San Francisco Bay Guardian Critics' Picks

Rita Felciano, a respected dance critic who has written for the Village Voice, Dance View Times, as well as for many others around the Bay Area has chosen Project. B. as one of the Critics' Picks for the Bay Guardian.  Here's what she had to say:)  It's our first time receiving any press so I am so excited that it was a positive one!

DANCE

Project.B.

If you have seen Tanya Bello dance — Shift Physical Theater, Robert Moses' Kin, and Janice Garrett + Dancers come to mind — you won't have forgotten her. She probably was the shortest (but also the fastest and fiercest) tearing across the stage. Bello is small but she dances big. Lately she has taken advantage of the Garage's RAW (Resident Artist Workshop) program to hone her choreographic skills. Moveable Feast, her first full-evening work, is plugging into her experience working with choreographers both here and on the East Coast. The idea is to show three versions of one piece in which components — lights, dancers, sets, music — get shuffled around. In the end the audience decides which one worked best.(Felciano)

May 10-11, 8 p.m., $15

Garage

975 Howard, SF

(415) 518 1517 www.brownpapertickets.com 

http://www.sfbg.com/listing/24

BANDW

Project.B. performed Triquetra at Western Ballet in Mountain View, Ca for Bay Area National Dance Week. Although I could not be there for the occasion, Marco escorted Norma, Chin-chin, and Yu-mien and reported that it was a great performance and was received well. Below are some photos of the performance.




















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Feast for the Senses

Norma Fong, Mayuko Hosoai, and Yu-mien Wu
 in the beautiful Argyle rehearsal room, ODC

There is so much to look forward to with Moveable Feast coming  in exactly one month today!  Mike Sugrue's video of Yu-mien and Katherine will both be shown between each section of Moveable Feast, Margo Moritz's beautiful photographs and Marco Gallerizzo's work will be presented in the lobby of the Garage, and Jesse Olsen's music that he will compose especially for Project. B. will be one of the pieces that will accompany the dancers in one of the sections of Moveable Feast.

Yu-mien Wu, Mayuko Hosoai,
Norma Fong, and Kelly Del Rosario

Project. B. has gained momentum in the last month.  Two of the three pieces are almost complete and the dancers have a semblance of what they need to execute artistically and dynamically to make this program a feast for the senses.

Please spread the word!  I'm very excited for this show.  I really think it will be a great one.

The Salon @ Studio Gracia

Mica and Ben Levy

The word "salon" is usually identified with beauty salons where people get their hair done and chat amongst each other about their lives and also to gossip.  However, the salon that Project. B. was a part of this evening is a gathering of artists in different genres to share, converse, watch, and enjoy each others work and ideas in a warm and inviting setting.  Thanks to Ben Levy of Levydance, who opened up his facility, Studio Gracia.  Levydance gave ten local artists 10 hours of free space to create and explore which then culminated in tonight's Salon.  The showcase included contemporary dance, ballet, burlesque, poetry, live music and painting.  Project.B. performed 2 sections of the piece Souterrain featuring Kelly Del Rosario, Norma Fong, and Chin-chin Hsu.

Kelly Del Rosario & Norma Fong
Souterrain duet

Chin-chin Hsu
Souterrain Solo

Other than the warm atmosphere and creativity that flowed through out the evening, it was also a great way to plug the May performance of Moveable Feast.  The dancers looked amazing and am always so thankful for all their beautiful dancing and hard work.

It was a nice April evening to be a part of the Salon.

Video Shoot

Mike directing Yu-mien

I've been holding my tongue for the last month to talk about this project that finally took place yesterday here in the Bay Area.

About a month ago, a commercial photographer/ videographer based here in the Bay Area, approached Project. B. to help in creating a test shoot for a project he wanted to create.  The last month, I've been in communication with him about bringing in 2 dancers, as well as using my piece Triquetra as the basis for the movement that he would shoot for the project.

Camera following Katherine

   

Well, I really wasn't sure if it would happen but yesterday, from 5 pm to 2 in the morning, his crew of twelve, and my crew of three worked on creating snippets of a dancer's life in the studio.

It inspired me to see another artist manifest an idea and be so dedicated to the work.  I watched him for 9 hours hold the shoot with so much drive.  You could see that he had a vision and that he was there to capture it and bring it to life.

There were other aspects of the shoot that I could talk on and on about.  But I think I'll wait to tell you more about who he is and where this project goes next in the near future.  In the meantime,
 

SAVE THE DATE:  MOVEABLE FEAST                                   MAY 10 AND 11, 8 PM

@ the GARAGE

Injured

Aside from running Project. B., I am still active and dancing professionally for Janice Garrett and Charles Moulton.  Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, about 30-50 dancers stretch outside the doors of Studio B where Janice holds her 10:00 Advanced Contemporary Class.  In the half hour before class you hear a lot of hemming and hawing about whether or not we will survive another morning of her extremely technical, brainy, rigorous, and of course, really fun class.

Every week, I walk out high on life and happy that I was able to get through her class.  You always feel like you really got a chance to dance and move.

This Tuesday, I almost got through the whole class.  She usually ends with an across the floor jump sequence dancers call grand allegro.  As I got the nerve to be the first group to go across the floor, I was able to execute the sequence on the right side and the left side.  We repeat it again and as I land the jump, I feel a huge ball on my calf that felt like a charlie horse.  All I could do was sit as the muscle spasmed and tightened the muscles all along my right leg.

My friends rallied, carrying me to the Dancers' Clinic, carrying my things for me, getting me ibuprofen and ice, and my friend Tegan even moved my car for me so that I wouldn't get a ticket during street cleaning!  Well, the diagnosis- a torn gastrocnemius muscle.  I was wrapped up and given crutches.  I'm so thankful for everyone that helped me and that ODC even had the facility for a Dancers' clinic.

However, I do have to say that there was some crying involved.  An injury means that I won't be able to dance for a period of time.  So many things go through my head and everything you feel you've worked towards just goes down the drain in one second.  I mean really!  I almost got through the whole class.  Just one more jump and I could've finished the class pain free.

Aside from allowing myself the time to heal from this injury, I also know that I need to quiet my mind from everything that I may be projecting because of this injury.  I knew that being a dancer wasn't easy, but I think that at this moment, this is the hardest thing to bounce back from.

Tomorrow's agenda:  a visit to an acupuncturist. Maybe she will be able to heal my mind and my body.

WEEEE!!!!

Teaching little four year olds, I reminisce back when I was their age and how satisfying it was to just spin round and round until I got so dizzy I would just fall to the floor.  Well, these days, the spinning going on in my head is enough to make me dizzy.  This last month has definitely picked up a notch with all the things I need to get done or get ready for before opening night.  Yikes!!  I'm learning that I can't only concentrate on the task of creating Moveable Feast and all the production that goes behind it, but that I also need to plan for after Moveable Feast.

So alongside this whirlwind, I am also beginning to manifest the next piece, apply for other opportunities, and see where Project. B. needs to go next.  It's a lot of work!  And so at the end of the day I remind myself that I am doing what I love.  Maybe this whirlwind is worth getting caught up in.  The satisfying part- getting the chance to create again and again...