2009 San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival
The San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival is a significant event that attracts spectators from across the country every June. For 31 years now, World Arts West has led this major feat to present audiences with an opportunity to see dozens of northern California based ethnic dance troupes perform in a beautiful theater setting. This June at the Palace of Fine Arts, 37 companies performed over four weekends. During opening weekend, an outstanding program with nine different acts were presented. Among them were four festival favorites from previous years which included the Murphy Irish Dancers, Theatre Flamenco, the Barbary Coast Cloggers and Te Mana O Te Ra.
The evening performance on June 6 was filled with enthusiastic patrons. Early arrivals had a chance to view the impressive work of dance festival photographer RJ Muna throughout the theater lobby. Guests were also treated to live folkloric music by Compañia Mazatlán Bellas Artes—music reminiscent of the drum beats and flute heard in some Peruvian songs.
The main event commenced with a four-part Ballet Folklorico piece by Compañia Mazatlán Bellas Artes. Tall corn stalks in the background created an appropriate setting for "Fiesta Tabasquena," a traditional dance of Tabasco, Mexico that celebrates the harvest of a new corn crop. Everyone on stage looked the part with the women dressed in long floral skirts with flowers in their hair and men dressed in white with cowboy hats. All 18 dancers gave exemplary performances with beautifully executed footwork and smiles throughout.
Performing for the first time at the festival was 10–year-old soloist Athira Pratap. Schooled in the ancient classical dance form, Bharata Natyam of south India, Pratap, dressed in red silk with gold accents and bells around her ankles, danced the story of "Ohm Kaara." With her irresistible charm, confidence, skill and stage presence, Pratap has the potential for a bright future in this highly disciplined dance form that takes years to master.
The Presidio Dance Theatre returned to the festival this year to premiere "Ukrainian Suite," featuring a classic girls line dance and the lively Cossack dance the "Hopak." The large cast of children showcased their strength, coordination, and acrobatic skills to the best of their ability in this exceedingly difficult dance traditionally performed by men. Cloaked in Ukrainian authenticity, the dancers shined in their artfully crafted costumes created by artists of the former Kirov Ballet. The audience showed sincere appreciation for the efforts of these young folk dancers. The only shortcoming was the unfulfilled craving to see a few skilled professionals perform those impossibly high leaps and squatting kicks known to the "Hopak."
Next on the program was soloist Sri Susilowati performing her own choreographic work, "Jaipong Tablo"—a Sundanese mourning dance from west Java Indonesia. Susilowati danced barefoot in her elegant, full-length, black sarong to the subtle percussion sounds created by gongs and metallophones. Atmospheric lighting effects simulating shadows and bamboo trees also helped set the tone for this serious yet beautiful dance. In this heartfelt performance, Susilowati showcased extreme poise and proficiency through simple steps that were both moving and memorable.
Returning this year to perform their world premiere of Patricia Feeney-Conefrey's "Tir Na nOg," the Land of the Youth, was the Murphy Irish Dancers and Bushmill Irish Pipers. This spectacular presentation featured a giant cast of dancers of every age range. Twelve curly haired teenage girls in ghillies, Irish soft shoes, and one exceptional 17-year-old male dancer, Evan Trudell, who has been dancing since he was 5, dominated the show from beginning to end. This dynamic dance troupe dazzled everyone in the audience with their polished intricate foot work and inexhaustible stamina. Eighteen- –year-old dancer, Katelyn Dwyer shares, "All the dancers are very athletic. They participate in a lot of sports. It helps with stepdancing." For Dwyer, a bit of ballet technique from San Francisco Ballet school helps keep up her stamina.
Following intermission, renowned music and dance troupe Gamelan Sekar Jaya premiered "Subak," a traditional Balinese dance performed with over a dozen musicians playing giant bamboo marimbas (a type of xylophone). In this tribute to the Hindu deities, the dancers tell a story through mime that depicts the harvesting process for rice. Movements by the women were soft and fluid while the male dancer, performing shirtless, had a more dramatic role that incorporated exaggerated facial expressions and subtle head movements from side to side. In his hand gestures, he also displayed an extraordinary gracefulness that had a sublime masculine quality.
From Theatre Flamenco, new artistic director Carola Zertuche and Juan Siddi performed the duet "Encuentro," with cantaor (singer) Felix De Lola and flamenco guitarist, Keni "El Lebrijano." An eager audience shouted, "Olé!" during the first song and became further enthralled once the dancers entered. The rapport between Siddi and Zertuche was fiery and convincing during this intense dance of passionate love. That evening, Theatre Flamenco was solid on all counts—in footwork, palmas (clapping) and cante (song).
The most contemporary dance form of the evening was performed by the unforgettable Barbary Coast Cloggers. Sporting jeans, plaid shirts and cowboy hats, eight supremely talented male dancers performed three Appalachian buck-style circle dances, square dances and line dances. Music by the Doobie Brothers, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Asleep at the Wheel was used during these fast moving works that incorporated Irish stepdancing, Dutch clogging, the German schuhplattle (shoe-slapping), Cherokee Indian stomping, and African "patting juba," clapping, stomping and patting. Whether a country/western music fan or not, this show was fun for all.
For the evening finale, Tahitian Dance Troupe, Te Mana O Te Ra, performed their world premiere of "Tani e Pahu." Watching this massive group of dancers of all ages and ethnicities shroud the stage with pulsating movement, grass skirts, and fragrant plumeria flowers made this performance the next best thing to being at an authentic Tahiti Fete celebration. The female dancers demonstrated superior control of their upper bodies while they performed vigorous circular hip isolations. A spirited group of barely covered male performers, dancing in yellow maros (loincloths), also gave their most as they performed the masculine pa’oti step, a scissor-like movement with the legs. It was the perfect end to an evening filled with spectacular dance and an experience you wished would never end.
Jasmine Rios is a freelance writer and consultant for the arts.
For questions/comments, email minacommunications@gmail.com or visit MinaCommunications.com