REYES Dance Will Premiere String Quartet No. ATE At ODC Theater

REYES Dance has announced the world premiere of String Quartet No. ATE, a work exploring our relationship to food, pleasure, health and identity. Set to Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 8 and performed live by members of San Francisco-based One Found Sound, String Quartet No. ATE engages a serious subject with REYES Dance's trademark vulnerability and wit. 

Performances will take place at ODC Theater, May 21 - 23, Thursday to Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Thursday's performance is a ticketed preview; the opening night is on Friday. 

Conceived and choreographed by Jocelyn Reyes, ATE follows the completion of a trilogy of autobiographical works that began with MAGOS in 2019 and concluded with DIOS in 2024. ATE functions as a coda to these works, drawing on Reyes' adult diagnosis with Type 2 diabetes and her journey to transform the patterns of eating she inherited from her immigrant Latin American parents.

“This project aims to represent my journey to reform my food habits while also honoring the culture in which I was raised – complete with all the temptations, emotions and obsessions that food stirs up,” said Reyes.

“But why did I choose to frame the work on Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 8? Since I first discovered the music as a student in high school, it's provoked a strong reaction in me. It became a touchstone for unleashing pent-up energy and emotion, something that will serve ATE well. But I also see it as a creative challenge, hinted at by the pun in the title of my work.”

The performers in ATE include Madison Lindgren, Maya Mohsin, Giovana Sales Nascimento da Silva and Giulia Sales Nascimento da Silva. Emmet Webster returns as sound designer and Thomas Bowersox as lighting designer.

For this premiere, Reyes Dance is thrilled to share the stage with members from One Found Sound, the Bay Area's only conductorless, musician-led orchestra. For 10 years, the organization has developed a devoted following of fans who appreciate their exciting annual programs performed in nontraditional music spaces. ATE marks their first collaboration with Reyes Dance.