Lakeside High School hosted the 2024 Southern California Dance Festival, presented by LeBossCoDance. The festival featured 20 works from Southern California choreographers and companies.
Santa Barbara City College Dance Company opened the evening with “Chronophobia,” a work confronting time through quick and repetitive robotic gestures. Costumes: Mindy Nelson; Lighting: Fenna Roukema; Dancers: Charlie Brewer, Viviana Cruz, Lara van Diggelen, Odette Finn, Elsa Goldwasser, Anna Jensen, Fenna Roukema, Melissa Vargas, Julia Weitzman, Isabella Yarme. Artistic Director: Tracy R. Kofford
“In the Bleak Midwinter,” choreographed by Meredith Ventura, featured lovely dancers from the State Street Ballet Professional Track, under Artistic Director Meredith Ventura and Ballet Director Megan Philipp. Costumes: Meredith Ventura; Lighting: Meredith Ventura; Dancers: Isabelle Cummings, Isabel Koontz, Hailey Maynard, Madeline Stiner, McKenzie Gosney, Elianne Holt, Madison Huntington, Alexis Robards.
FUSE Dance Company – Dancers Katie Walsh and Joshua D. Estrada-Romero – Photo by Jazley Faith.
“Power,” was an abruptly short work choreographed by Natalia Morales, Artistic Director of Making Moves Dance. Costumes: Natalia Morales and Alaiya McMeans; Lighting: Kriatina Jackson; Dancers: Makayla James.
“Thun,” choreographed by James Gonzalez and Savanna Torres, featured soloist Vernice Ednilao, whose liquid movement quality and committed performance were a delight to watch. Costumes: James Gonzalez; Lighting: James Gonzalez, Vernice Ednilao.
SBCC Dance Company’s second work “Meadow,” choreographed by Avree Walker, was a visually beautiful work. The use of canon, the releasing quality of the upper body, and the interplay between chaotic and orderly staging resembled waves crashing. Costumes: Mindy Nelson; Dancers: Charlie Brewer, Viviana Cruz, Lara van Diggelen, Odette Finn, Elsa Goldwasser, Anna Jensen, Ryan Lack, Fenna Roukema, Melissa Vargas, Julia Weitzman, Isabella Yarme.
Jose Costas Contempo Ballet – Dancers Sadie Black and Aaron Dirickson – Photo courtesy of the artist.
“Jingo,” choreographed by Christine Baltes (1998) (recreated and expanded by Janell Burgess of Spectrum Dance Company (2020)) was a fun piece that drew from the bodily and rhythmic elements of Flamenco. Costumes: Tomo Swan; Lighting: Jody Caley; Dancers: Aoi Aihara, Janell Burgess, Alfonso Fuentes, Jeni Jones, Karli Padilla, Erica Villalpando.
“Disconnected,” choreographed by JESS HARPER & Dancers‘ Artistic Director Jess Torres, featured soloist Carole Bacic dancing to the sounds of dialing, ringing, and a phone operator. Costumes: Jess Torres; Lighting: Martha Carter.
“mosAiC revise,” choreographed by Julz Fernandez, was danced by Alyssa White and D’Chelly Sambula who seemed to enact a dramatic portrayal of the father and daughter dynamic heard in Eminem’s “Mockingbird.” Costumes and Lighting by Julz Fernandez.
“Mirror, Mirror on the WOOF!,” choreographed by Savanna Torres in collaboration with cast members, was a quirky piece filled with vibrant colors that featured four women who appeared to be accompanying one another on a strange acid trip. Costumes: Savanna Torres; Lighting: Savanna Torres; Dancers: Emily Deskin, Viernes Ednilao, Julz Fernandez, Megan Frain, Arwyn Higgins.
“WINEdown,” choreographed by Joshua D. Estrada-Romero, Artistic Director of FUSE Dance Company, was a standout in the showcase. The stage design (which featured five imperial chairs) the costumes (conceived by Hayden Lalicker), and the Baroque music created a wonderful backdrop to showcase five overindulged royals engaging in causing trouble with their shenanigans. Dancers: Sophia Bernardo, Joshua D. Estrada-Romero, Kathy Duran, Maili Schlosser, Katie Walsh.
