bleuexplores the transitory moment as well as the long-enduring relationship between Hopper and his wife Jo, who posed for the women in his paintings, and who gave up her own artistic career for his."

Rounding out the program is a duet by Rowe, who also dances on the program. Most recently a member of Nederlands Dans Theater, she currently resides in the Bay Area. SFDanceworks will present Rowe's For Pixie, which premiered at last fall's DanceFAR benefit in San Francisco. Conway and Laura O'Malley reprise their original roles as two halves of a couple at one intense moment in time.

SFDanceworks' 2017 Season runs Thursday to Saturday, June 22 - 24 at ODC Theater. In addition to performances at 8 p.m. each evening, there is a matinee at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets range from $20 to $50, and may be purchased online at odc.dance/tickets.

For more information about SFDanceworks' second season visitsfdanceworks.org.

ABOUT SFDANCEWORKS
Founded by San Francisco Ballet soloist James Sofranko in 2014, SFDanceworks is a repertory company that looks forward while keeping an eye on the past. SFDanceworks engages world-class dancers performing choreography from dance masters as well as emerging talent. SFDanceworks strives to cultivate new artists and present commissioned work on a regular basis, without being restricted to a specific genre such as ballet, modern or contemporary. The company's inaugural season was co-presented by ODC Theater in 2016.

ABOUT ODC THEATER
ODC Theater participates in the creation of new works through commissioning, presenting, mentorship and space access; it develops informed, engaged and committed audiences; and it advocates for the performing arts as an essential component to the region's economic and cultural development. The Theater is the site of over 120 performances a year involving nearly 1,000 local, regional, national and international artists.

Since 1976, ODC Theater has been the mobilizing force behind countless San Francisco artists and the foothold for national and international touring artists seeking debut in the Bay Area. The Theater, founded by Brenda Way and currently under the direction of Julie Potter, has earned its place as a cultural incubator by dedicating itself to creative change-makers, those leaders who give the Bay Area its unmistakable definition and flare. Nationally known artists Spaulding Gray, Diamanda Galas, Molissa Fenley, Bill T. Jones, Eiko & Koma, Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, Ban Rarra and Karole Armitage are among those whose first San Francisco appearance occurred at ODC Theater.

For more information about ODC and all of its programs visit odc.dance.

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