Diversionary Theatre Present 'Dance/Theatre', 4/22-4/25

Five local choreographers will each create a new dance work for Diversionary Theatre's special event, Dance/Theatre, with four performances, April 22-25, 2010. The project was conceived by Peter G. Kalivas of The PGK Project in conjunction with Diversionary's Executive & Artistic Director Dan Kirsch. This is the second year of what will become an annual event. Dance/Theatre merges theatre and dance audiences while presenting universal stories through dance inspired by productions previously staged by Diversionary. "We are very excited about this collaboration," said Kirsch. "Diversionary has a long history of creating new work, and this project is a great way to connect to the dance community."

The choreographers were given the opportunity to select from 24 years of Diversionary productions and create a new dance work. The choreographers and their new dance works are: Katie Griffin/Independent Choreographer (Dangerous Beauty), Anjanette Maraya-Ramey/Independent Choreographer (The New Century), Ericka Aisha Moore/Eveoke Dance Theatre (Lot's Daughters), Peter G. Kalivas/The PGK Project (Dear Harvey and M. Butterfly), and Michael Mizerany/Malashock Dance (Never The Sinner). Dance/Theatre is underwritten by California Institute for Contemporary Arts and by a grant from the San Diego County Community Enhancement Program.

"What inspires us?" asked Kalivas of himself and the choreographers. "How does one take this inspiration and then cross mediums or genre of expression?" Kalivas is artistic director of the Dance/Theatre project, and has been a critically acclaimed dancer, choreographer and teacher for more than twenty years whose performances and choreography have been presented worldwide. A Fulbright Scholar, Dance Specialist and Cultural Envoy for the U.S. Department of Education and Culture in Washington D.C., he gives master classes, provides residencies at major Colleges, Universities, and Festivals and creates work for professional companies in addition to his own, The PGK Project (A Contemporary Dance Company), www.thepgkproject.com

Kalivas is creating a new piece, "The Revolution of Milk," inspired by Patricia Loughrey's play Dear Harvey, a recently commissioned piece by Diversionary as a tribute to Harvey Milk. The choreography will look at Milk's letters, slogans, causes and movements that not only "moved" a community but also created one man's legacy as well as his memory. Harvey stated "I am all of us!" and fittingly, this new work will feature a single dancer being Harvey and us. Kalivas stated, "I chose this play for several reasons. One is that it is based on actual events and maintains a passionate, human quality to political LGBT issues. As a member of this community, my motivation to defend our equal rights grows stronger each day. Making Harvey Milk's efforts and sacrifice apparent and profound to others is necessary, inspiring and hopeful."

Kalivas will also reprise a duet that premiered last year at Dance/Theatre, as inspired by David Henry Hwang's M. Butterfly. The play is drawn from real life events, involving the strange tale of a French diplomat who carried on a twenty year relationship with a Chinese opera star without (he contended) being aware that his "perfect woman" was really a man. The dance portrays betrayal, exploitation, exoticism and fantasy, allowing these to unravel through movement.

Katie Griffin grew up dancing at her mom's dance studio. She began her Modern Dance training at the age of eight with Issacs/McCaleb and Dancers and went on to receive her BFA in Modern Dance Performance from CSU Long Beach in 2005. She chose to create a dance inspired by Dangerous Beauty by Lee Jenkins because "it hit some personal notes with me." The play was originally sub-titled Love in the Age of Earthquakes and AIDS and was based on Jenkin's own experiences as a bisexual woman being content with her sexuality and friendships. Griffin has worked locally with Patricia Rincon Dance Collective, Kruciaal Element, Culture Shock, and San Diego Dance Theatre. She danced with MizeranyDance! in the premier of Riding in My Car in September of 2007, with Butterworth Dance Company, and with Malashock Dance for two seasons. She continues to teach at the Malashock Dance School. In the 2009 Emerge Dance Festival, Griffin's work A-range i+n K-oncert was named Best Entertainment Dance Piece of the evening.

Anjanette Maraya-Ramey chose Paul Rudnick's comedy The New Century to interpret. The play is full of humorous lines that poke fun at the stereotypes of gays in today's society. "I was inspired by the various relationships and how each character was accepting of the differences that shape them," said Maraya-Ramey. "Even though all of the characters were strangers, everyone discovered commonalities in their relationships." She will use contemporary dance movement, gestures inspired by sign language, pedestrian movement and partnering work that capture these seemingly love-hate relationships. The dance is a quartet, performed by Viviana Alcazar, Deven P. Brawley, Katie Griffin and Shannon Snyder. Local to San Diego, Maraya-Ramey holds a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from CalArts. Her choreography has been presented at CalArts Sharon Disney Lund Dance Theater, and locally at 4x4xFloor, The Movement, Jean Isaacs' Studio Series, Emerge Dance Festival, Grossmont College and Temecula's Dance Moves. She is Company Manager at La Jolla Playhouse and dances with The PGK Project.

Michael Mizerany is creating the piece "Far From Eden," which is inspired by the play Never The Sinner by John Logan. The play details the more than slightly twisted and volatile relationship of Nathan Leopold and Robert Loeb. Loeb was obsessed with crime and cruelty, Leopold was obsessed with Loeb, thus began their pact of "quid pro quo" where sex and violence became brutally intertwined. The dance will feature performances by Malashock Dance company member Nicholas Strasburg and San Diego Dance Theater company member Matt Carney. Mizerany is the Associate Artistic Director for the San Diego-based Malashock Dance and teaches open company class and advanced modern technique at The Malashock Dance School. He studied dance at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and then joined The Modern America Dance Company (MAD/CO) in 1986. He has choreographed extensively, and his works are in the repertory of such companies as MAD/CO, San Diego Civic Dance Company, Michigan Dance Collective and Malashock Dance.

Ericka Aisha Moore believes in the impact of art (dance) to empower individuals, which therefore empowers community. Since starting to study dance (jazz, ballet, modern, and hip-hop) seriously at the age of 15, Ericka has been driven to perform and to create pieces that speak about the world she lives in. She chose Lot's Daughters by Rebecca Basham as her inspiration. "The conflict between the two women in this piece reminded me of myself," said Moore. "I may not be a lesbian, but I do know the conflict of love; a love that we all want to have without barriers or judgments." The dance begins at the point where the character Susannah is raped by the pastor and what her journey for love and acceptance may have looked like inside of her head. Currently, Moore is Master Teaching Artist and Resident Choreographer for Eveoke Dance Theatre; directing and choreographing full length shows - Soulos Green, Lyrics Beats and Bricks, and Voices: Mapping the Hood. She teaches at Canyon Crest Academy and is on faculty at Palomar Community College. Moore is also a seasoned music designer and has worked with Eveoke Dance Theatre, Stone Soup and Sledgehammer Theatre.

Started in 1986, the mission of Diversionary Theatre is to produce plays with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender themes that portray characters in their complexity and diversity both historically and contemporarily.

Dance/Theatre (Inspired by Theatre/Created through Dance) will be performed April 22-25 at Diversionary Theatre, located at 4545 Park Boulevard in San Diego. Performance times are: Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday and Saturday at 8:00pm and Sunday at 2:00pm. Tickets are $24 for all performances. For information, call the Diversionary box office at 619.220.0097 or log on to www.diversionary.org

 

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