“WORK” was an energetic and acrobatic piece choreographed by Meredith Ventura, Artistic Director of Selah Dance Collective. Costumes: Meredith Ventura; Lighting: Meredith Ventura; Dancers: Brenna Chumacero, Vietor Davis, Arianna Hartanov, Ashley Kohler, Hailey Maynard, Daisy Mohrman, Rachyl Pines, Alexis Robards.
Cari Mayfield dancer, Finding My Faith – choreographed and photographed by Lily Bull
“Finding My Faith,” choreographed by Lily Bull, featured a Hip-Hop accented solo by Cari Mayfield of CHAMPS Charter High School of the Arts. Costumes and Lighting: Bull & Mayfield.
“It’s Approved,” another piece by Jess Torres, was a visually striking and theatrical duet featuring Deon Hale and Shania Jackson. Costumes: Megan MacLean and Drew Bell; Lighting: Alison Brummer.
Jose Costas Contempo Ballet – Dancers Aoi Aihara and Aaron Dirickson – Photo by Dan Hopkinson.
“Tango Interlude,” choreographed by Jose Costas, Artistic Director of Jose Costas Contempo Ballet, was an endearing work featuring multiple tango-inspired duets danced by Aoi Aihara, Rafael Austria, Ryo Matsushita, and Emma Manzanares. Lighting: Brock.
Choreographer Meredith Ventura represented SBCC Dance Company with her evocative piece, “Un Temps Très Vieux.” Costumes: Meredith Ventura; Lighting: Meredith Ventura; Dancers: Charlie Brewer, Viviana Cruz, Lara van Diggelen, Odette Finn, Elsa Goldwasser, Anna Jensen, Ryan Lack, Fenna Roukema, Melissa Vargas, Julia Weitzman, Isabella Yarme.
“Addicted,” choreographed by Hazel Clarke, Artistic Director of Kairos Dance Company featured an intimate quartet of women helping one another through hard times. Costumes: Hazel Clarke; Dancers: Carole Bacic, Katelyn Martin, Courtney MacMillan, Annie von Heydenreich.
Dancer Dylan Vincent – Photo courtesy of the artist.
Dylan Vincent was captivating in his solo, “A Hani Mai Na.” Vincent is from Spectrum Dance Center, Artistic Director Janell Burgess.
Julz Fernandez and Savanna Torres of LeBossCoDance presented a duet exploring toxic relationships, mutual suffering, and co-dependency. Costumes and Lighting by Julz Fernandez & Savanna Torres.
Jose Costas’ trick-filled piece, “Bongo Concierto,” was danced by Aoi Aihara, Rafael Austria, Madelynn Hamton, Emma Manzanares, Ryo Matsushita, Luis Moreno, Ella Tracy. Lighting: Brock Cilley.
The evening was closed with the kaleidoscopic “Tipping Point,” choreographed by Tracy R. Kofford. Costumes: Mindy Nelson; Lighting: Martha Carter; Dancers: Charlie Brewer, Viviana Cruz, Lara van Diggelen, Odette Finn, Elsa Goldwasser, Darya Hessami, Anna Jensen, Fenna Roukema, Melissa Vargas, Julia Weitzman, Isabella Yarme.
The presenters of the 2024 Southern California Dance Festival commented that they hoped this was an inaugural event. I hope it is, too. I believe the festival has a lot of potential to present excellent and interesting work from the Southern California dance community. But this year’s festival fell far short of that promise. As a choreographer and lover of dance, I commend any artist who takes the risk to share their art with the world. In the same manner, I commend these artists. However, this festival was a display of unfinished work. The stage management was not tight, often leaving the audience sitting in the dark for almost 45 seconds between pieces. Many of the works started well only to abruptly end like this sentence. Too many of the pieces featured badly mixed, abruptly cut music.
I want the festival to continue. I believe the mission is important. However, I do not feel the overall quality is yet representative of the great work happening in this region. Here’s to a better attempt next year.
Written by Marlita Hill for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: FUSE Dance Company – Dancers Left to Right Sophia Bernardo, Joshua D. Estrada-Romero, Kathy Duran, Katie Walsh, Maili Schlosser – Photo by Jazley Faith.
