WHO: Santa Barbara Dance Theatre
Choreography by: Jerry Pearson
Dancers: Tracy Kofford, Monica Ford, Emily Wheeler, Cybil Gilbertson,
Blake Hennessy-York, Erika Kloumann, Thomas McDonnell, Sarah Pon,
Marcos Duran, Christina, Malcolm & Nolan McCarthy and Jerry Pearson.
WHAT: 20th Anniversary Celebration
WHEN: Friday, January 14, 2011 at 8 p.m.
WHERE: Granada Theatre, 1214 State Street , Santa Barbara , CA 93101
TICKETS: $21 student/senior; $28 general (no assigned seating, so arrive early)
Box Office: 805.899.2222
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10 am – 5:30 p.m.; Sunday 12 noon – 5p.m.
Closed Monday
Order online: www.granadasb.org
WHY: Celebrate two decades of SBDT with a lively retrospective of the best dance works pulled from the last 20 years. Performed by past and present members of the professional modern dance company in residence at the University of California , Santa Barbara , all dances are choreographed by Artistic Director, Jerry Pearson.
www.theaterdance.ucsb.edu www.granadasb.org
Bio
Jerry Pearson, Artistic Director
Santa Barbara Dance Theatre
Jerry Pearson came to Santa Barbara in 1991 after a dance career in New York and performing around the world with the Nikolais Dance Theatre, the Murray Louis Dance Company and Rudolf Nureyev and Friends. He has received fellowships and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council for the Arts, Pennsylvania Arts Council, California Arts Council and was awarded first prize at the International Choreographic Competition in Nyons, Switzerland. As Artistic Director of the Santa Barbara Dance Theatre, the professional dance company in residence at The University of California, Santa Barbara, he has taken the company on tours of United States, Ireland, Britain, China and Korea.
Back in 1991 Jerry Pearson had just been hired to come on the dance faculty at UCSB fresh from his own New York dance company’s worldwide touring. An existing dance company known as Repertory West Dance West here in Santa Barbara was going through growing pains and it seemed to Pearson a natural extension – like an arabesque for a dancer – to transform Rep/West Dance West into a vision for a professional In-Residence dance company at the U. Thus, Santa Barbara Dance Theatre was born and is now celebrating its 20th year of leaping gracefully into our hearts. Pearson had done years of touring and wanted to be an artist-in-residence. As his company grew however, it was clear the dancers were eager to tour and not just do ten to a dozen public shows in their hometown. “We toured internationally to Ireland, Britain, China and Korea from 2006 up to last year to much acclaim and fulfillment for the dancers and me.” Pearson continued, “I love being in the company of dancers and the creative process. This company gave me the opportunity – from inception to the present – to thoroughly live and experience the art of dance. I am extremely grateful to the talented dancers who have been in the company, our wonderful donors and the University for giving me this incredible opportunity.”
20th Anniversary Celebration, will have only one performance to be held at the Granada Theatre ( 1216 State Street ) on Friday, January 14, 2011. Curtain goes up at 8 p.m. and all of the dancers, choreographers and designers from the past have been invited to attend the show, which will be a retrospective of the best SBDT work through these 20 years. Dancers who previously performed with the company will join in the show. Christina McCarthy, an original founding member, will perform with her sons, Malcolm and Nolan introducing us to the newest generation of dancers; along with Cybil Gilbertson, who now has her own company Nectar, and Erika Kloumann who were with SBDT for more than ten years. Pieces to be included in the 20th Anniversary Celebration are: Water Under the Bridge, the first piece Pearson set on the dance company; Parlor Dances; Strange Boat and Artifice; among other favorites - all choreographed by artistic director Pearson.
SBDT members who have gone on to further careers in dance include: Tracy Kofford, was in Jennifer Muller’s company The Works (NY) - the company is in residency at the U currently; Melissa Ullom went to David Parsons Co. (NY); Sam Mitchell worked with San Diego’s Malashock Dance Company; Thomas McDonnell danced with the Oakland Ballet; Lexi Pearl with Diavolo in LA; Laura Everling danced with Diavolo and was in the cast of the Cirque du Soleil’s KA in Las Vegas; Ian McGuiness danced in Disney’s Lion King; Teresa Chapman is now a professor of dance at the University of Houston; and Dana Bella is on the teaching faculty at Radford University in Virginia.
Generations of Santa Barbara children – more than 100,000 – were introduced to dance with shows created specifically for elementary school children. Nancy Lynn, who was Executive Director at the Lobero Theatre Foundation (LTF) for almost 20 years, along with past Board President Anne Smith Towbes really made a difference for this company and began the DANCE! Santa Barbara Youth Outreach program illustrating the importance and commitment the Lobero Theatre and SBDT has to arts education in the local schools.
Performing in the 20th Anniversary Celebration - Tracy Kofford, Monica Ford, Emily Wheeler, Cybil Gilbertson, Blake Hennessy-York, Erika Kloumann, Thomas McDonnell, Sarah Pon, Marcos Duran, Christina, Malcolm and Nolan McCarthy and Jerry Pearson.
20th Anniversary Celebration dance concert will take place one night only – Friday, January 14 at the Granada Theatre, 1214 State Street , Santa Barbara , CA 93101 . Tickets are $21 for students/seniors and $28 general. Phone: 805.899.2222; Box office hours Tues. – Sat. 10 am – 5:30 pm; Sunday 12 noon – 5 p.m and closed on Monday. You may also order online anytime : www.granadasb.org.
