Saturday, July 12, 2025, A Dance for Peace Gala, an evening of movement, music, and meaningful connection was presented in support of Reborn Arts’ peace-building initiatives.
This evening consisted of a special performance by Re:born Dance Interactive and Encore Dance Company, Re:born Arts’ pre-professional ensemble. The evening included live music, hors d’oeuvres, wine, and other beverages. Also, there was an exciting silent auction featuring unique experiences, entertainment packages, and more, as well as an explanation of recent work and the objectives to which the work leads. The reason for this fete was to raise money for Re:born’s forthcoming performance in New Zealand this November at the International Peace Research Association (IPRA) Conference.
Re:born Arts- Re:born Dance Interactive Jonathan Banh, Jestoni Dagdag, Krissy Gullen, Simon Harrison, Kristy Hwang, Robinn Jaide, Katie Marshall, Katie Walsh- photo by Ashlie Valerio.
“The IPRA, founded in 1964, is the world’s leading network of peace scholars, artists, educators, and practitioners. IPRA’s mission is to advance interdisciplinary research on the causes of conflict and pathways to sustainable peace. With over 1,300 members across nearly 90 countries, IPRA hosts biennial conferences that bring together global voices to address pressing issues such as justice, healing, environmental peacebuilding, and the role of the Arts in social change” (from the program notes). This dovetails nicely with Re:born Arts Mission Statement: “Reborn Arts, Inc. is dedicated to empowering individuals by fostering grounded identities and promoting well-being through the transformative power of the Arts. We create a supportive community where individuals of all ages and backgrounds can experience dance in an emotionally and physically healthy environment.” All well and good.
Re:born Arts- Re:born Dance Interactive Jestoni Dagdag, Simon Harrison, Kristy Hwang, Robinn Jaide, Katie Marshall, Katie Walsh at the Dance for Peace Gala – photo by Ashlie Valerio.
Artistic Director Boróka Nagy explained that she started Re:born Dance Interactive after completing her University of California Irvine MFA Thesis. She has since created the second company, Encore, made up of 15-18 year-olds. Originally, she was interested in Dance on Film but quickly realized that Dance had to be seen and felt in person, as an immersive artform in order to have the emotional effect she desired. In that vein she was influenced by the Martha Graham and Lester Horton techniques of movement. She was drawn to the emotionality of dance coming from the movement itself. Because Re:born Arts believes in the transformative power of the Arts to create empathy, connection, and healing, Nagy felt they were a match for presenting at the IPRA. She plans to premiere a powerful new work at the conference titled: “A Tale of Two Tables: Un/Covered,” of which we saw an excerpt during a performance by her two companies.
Re:born Arts- Re:born Dance Interactive Jestoni Dagdag, Simon Harrison, Kristy Hwang, Robinn Jaide, Katie Marshall, Katie Walsh at the Dance for Peace Gala 2- photo by Ashlie Valerio.
Upon entering the Dance Academy Studios in Santa Ana I was met with dancers in elegant gowns welcoming the guests. Listed as a cocktail attire the mood and atmosphere was celebratory and festive. There was a Silent Auction and volunteers set up for a raffle and lovely music pervading the whole by Hime Ikehara on keyboard. There was a wall display with pictures of all the dancers present, it also had their job titles – Company Manager, Assistant Director, Rehearsal Director, etc. There is an inherent danger with having your active dancers in the company do double duty as administrators. For one, their focus is necessarily divided between the demands of one job versus the other and one of them suffers. For instance, I approached the Company Manager and asked for the titles of the pieces we would be seeing in the program. He didn’t know what they were or where they could be found and finally grabbed Nagy herself who gave me the information. I fully understand that at some point it is financially prudent to have these jobs performed in house so to speak by the people/dancers doing the work. However, as soon as possible it is a necessary professional step to have an experienced person trained for the purpose take charge. Another small detail is that the dancers were mingling for the hour before the show which was lovely, I met Amy and Addy of Encore who were welcoming and curious and also Robinn Jaide, a dancer with the main company who was delightful. It is wonderful to get to know the dancers. However, the first piece in the showcase was entitled: “Burdens of War” and was in juxtaposition to the peace so dearly held in all societies. The costumes consisted of green khakis and tops and the dancers were spot on, clean in unison and committed in the floor work. I was distracted a bit by three of the dancers who left their elegant and very brightly jeweled earrings in when they changed into their costumes. Those earrings caught the lights and perhaps because it was a studio showcase the distraction was all the more obvious. That is the job of the Rehearsal Director in professional companies. This is nothing condemning but merely professional details easily ironed out with experience.
Re:born’s Dance for Peace Initiative: “ … seeks to harness the transformative power of dance and the arts to foster peace across communities. Through this program, we promote the idea that art can be a powerful vehicle for peace-building, emotional healing, and social change.” It is a powerful idea, and one rarely acted upon with any success, especially in a country with a history for cancelling funds for the arts. This is not to say that no one should attempt it but rather acknowledge the great obstacles to peace in any society. This is an extremely ambitious set of outcomes for any dance company to embark upon and I cheer the attempt.
Re:born Arts- Encore Dance Company Dancers Sarah Oftelie, Addy Hong, Amy Lanz, Bella Avalos, Ashlyn White, Olivia Collins (L-R) at the Gala- photo by Ashlie Valerio.
The second piece on the program was “Starry Night” by the Encore group. Costumes were blue skirts cut on the bias which moved beautifully. It was informed by Van Gogh’s famous painting The Starry Night, and the dancers did him justice. The third and last piece was “Chapters of Love” which was a series of vignettes wherein we see various incarnations of love via solos and duets. Here the dancers had fun while sending up love in all of its manifestations. A question at the bottom of the program asked: “Can humanity break free from cycles of destruction, or are we doomed to repeat them?” I believe any cursory glance at today’s’ news makes that answer clear. One would have to be living in a cave not to be aware of the conflicts between Israel and Palestine, Russia and Ukraine as well as half a dozen others which threaten world stabilization, and let’s not forget the National Guard and I.C.E. Agents right here in our own City of Los Angeles. It wasn’t clear to me how these pieces and this choreography was supposed to aid in bringing or sustaining peace. Although there were a few testimonials in one of the brochures from the dancers themselves who did feel more seen, vibrant and empathetic. I can see how the dancers themselves are moved by the experience of being in this company and I applaud that care given by Nagy to her dancers. What isn’t so clear is how those feelings are conveyed to an audience through witnessing her work. The immersive aspect of her shows and choreography are what she underlines as having that effect on audiences. I did not see that as this showcase was not immersive. I appreciate her endeavors to affect an audience for the better, but more often than not, in my experience, an immersive show does not change the belief systems of those who go through it. Dancing for peace may be more effective on those dancers who are working in any given company. I hope rather than believe that audiences seeing the work may also be changed towards more empathetic and tolerant views. I fervently wish Boróka Nagy and her dancers: Simon Harrison, Kristy Hwang, Katie Marshall, Jonathan Banh, Jestoni (Jet) Dagdag, Krissy Gullen, Robinn Jaide, Hyoin Jun, and Katie Walsh all the luck with their mission.
To learn more about Re:born Dance Interactive, please visit their website.
Written by Brian Fretté for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: Re:born Arts- Re:born Dance Interactive Dancers Kristy Hwang, Katie Marshall, Robinn Jaide at the Dance for Peace Gala – photo by Ashlie Valerio.
