GRACE AND GRIT - DANCE IN THE TIME OF COVID Drive-In Film Event For Arts Advocacy Comes to Santa Monica

Westside Ballet of Santa Monica announces 'Grace and Grit' to be presented at the Santa Monica College Bundy Campus, East Parking Lot, on Saturday & Sunday October 9th & 10th, at 7:30 & 10pm as a Drive-In Movie venture in conjunction with Santa Monica College's Public Policy Institute Annual Arts Forum and the SMC Dance Department.

Speaking on the motivation behind the film, Martine Harley, Westside Ballet's Artistic Director says, "This spring, the Covid crisis abruptly halted all preparations for performances, and with it, critical funding for the arts in our community--and around the world. But dance is a living, diverse and adaptive art form, so we wanted to find a way to not only preserve Westside Ballet's legacy, but also celebrate and sustain the arts in our great city of Santa Monica."

'Grace and Grit' will feature a compilation of Santa Monica's most celebrated companies, choreographers and dancers. Included are Barak Ballet––a preeminent contemporary dance company founded by Westside Ballet alumna Melissa Barak, Santa Monica College's diverse dance companies Global Motion and Synapse, the exuberant and award-winning Ballet Folklórico Flor de Mayo, and Westside Ballet's own dancers and accomplished alumni. Segments include pieces by acclaimed choreographers Melissa Barak, Jae Young Lee, Jackie Lopez, Sophie Monat, Raquel Ramirez and Sri Susilowati in emotionally moving works.

The project highlights several extraordinary professional alumni. Filming and editing of original works has been done by Westside Ballet alumna and AFI graduate student Nitzan Levinson, with additional film editing by Camryn Eakes. Westside Ballet resident choreographer Sophie Monat created original solos, 'Water and Air,' for two Westside alumni who were on leave from their respective companies: Lucia Connolly (Joffrey Ballet) and Molly Novak (Boston Ballet). Monat choreographed and staged the piece for both dancers to illustrate the beauty of our precious natural environment, and the two elements essential to life. Alumna Joy Womack, International ballet star and renowned tour de force, stepped out of her car on a recent road trip to dance the opening of her fiery 'Don Quixote' solo, in an open field. The raw excerpt segues to her rousing performance in Westside's 2019 Centennial Gala.

Barak Ballet's 'Breathe In' was born from what was intended to be a stage production entitled Memoryhouse, created to symbolize Barak's partnership with the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust. Melissa Barak, an Westside alumna, former New York City Ballet dancer/ choreographer, and Barak's Artistic Director, explains: "Breathe In reveals movement as an expression of freedom, and the longing for better days."

In addition to Joy Womack's piece, the film includes two other exquisite excerpts from Westside's 2019 Centennial Gala: 'The Grand Défilé' and an excerpt from Westside Ballet's 2019 performance of Balanchine's quintessential 'Serenade,' staged by Patricia Neary.

Neary is a famed ballerina, director, répétiteur for the Balanchine Trust––and herself a force of nature. Serenade reflects the grace of ballet in its purest form. Neary's coaching makes an indelible impression on both dancers and audiences. "Her grit and tireless passion for ballet inspires the Westside Ballet community every day," says Harley.

'The Grand Défilé; is a presentation of the entire ballet company-from the youngest to the most experienced-to exhibit the evolution of each dancer toward the pinnacle of their training as pre-professional artists. This year's dancers demonstrated their resilience by recreating the Défilé, each from their own space, so they could come together virtually.

The film also showcases two new works by three aspiring Westside Ballet pre-professional dancers and aspiring young choreographers in their own rights: Samara Koseff, Mac Pampinella and Zane Tahvildaran-Jesswein. Samara Koseff's unique work Misconception, was informed by the well-known lyrics to the song "My Funny Valentine" by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart--though she used the instrumental version by Chet Baker for her choreography. Samara (17) choreographed her piece on herself from the woman's point-of-view, embodying feminine strength and purpose. Fellow Westside 'boys ballet' dancers, Zane Tahvildaran-Jesswein (SaMo Senior, 17) and Mac Pampinella (15), co-choreographed a piece which seeks to manifest the anger associated with grief, while also understanding it in order to overcome its grip. Set to a track from Kanisan's album, "A Way of Existing," this visceral piece, titled 'Daybreak,' is performed by Zane and ultimately helped both choreographers prevail over recent deep personal losses.

IN COLLABORATION:

"I am thrilled to be collaborating with the SMC's Public Policy Institute, who agreed to co-produce this unique film event," says Harley. "The award-winning pieces from Barak Ballet and the SMC Dance Department are truly extraordinary! Together, the pieces in this film explicate Grace and Grit in true context-the sheer determination and tenacity of artists whose grace survives even the most defining challenges."

Choreographers Jae Young Lee, Jackie Lopez, Raquel Ramirez and Sri Susilowati are the inspiration within Santa Monica College's celebrated dance companies, Global Motion, Synapse and the exuberant and award-winning Ballet Folklórico Flor de Mayo. Associate Professor and Synapse Dance Company's co-director Jae Young Lee's piece, titled 'A-15510,' is an abstract portrayal of a concentration camp during World War II set to music from Henry Purcell's opera 'Dido and Aeneas.' Ms. Lee's choreography was presented at the American College Dance Association in spring 2018 and was selected to be performed in the Gala Concert, as well as the first alternate choice for the National Festival to be held at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. Raquel Ramirez, founder/director of Ballet Folklórico de Mayo, and co-director of Global Motion, Santa Monica College's World Dance Performance Company, celebrates the rich culture of Veracruz, Mexico, in her magical piece 'La Bruja,' whose story is about a man taken by a witch. Created with fellow choreographers Jasmine Rodriguez, Ashley Ramirez and Alondra Ramirez, the dancers perform in the traditional costumes of Veracruz, with candles balanced on their heads. Invited to SMC Dance as a guest choreographer for Synapse, Jackie Lopez, along with assistant choreographer G'bari Gilliam, created 'Internal Vibrations,' to externalize the frequencies within, that connect the mind and body, while the spirit seeks the hope of finding internal fire and harmony. Sri Susilowati, dancer, choreographer, storyteller, associate professor and co-director of Global Motion, teaches Asian Pacific Dance at SMC. Set to music by Noraniz Idris-whose genre fuses "irama Malaysia" with Anglo-American pop music-Susilowati's work, 'Love is Love,' is a contemporary Zapin (a Malay Dance art genre) that tells a story about love, love without boundaries, even if its expression may be forbidden. It was created in collaboration with Liam Gifkins. Additionally, two SMC Dance Department student choreographers, Amira Murphy and Jackie Riedel, created the rousing 'America,' to the iconic song of the same name from Berstein's incredible 'West Side Story.' The piece celebrates America's extraordinary diversity with infectious energy.

Photo: Joy Womack by Stephanie Blair 

Tickets for this must-see Dance Film Drive-In Fundraising Event are only $50 per vehicle and available now at: www.westsideballet.com/graceandgrit

The community can also help Westside Ballet's "1500 Angels" Crisis Relief Campaign here: https://westsideballet.com/save-our-school/