'Fifth Book of Peace' Presented by Danse Lumiere Starting 10/24

The Bay Area’s ground-breaking Danse Lumiere (formerly Anima Mundi) presents THE FIFTH BOOK OF PEACE, an innovative dance theater program inspired by award-winning California author and activist Maxine Hong Kingston’s extraordinary book of the same name. The Iraq war echoes the Vietnam conflict in this poignant exploration of war and peace featuring original music by Ron van Leeuwaarde, dancers from LINES Ballet/Dominican University BFA in Dance program, actors, and martial artists. THE FIFTH BOOK OF PEACE plays October 24-26 at Dance Mission Theater in San Francisco (Press opening: Friday, October 24, 8pm) and November 6 at Angelico Hall, Dominican University in San Rafael. There will be a special post-performance talk with Maxine Hong Kingston and veteran James Janko on October 25th in San Francisco, and a special post-performance talk with Daniel Ellsberg, political analyst and revealer of “The Pentagon Papers” on November 6 in San Rafael. For tickets and more information about the San Francisco performances, the public may call 415-273-4633 or visit www.dlkdance.com or contact Brown Paper Tickets at 800-838-3006 or www.brownpapertickets.com/event/44555. For tickets and more information about the San Rafael performance, the public may visit www.dlkdance.com or contact Brown Paper Tickets at 800-838-3006 or www.brownpapertickets.com/event/44558. A portion of all proceeds will be donated to veteran organizations.

Why war? Why not peace? Conceived and choreographed by Danse Lumiere Artistic Director Kathryn Roszak, with consulting director Virginia Reed, THE FIFTH BOOK OF PEACE interprets the testimonies of war veterans through the artistic fusion of dance, literature, theater and original music. Examining social justice and exploring the concepts of violence and of its effect upon the human psyche, THE FIFTH BOOK OF PEACE gives voice to the under-served population of war veterans, whose stories form compelling reasons for peace.

“Given the difficulties in resolving violent conflicts in our world today, we felt compelled to create this new piece,” said Danse Lumiere Artistic Director Kathryn Roszak. “Maxine Hong Kingston’s work with veterans places emphasis on spiritual and artistic ways of creating change. This project bears witness to the veterans’ stories as well as her work to create a culture of peace.”

About THE FIFTH BOOK OF PEACE, author Maxine Hong Kingston said “This  amazing work of theater ought to be presented everywhere again and again-especially now.”

Danse Lumiere (formerly Anima Mundi) creates dance theater linking the arts, the environment, and humanity. Founded by Bay Area choreographer Kathryn Roszak in 1995, the company specializes in adapting works of literature for the stage, giving them new life through the fusion of dance, theater, and music, while focusing on some of the most pressing social issues of our time.

Founded in 2006, the LINES Ballet/Dominican University BFA Program, directed by Marina Hotchkiss, is a four-year Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance degree program. Combining the highly acclaimed dance training and philosophy of Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet with the comprehensive liberal arts education and social values of the Dominican tradition, the LINES Ballet/Dominican University BFA in Dance offers students an unparalleled opportunity to discover themselves as artists and human beings.

Trained at the San Francisco Ballet and the School of American Ballet, Kathryn Roszak has performed for the San Francisco Ballet, San Antonio Ballet, and San Francisco Opera Ballet. Additionally, she has choreographed and taught for the American Conservatory Theatre, San Francisco Opera Center, California Shakespeare Theater, Kent Nagano’s Berkeley Symphony, Opera San Jose, Oakland Opera, and Marin Opera, among others, and has created and produced original works for the Goethe Institute, the San Francisco Mozart Festival, Theatre Artaud, the Cowell Theatre, and Grace Cathedral. In addition to Maxine Hong Kingston, she has worked with Kabuki master Shozo Sato, playwright Velina Hasu Houston, musicians Mazatl Galindo of Mexico and Ailu Gaup of Arctic Norway, and writers Gary Snyder, and Michael McClure. She is the recipient of grants and awards from the Djerassi Resident Artists Program, Laurance S. Rockefeller, Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, and the Copenhagen Cultural Festival, among others.

Award-winning author Maxine Hong Kingston was a Senior Lecturer for Creative Writing at the University of California, Berkeley. For her memoirs and fiction, The Woman Warrior, China Men, Tripmaster Monkey, and Hawai’I One Summer, she has earned numerous awards, among them the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, the PEN West Award for Fiction, an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature, and a National Humanities Medal from the National Endowment for the Humanities, as well as the title of “Living Treasure of Hawai’i.”
 
Consulting Director Virginia Reed has collaborated on projects with Aurora Theatre Company, Brava, Lunatique Fantastique, Magic Theatre, Mark Taper, McCarter Theatre, PlayGround, Playwrights Foundation, TheatreWorks, and San Jose Repertory Theater. Additional credits include productions at Woman’s Will (Importance of Being Earnest), Shakespeare’s Associates (Proof), Cinnabar (Playboy of the Western World), and 6th St. Playhouse (Boy Gets Girl; The Real Thing) among others