2005 Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACTS: David Perry/Barbara Webb - David Perry & Associates
(415) 693-0583

ChoreoFest 2005: DA-dancing Fusion
.Sunday, August 21, 1-2 pm & Mon - Wed August 22-25. 12:30-1:30 pm
Yerba Buena Gardens, Mission & Third Streets, San Francisco
ADMISSION FREE!

SAN FRANCISCO, CA. July 5, 2005. The Yerba Buena Gardens ChoreoFest is four days of dance that showcase the Bay Area's wealth of talented, innovative artists. Guest curators Brechin Flournoy and Shereel Washington have facilitated new collaborations by artists whose dance styles appear to be disparate from each other. Hip-hop, contemporary dance, ethnic dance, and Butoh will converge into four dynamic site-specific dance installations in Yerba Buena Gardens. Each unique installation is charged with waking up the space to reveal the harmony that comes out of juxtaposition. Several of the works will be accompanied by live music and singing that range from DJ mix to acoustic instruments.

To start ChoreoFest 2005 Yerba Buena Gardens will come alive with dancers on Sunday, August 21 at 1 pm with Lizz Roman & Dancers (contemporary dance); Carpetbag Brigade Physical Theater Company (acrobatic stilts); and Leigh Evans (Butoh).

The full schedule of performances is as follows: (subject to change)

Sun. Aug. 21, 1-2 pm Elements II (see description above).
Mon. Aug. 22, 12:30 pm Musin' Fusion - Malia Movement Company (hip-hop and traditional Hawaiian dancing and chanting); Rashad Pridgen (hip-hop); HerPic Performances (contemporary dance); Ong Dance Company (traditional Korean dance and drumming).
Tues. Aug. 23, 12:30 pm Youth Performances - Island Praise Dance; Dimensions Extensions Performance Ensemble
Wed. Aug. 24, 12:30 pm Summer Lovin' in the City - sizzling hot New Style Motherlode (hip-hop dance); Aya de León (spoken word artist); Ledoh's SaltFarm (Butoh); and Metropolitan Butoh with special guest SKORPIO (break dance).

Based on a concept by Brechin Flournoy, ChoreoFest 2005 is presented by Yerba Buena Gardens Festival in association with d-net (dance-network) and the Black Choreographer's Festival.

Linda Lucero, Artistic Director of the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival said, "We are delighted to present ChoreoFest 2005 - four days of dance, which showcases the vibrancy of the Bay Area dance community in the beautiful spaces of Yerba Buena Gardens."

Brechin Flournoy, guest curator of the ChoreoFest: DA_dancing Fusion, is best known as the Founding Director of the San Francisco Butoh Festival, an influential international dance festival that became the de facto center for Butoh in the nation and popularized the genre among audiences. Brechin is the recipient of a SF Bay Guardian GOLDIE Award and an Isadora Duncan Award for Sustained Achievement in the Arts. In conjunction with the SF Butoh Festival, Brechin produced a variety of outdoor events at Yerba Buena Gardens. The San Francisco Butoh ended in 2002, however Brechin has kept the SF Butoh Festival concept alive by continuing to curate free, outdoor performances with Butoh artists and experimental concepts at Yerba Buena Gardens in 2003 and 2004.

Shereel Washington, guest curator of the ChoreoFest, is the co-director of B-PAN, Black Performing Artist Network and co-producer of The Black Choreographers Festival: Here & Now. She has performed with New Trails Dance Theater, Fua Dia Congo, Robert Henry Johnson and Dr. Albirda Rose, among others. Shereel has presented work as a choreographer in many Bay Area venues and has taught dance throughout the Bay Area. She and Joseph Washington are co-founders of IXALT, a performing arts organization dedicated to the promotion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through Dance, Music, Song, and Spoken Word.

The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, which takes place from May through October, features over 150 events, including classical and jazz concerts, opera, performance art, international music concerts, dance performances, children's programs, theater, visual arts, puppet shows, cultural festivals, and special events.

All performances and events are free and open to the public, drawing an audience of San Francisco and Bay Area residents, tourists, and convention attendees that numbers more than 100,000 each year.

Free Artistic and Cultural Programming in Yerba Buena Gardens is made possible through the generosity of The San Francisco Redevelopment Agency; The Creative Work Fund; The Bernard Osher Foundation; The James Irvine Foundation; The JPMorganChase Foundation; The National Endowment for the Arts; The San Francisco Arts Commission; The San Francisco Foundation; The WA Gerbode Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; The Zellerbach Family Foundation; and individual contributions. We gratefully acknowledge pro-bono contributions from MJM Management Group; Steefel, Levitt, and Weiss; Latino Entertainment Partners; LaserCom Design; Moisa & Associates; Pro Piano; The San Francisco Marriott; Sony-Metreon; San Francisco Chronicle; San Francisco Downtown Magazine; and San Francisco Bay Guardian.

Yerba Buena Arts & Events, producer of The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival is located at 760 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. Phone (415) 543-1718; Fax (415) 543-1755; website: http://www.ybgf.org
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Yerba Buena Gardens Festival

produced by Yerba Buena Arts & Events

Mailing Address:
760 Howard Street
San Francisco CA 94103
Phone: 415 543 1718
Fax: 415 543 1755
info@ybgf.org
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