How Do YouTube & “So You Think You Can Dance” Both Help and Hinder?
Join us for Dance Discourse Project #8 as we delve into the popping of contemporary dance – the effects of YouTube, “So You Think You Can Dance” and other mass media stratagems on making dance today. We will create a hybrid discussion, part panel talk with Eric Kupers, Monique Jenkinson and other special guests, part world cafe with YOU, as we investigate how these new tools and opportunities are influencing how we make dances in today’s world.

No Reservations Necessary

A Dance Salon presented by Dancers’ Group and CounterPULSE

Dancers’ Group and CounterPULSE team up to present 2nd Sundays, a series of free salons where artists share work and dialogue with audience members and fellow artists. We see this as an exciting opportunity to advance discussion of the craft and hope you’ll join us for the conversation.

This month’s salon includes work from:

Brianna Taylor

The piece is an excerpt from a longer work titled, “Nothing is Ever Lost…” which explores decisions around child bearing and motherhood in contemporary American society. The women recall memories of the past and dreams for the future, as they investigate questions about contemporary issues such as abortion vs. the desire to have children, along with the desire to move forward with careers as independent women of our time. The piece explores ways in which women support each other around these decisions, and ways they turn to nature and spirit for guidance. The work combines modern and West African dance as movement inspirations, along with spoken word and song, serving as a ritual performance experience for women grappling with the decision of whether or not to have children.

Stephen Pelton Dance Theater

“Rooms”

Presenting a work-in-progress excerpt from “Rooms” an upcoming full-length collaboration with playwright Brian Thorstenson.

Tawnya Kuzia Director/Choreographer RUGGED Dance Company

Tawnya is in the process of creating movement that ignites the imagination through showcasing kinetic dance theater works. She has been creating phrases where the dancers feel comfortable exploring a sense of risk by allowing their own voice to be heard through abandoning their pre- conception of what is correct shape and form. For the 2nd Sundays performance the Company will present a piece from their upcoming concert in May. The work features the aspects of underground Steampunk culture. Steampunk is a subculture which incorporates the Victorian Era style and ideals fused with futuristic technology. Because the work involves themes from the future set in the past, the movement has to be developed with an idea of evolving from the classic and embracing the beauty of deconstruction. The repertoire will feature work that is dynamic, sensual, and highly physical.

No Reservations Necessary

Bending over to show its holy side, San Francisco’s famed erotic reading-and-performance series returns for the He Is Risen Edition, celebrating resurrections, erections, and other springtime stuff. A splendid sex-and-spirituality time is guaranteed for all…except maybe the Pope. Performers will include Jane Cassell, Sherilyn Connelly, Gina de Vries, Thomas Roche, horehound stillpoint, and more, all presided over by Dr. Carol Queen and Simon Sheppard.

This past weekend, audiences at CounterPULSE were treated to a powerful evening of performance from Jess Curtis / Gravity and a talented team of international collaborators.  The first act featured Scotland’s Claire Cunningham in thought-provoking, solo exploration of her experience with alternate mobility.  After the intermission, audiences were wowed by a sneak peak at “Dances for Non-Fictional Bodies”, a collaborative exploration of alternately-abled bodies at work, at play, on rollerskates, gurneys, and bicycles, dancing, singing karaoke and tumbling absurdly through life.

Audience members responded with an outpouring of adjectives, heralding the show as “exceptional,” “beautiful, funny, thought provoking, unique,” “fantastic, stimulating, inspiring, funny, witty, intelligent, inventive, extraordinary,” and “incredibly surprising, heatmelting, boring, sweet, delightful, dumb, smart…”

Thank you to Jess Curtis and the International Collaborators for making us feel alive.

Luxury Items was a super splendorific success. Besides being a fabulous production, this was also our longest running show to date, and garnered a ton of fantastic press!  Go CounterPULSE, and hats off to Monique Jenkinson and everyone involved! Much love to all who came and hope you loved it as much as all of us on staff did!

A few words from our awesome audiences:
“Amazing.  Fauxnique is awesome and the show “showed” her brilliantly.  Great production.  Every moment.  She mentioned a technical error and it wasn’t apparent at all!”

“Ms. Monique created a beautiful and poignant world for us – her biting commentaries awakened our imaginations to the free-flowing contradictions surrounding us.”

“Fauxnique is SF’s own female Eddie Izzard! Well done!”

“Completely unnecessary & GORGEOUS!  (And thought provoking!)”

“Smart, fun, and not too pretentious!”

“Fantastic.  I want to worship at her church forever.”