Enter the world of a Beijing Opera training session, and watch portrayals of some of the many playful and heroic characters of this traditional Chinese art form.
This Balinese condong was once danced in the ancient palaces of Bali.
Performed since the 19th century by young girls known for their beauty and grace, the choreography of our eight year-old soloist was the creation of I Dewa Manggis, King of Gianyar.
Handkerchiefs spin and swirl in old and new versions of marinera norteña, a graceful, elegant, and romantic courtship dance. One of Peru’s most popular dances, the marinerawas named in honor of the Peruvian Navy in 1879. Our dancers are champions from Lima, and the live music is exhilarating.
Danced to honor this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, Mythili Kumar, Prithvi Sooktam is a bharatanatyam piece from Southern India depicting verses from a 4,000 BCE Hindu hymn that pays reverent homage to Mother Earth, her creatures and the diversity of races.
Three folk dances from the southern Sotavento region of Veracruz, Mexico—La Carretilla, La Iguana and El Zapateado—demonstrate Spanish-influenced intricate footwork, with a little teasing and a competitive spirit.
Based on rituals of the Lumad people of the Palawan and Mindanao Philippines, these dances portray a babaylan, a female shaman, interceding between the deities and her community to ensure a good harvest, health, and the healing of warring factions.
Theatre Flamenco of San Francisco (Spain) In a passionate collaboration, the dancers, singer, and guitarist express flamenco’s joyous side. This dance shows the highly polished flamenco from Andalusia, Spain, as it is danced in community to celebrate births and weddings.
Based on Korean court and folk dances that go back 2,000 years, The Last Empress tells the story of beloved 19th century heroine Queen Min, her struggle to bring her kingdom toward modernization, and her unfortunate demise.
Fua Dia Congo and Cultural Heritage Choir (Congo) – Special Festival Commission WORLD PREMIERE Performed by the Mbeti people of Congo-Brazzaville, Nzobi ritual dances are a call for spiritual protection and purification and are accompanied by Linda Tillery’s Grammy-nominated Cultural Heritage Choir, singing traditional Congolese music.
WEEKEND 2: JUNE 12 & 13
All performers listed below perform in every show during this weekend Saturdays at 2 pm & 8 pm; Sundays at 2 pm
This special commission commemorates both Mexico’s Bicentennial and the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution. It focuses on Mexico’s revolutionary heroines, courageous women soldaderas. This inspiring new work brings together acclaimed choreographer Zenón Barrón and dancers from six local companies:
Ballet Folklórico Alma de México of South San Francisco
In this traditional dance from Korea, a shaman channels spirits in a dramatic attempt to send the soul of a playful child to the next world, but the soul mischievously escapes being captured.
Originating in Indian classical dance and narrative drama, this kuchipudi piece celebrates the goddess Parvathi, the Divine Mother, using fast rhythms, vivid expressions, and complex yet delicate movements.
A young woman playfully attempts to find the sweetest grapes, showcasing movement from Uzbek and Uyghur dance, and accompanied by extraordinary master drummer Abbos Kosimov on the Uzbek percussive instrument, the doira.
Powerful radadrums begin this depiction of an initiate’s Kanzo ceremony into the Vodou tradition of Haiti, where dancing and drumming become a channel of communication with the Lwa—spiritual entities—and the ancestors.
Two dances from the Philippines’ Northern Luzon showcase the dexterity of Kalinga women handling and balancing banga (earthenware pots) on their heads, accompanied by mesmerizing live music, including gansa (gongs), pattangok (bamboo drums), flute, and song.
This energetic piece offers a glimpse into Hungarian village life with traditional celebratory dances and song from the Magyarszovát region, performed in beautiful authentic costumes with live music passed down through many generations.
A stunning ancient Hawaiian hula tells the story of the Goddess Hi’iaka, Pele's sister, as she battles fiercely with the divine ancestors—rain, wind, lightning, and earthquakes—during her journey to fetch Pele’s lover Lohi‘au from Kaua‘i.
Inspired by the haunting melodies of A.R. Rahman’s Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack, The Shapes of Dreams is a journey through the movement of Bollywood dance, combining Indian classical, contemporary, and folk dance forms with modern dance and hip hop.
