2006 Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 7, 2006

MEDIA CONTACT:
Marshall Lamm
510-928-1410
marshalllamm@earthlink.net

YERBA BUENA GARDENS FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES CHOREOFEST 2006

(San Francisco, CA) -- The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival announces the line-up for ChoreoFest 2006, a week-long celebration of dynamic dance running from Sunday, August 20 to Saturday, August 26. Guest dance curator Brechin Flournoy has brought together 15 artists whose dance styles appear to be disparate from each other but have an underlying connection.  Hip-hop, contemporary dance, flamenco, tap, and ethnic dance will converge into a series of site-specific dance installations at 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.

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

Sunday August 21, 1:00 – 2:00pm
Sha Sha Higby – moving sculpture
Fellow Travelers Performance Group – dance/theater
Soul Force Dance Company – hip-hop
Carmen Carnes Dance Ensemble with Anak Swarasanti (a Gamelan Orchestra from Santa Cruz) – contemporary dance/gamelan

Monday, August 22, 12:30 – 1:30pm
Leyya Tawil’s Dance Elixir - contemporary dance
Alma Esperanza Cunningham Movement- contemporary dance

Tuesday, August 23, 12:30 – 1:30pm
Co-produced with Shereel Washington
Fua Dia Congo – West African dance
Destined to Dance – youth group

Wednesday, August 24, 12:30 – 1:30pm
Yaelisa Caminos Flamencos - flamenco
John Kloss of Stepology – tap dance

Thursday, August 24, 12:30 – 1:30pm (Open rehearsal with Q &A)
Friday, August 25, 12:30 – 1:30pm
Saturday, August 26, 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Collaboration directed by Laura Elaine Ellis
New Style Motherlode – hip-hop
Elaine Chao – beat boxer
Marc Bamuthi Joseph  - spoken word

Linda Lucero, Artistic Director of the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival said,  “We are proud to present ChoreoFest 2006 – a week of dance, which investigates the relationships among the various performers and their interactions within the beautiful spaces of the Yerba Buena Gardens.”

This is Brechin Flournoy’s second year as the guest curator of the ChoreoFest.  Brechin is best known as the Founding Director of the San Francisco Butoh Festival (1995-2002), a notable 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 annual SF Butoh Festival, Brechin produced a variety of outdoor events at Yerba Buena Gardens under the banner “Butoh in the Gardens.”  The San Francisco Butoh ended in 2002, however Brechin has continued to curate free, outdoor performances with butoh artists and experimental concepts at Yerba Buena Gardens in subsequent years.

Yerba Buena Gardens is located at Mission Street between 3rd and 4th Street in San Francisco's SOMA District.  The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, which takes place from May through October, features over 100 events, including classical and jazz concerts, opera, international music events, theater, dance, children's and family programs, visual art exhibits, educational programs and cultural events.

Yerba Buena Arts & Events, producer of The Yerba Buena Gardens Festivalmailing address is 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
www.myspace.com/ybgfestival