Our 2014 Choreographer: Mark Dendy!

No rest for Mark Dendy after the premiere of his acclaimed 80-dancer “Ritual Cyclical” at Lincoln Center this summer. The Obie and Bessie-winning dancemaker, our DANCEworks choreographer-in-residence for 2014, is already preparing for “Dystopian Distractions,” which he’ll create onstage at Santa Barbara’s Lobero Theatre next April. We’re thrilled that Dendy and his company are coming, and have created a new “Friday Club” to give you an insider view of Dendy’s process. Donate $50 to DANCEworks and join us every Friday of Mark’s residency for an open rehearsal followed by mingling onstage with the choreographer and dancers.

Read about our choice of Dendy on the DANCEworks website here.

Or read the Santa Barbara Independent’s report here.

Can’t wait till April? Check out video of Dendy’s hit “Ritual Cyclical” here

KEIGWIN+COMPANY’s 10^th Anniversary Gala

Our 2013 choreographer-in-residence, Larry Kegwin, is celebrating ten years of his popular troupe, KEIGWIN+COMPANY.  Larry and his dancers opened their home season at the Joyce Theater October 29^th with a gala tribute to DANCEworks executive director Dianne Vapnek, who gave Larry his choreographic start. Larry was a dancer in Mark Dendy’s company, then featured in Summerdance Santa Barbara, DANCEworks’ predecessor festival, when Dianne told him he was talented and should make a short dance. Larry hauled a mattress onto the lawn of the Mission’s rose garden, and the rest is history! The resulting dance, “Mattress Suite,” was an instant success.

You can see a photo of Larry and dancer Nicole Wolcott dancing “Mattress Suite” on the Santa Barbara Mission lawn back in 2003 here.

To mark the anniversary, KEIGWIN+COMPANY asked celebrity guests from the dance and fashion worlds to videotape their own mattress dances. Watch them here. 

Congratulations to KEIGWIN+COMPANY, and to Dianne Vapnek for her much-deserved honor.

A Rave Review of Doug Elkins at Fall for Dance

“Mo(or)town Redux,” the dance version of “Othello” that Doug Elkins created during his 2011 DANCEworks residency, seems destined to become a classic. Writes New York Times’ critic Alastair Macaulay, reviewing “Mo(or)town” as part of the Fall for Dance Festival last month: “This is one of the most compelling dance creations of this century.”

Elkins choreographed the entire work right in Santa Barbara on the Lobero Stage. You’ll want to read the full rave review here. 

And you can watch Doug creating “Mo(or)town” in Santa Barbara here.

Quick Takes on DANCEworks Choreographers

In December Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will dance “LIFT,” a commission by Aszure Barton, DANCEworks’ first-ever choreographer-in-residence.  Check out the deets here.

And the Brian Brooks Moving Company, in residence at DANCEworks in 2012, just made its debut at the Brooklyn Academy of Music with Brian’s new work “Run Don’t Run.”  Full scoop here.

Dianne’s Dance Buzz Gives Props to Margaret Jenkins

Our executive director’s September blog post casts an appreciative eye on San Franciso’s Margaret Jenkins and her company’s collaboration with the Kolben Dance Company of Jerusalem. Writes Dianne: “At a time when choreographers are being forced to scale back, I applaud Jenkins’ determination to be true to her artistic vision.  Seemingly fearless in the face of the myriad complexities of international collaboration, Jenkins keen eye, vision and talent enable her to go where most would fear to tread.”

Read Dianne’s full post here.

Be Part of the Future of American Dance

DANCEworks isn’t just about unforgettable performances. It’s about long-term relationships with the gutsiest artists in contemporary dance—relationships that allow bold choreographers to take new risks.

Our family of supporters makes this possible.  A gift of $100 will provide room and board to a dancer for a day during our Spring 2014 residency at the Lobero Theatre.  A gift of $500 will cover the travel costs of a dance from New York City to Santa Barbara.  A larger gift helps us pay the choreographers for their creative work, or contributes to stage tech and lighting.

Any size gift will make a big difference in supporting the creation of risk-taking dance. Read more about what DANCEworks does in this article from the Santa Barbara Independent

Become a part of the artistic relationship by donating here