WEEKEND 3: JUNE 19 & 20 All performers listed below perform in every show during this weekend Saturdays at 2 pm & 8 pm; Sundays at 2 pm
Dancing and drumming become one in Tatsumaki, or Whirlwind, a North American taiko performance with roots in the kumi daiko tradition of Japan, full of fast-paced rhythms and synchronized movement.
Dramatic flamenco from Spain is marked by the percussive sound of a hammer striking an anvil, evoking its origins in the Romani forges. Cante jondo—mysterious and dark “deep song” vocals—and percussion fuse with an intense and dynamic dance tension and release.
Through traditional poly-rhythmic drumming, call-and-response singing, and ceremonial ritual dance, Simbi Dlo, the Goddess of Water, is honored in the hope that she will bring water to the community, in this powerful Haitian dance from the Vodou religion.
From West Java comes this relatively new Sundanese dance form, jaipongan, which blends the simple and sensual movements of traditional Indonesian folk dances and the power of martial arts to showcase the soloist’s grace and strength.
A medley of folk songs and dances represent different regions of Gujarat in Western India: Garba—incorporating earthenware lamps and clapping; Tippani—named for the tip-tip sound of mallets; Manjira—utilizing brass hand-cymbals that create a jingling beat; and Dandiya Raas — danced with colorful sticks in praise of the Hindu deity Krishna.
A male Tagbanua tribal leader dresses as a priestess and asks for blessings from the gods in this Pakidwa ritual dance from the highlands of Palawan, an island in the south of the Philippines. Musicians keep the pace on traditional instruments—a babandil and bamboo karatung, both known to delight the gods.
Thirty-four exuberant dancers perform a suite of Turkish dances celebrating a traditional wedding, the energy and joy of women working in the home, and fishermen netting a lively fish in the Black Sea.
In this joyful dance from the highlands of the Peruvian Andes, young, single women don hats decorated with colorful flowers in hopes of attracting suitors, who enthusiastically dance with vigor and charm, clearly enjoying the festivity.
An impressive fifty dancers and musicians fill the stage to present evocative scenes depicting the mysterious journey of the ubiquitous moth featured in Tahitian mythology. Authentic early Tahitian instruments and chanting complement the ori rau dances that blend modern and classical styles.
WEEKEND 4: JUNE 26 & 27 All performers listed below perform in every show during this weekend Saturdays at 2 pm & 8 pm; Sundays at 2 pm
As a symbol of their conversion to Christianity, the indigenous Cora people of Nayarit, Mexico, perform this religious Danzantes del Quinto Sol of the Pachitas every day from February 2 to Ash Wednesday.
WORLD PREMIERE With the use of brass hand bells tied to long braided ropes, a young shepherd girl (Shannon Tse) expresses gratitude and honors the achievements of her ancestors in a joyous dance from the Qiang ethnic minority group of China, whose history can be traced back to the Shang Dynasty, from 1,600 to 1,100 BCE.
Two powerful dances from Africa highlight aspects of the indigenous culture of Zimbabwe: Mhande is a Shona ceremonial dance to bless seeds and petition the ancestral spirits for rain, and Hoso/Amabhiza is a healing Ndebele dance, for families displaced by colonialism, to connect to what was left behind.
Intersection Through Time is a highly personal piece, as the choreographer moves beyond the restrictions of traditional Cambodian classical dance to reflect on her own experiences and changes as an immigrant artist.
A magical dance set in the high Andean plains of Bolivia, Suri Sicuri dates back to 800 BCE and tells the story of a woman who befriends a suri (ostrich), her effort to be accepted by his pack, and her eventual transformation into a beautiful bird.
A nomadic people’s struggle to maintain their traditional lifestyle and identity is portrayed through ethno-contemporary choreography infused with dance styles from the Central Asian Steppes to the Balkans, featuring original live music by the band Stellamara.
A rose that grows from the concrete…Thirty American inner-city youth overcome often difficult backgrounds to allow the lessons of life to plant new seeds and bring forth their true selves, expressed through their own mix of hip-hop and modern dance.
Quiver, glimmer, flutter, and shimmer! An innovative baladi belly dance inspired by the undulating swells of the Red Sea, with fluid, rippling movements reflecting the grace and power of the sea.
In a friendly challenge between dancer and drummer, this improvised interaction featuring intricate footwork and dramatic skirt flourishes speaks to the struggles of the Puerto Rican people—danced by the Bay Area’s first and only all-women bomba ensemble.
