The Anata Project to Premiere THE HUSH HUSH CHRONICLES and KITTLESLIP at Z Space, 5/17-18

The Anata Project dance company, founded by Bay Area resident Claudia Anata Hubiak, has announced its spring season performances featuring two new world premieres - The Hush Hush Chronicles and Kittleslip. This evening of dance will also include a new work by guest artist Summation Dance from New York City.

THE ANATA PROJECT performances take place FRIDAY & SATURDAY, May 17 & 18, 8pm at Z Space performing arts venue, 450 Florida St., San Francisco. Tickets are $20 general seating and available athttp://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/352446 or at the door. Call for availability (415) 626-0453. For more information on The Anata Project, visit www.theanataproject.org.

Based on the idea that everyone has a secret, The Hush Hush Chronicles (World Premiere) tells of the juicy stories buried deep within us. Set in the late 1920's at the height of Prohibition, this world premiere explores the undisclosed elements we lock away, and sometimes spill along the way. With an original score performed live by We Became Owls, the seven dancers who form The Anata Project bond together to create their own secret society of misfits.

Kittleslip (World Premiere) is a study about desire and the slippery nature of human exchange. An unstable trio falls, slinks and slides their way through the waves of relationship, just missing the connections so inherently desired. Set to an original score by LapCat, Hubiak explores the ever changing nature of what we think we want...until we get it.

Also included in the evening performance are The Anata Project's 659 Days of Ruby and Mr. S (2011) and a guest performance by Summation Dance from New York City titled Shift. This new work by choreographer Sumi Clements, explores the notions of alternate planes of existence and parallel universes, as well as ideas of fate and its outcomes. Using intricate patterning and distinct athleticism, nine women embody this concept as they create an atmosphere rife with tension, compassion, mystery and symmetry. Shift features an original composition by frequent Summation collaborator, Kyle Olson.

DANCERS, The Anata Project:

Jacqueline Arko grew up in Marin County, California and has been immersed in the dance culture since the age of three. She acquired her serious ballet training from Marin Ballet School and upon graduation from high school, she attended UC Santa Barbara. It was here that she fell in love with modern dance. After three years, Jacqueline graduated with a BA in Dance and a Minor in Philosophy. She is currently continuing her studies in fashion marketing at FIDM. This is Jackie's second season with The Anata Project.

Ashley Trottier began formal training at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and danced with Wildspace Dance Company in Milwaukee before migrating to California. This year Ashley received her MFA in Choreography and Performance at Mills College, as well as her certification in Embodied Developmental Movement and Yoga through the School for Body-Mind Centering. While at Mills Ashley performed works by Molissa Fenley and Brenda Way. She has danced with Alyce Finwall Dance Theater, and for choreographers Katie Faulkner and Peiling Kao. Her own work has been presented at ODC's 58th Pilot Series, Dance Mission, and Danceworks DanceLAB in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Ismael Acosta - Originally from Sonora, Mexico, Ismael received his dance training from Escuela Superior de Musica y Danza de Monterrey. Post-graduation he danced with the Ballet de Monterrey until 2009. Experimenting with new forms, Ismael joined Cuerpo Etereomodern Dance and performed throughout Mexico and the USA until 2012. His training has also included ariel dance through the company Circus Danza Teatro & Performance. Ismael recently moved to San Francisco to become part of the Bay Area dance community. Since relocating he has performed the works of Amy Seiwert, Laura Rae Bernasconi and Napoles Ballet. This is Ismael's first season with The Anata Project.

TRoy Macklin grew up in San Ramon and began dancing at San Ramon Valley Dance Academy at the age of 5. He is a 2008 alumnus of The Juilliard School where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. While at Juilliard Troy taught arts literacy courses for children and performed with multidisciplinary student formed groups at non-traditional health care facilities spreading arts awareness and dance education. He was a principal dancer, rehearsal director and teacher with Rebecca Davis Dance Company in Philadelphia, PA in 2008. While on the east coast Troy freelanced with several dance collectives including Breath Dance Project, Kazuko Hirabayashi Dance Theater and 360 Degree Dance Company. He is currently dancing with Janice Garrett and this is Troy's first season with The Anata Project.

Sarah Sandoval is a native of San Diego. She began performing with Debi Toth and Teena Diggs. Since graduating with a BA in Dance and Certificate of Outstanding Performance and Choreography from San Francisco State she has been a dancer for Cathleen McCarthy, Paco Gomes and Dancers, Maxine Moerman, and Dance Ceres. She is excited to a part of the Anata journey and thanks Claudia for the opportunity.

Ashlie Kirby is a Teaching Artist at Luna Dance Institute where she teaches in the Oakland Unified School District, as well as in the organization's Studio Lab and MPACT programs.

She holds a BFA in Dance from the University of California, Santa Barbara and is currently completing her Masters in Dance Education from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Prior to returning to her native California, Ashlie lived in New York City for nine years, where she was on faculty as dance specialist at the Brearley School in Manhattan and Pierrepont School in Westport, CT. In 2010 she was awarded a New York Dance and Performance (Bessie) Award for her performance in Pam Tanowitz's Be in the Grey with Me.

David Schleiffers received his BA with a major in dance from the University of Washington in 2010. While living in the Pacific Northwest he danced with Chamber Dance Company for four consecutive seasons performing historic dances by Bill T. Jones, Twyla Tharp, Doug Elkins and Alwin Nikolais. He has presented work at On The Boards (Northwest New Works Festival and The A.W.A.R.D. Show! Seattle) and ODC (Pilot 60, Pilot 61 and House Special 2012). He currently dances Hope Mohr Dance and this is his first season with The Anata Project.

Summation Dance Company, founded by Sumi Clements and Taryn Vander Hoop, is a New York City based modern dance company. Clements and Vander Hoop graduated with their MFAs in Dance Performance and Choreography from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Their work has been seen at Baryshnikov Arts Center, Judson Memorial Church, DNA and most recently at BAM in New York.

The Anata Project - The Anata Project was founded in 2011 by Claudia Anata Hubiak. Hubiak, who was raised with a Buddhist background, based her company on the concept of Anata, or "egolessNESS" in Sanskrit. The word Anata, used in reference to the spacious and ever changing quality of the mind, serves as the backbone and founding principle of Hubiak's dance company.

Hubiak holds an MFA from NYU at Tisch where she performed works by Kay Cummings, Gus Solomons Jr., Patricia Hoffbauer and Trisha Brown. She holds a BFA from the University of California at Santa Barbara where she studied under Christopher Pilafian, Nancy Colahan and Jerry Pearson. She was a co-founder of Vispo Dance (2005-2009) a collective of six Santa Barbara graduates committed to creating visually evocative and athletic movement. Hubiak's work has been presented by NYU, The Atlas Theater, LaMama's Ellen Stewart Theater, The Wave Rising Series at John Ryan Theater, Dumbo Dance, DanceNow's Joe's Pub, Danny Studios, 111 Minna Gallery, The Cowell Theater, Theater Artaud, ODC, Dance Mission Theater, The Garage, UC Santa Barbara and The Dairy, (Boulder Co).

Pictured: Anata Project dancers. Photos by: Summer Wilson.