Epiphany Dance Theater Announces 17th Season

Epiphany Dance Theater has announced the program for the 17th annual San Francisco Trolley Dances (SFTD), October 17 to 18.

This year's route breaks new ground in the Dogpatch neighborhood before heading south to the Bayview Hunters Point District. Participating companies include Arenas Dance Company, Fog Beast, Post:Ballet, TrashKan Marchink Band, Zaccho Dance Theatre, as well as Epiphany Dance Theater. A total of 12 tours are scheduled over the weekend, six each day starting at 11 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:15 p.m., 2 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. Each tour runs approximately two hours. Admission to SFTD is free with the cost of a Muni ticket, and reservations are required.

"In these unprecedented times we are adapting our beloved annual tradition to protect the health of performers and audience members," said Kim Epifano, artistic director of Epiphany Dance Theater. "All of our performance sites will be outdoors, and audience capacity on every tour will be greatly reduced to allow for social distancing. We feel confident that San Francisco Trolley Dances will continue to be a safe and fun way for folks to celebrate and explore this amazing place we call home."

Each year Epiphany Dance Theater matches Bay Area-based artists and ensembles with specific sites, inviting them to create an 8- to 12-minute piece in response to the physical environment, architecture and history of the area. This year's roster of confirmed artists includes Post:Ballet, which will kick off Trolley Dances outside the Museum of Craft and Design located at 2569 3rd Street in the Dogpatch. Under the artistic direction of Robert Dekkers and Resident Choreographer Vanessa Thiessen, the contemporary ballet company has for more than a decade earned accolades for its inventiveness and sophistication.

Fog Beast was founded in 2010 by Melecio Estrella and Andrew Ward, two veterans of Joe Goode Performance Group. The company is recognized for its blend of "full-bodied dance, original live music and humor." They will perform in Angel Alley, a refurbished street park in the Dogpatch that pays homage to the historical Tubbs Cordage Company and Factory.

The tour's final site in the Dogpatch is Woods Yard Park adjacent to Muni's Woods Yard bus facility. The park includes an installation, titled Dogpatch Blockheads, by Dave Warnke. Artists performing at this site will be announced at a later date.

From the Dogpatch, Trolley Dances will move to the Bayview with a stop at the Delancey Street Foundation, an internationally renowned nonprofit providing residential rehabilitation services and vocational training for substance abusers and convicted criminals. Zaccho Dance Theatre, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, will perform at this site not far from its home base in the Bayview, the Center for Dance and Aerial Arts, where the company runs a free and discounted arts education program for students ages 7 to 17.

From Delancey Street, tours will move to "Soul Journey" at 1625 Carroll Avenue. "Soul Journey" is a mural created in 2000 with the support of the Precita Eyes Muralists Association. At this site, tour participants will observe Arenas Dance Company, an all-women, Cuban folkloric movement arts organization under the direction of Susana Arenas Pedroso.

TrashKan Marchink Band will then lead audiences from the mural to Laughing Monk Brewing on Egbert Avenue, where Epiphany Dance Theater will conclude each tour. Under the direction of Bengbeng The Klown aka Benjamin Wester, TrashKan is a collective of dozens of performers with a background in music, dance and general silliness.

At each site, trained volunteers greet audience members, while professional theater artists act as tour guides leading audiences along the performance journey. In addition to taking public transit, attendees have the option to walk or bike to the performance sites on their own. Route maps will be available on site and online at epiphanydance.org.