Can you picture the gentrification of Oakland, the death of Sandra Bland, and the treatment of Haitians in the Dominican Republic … in dance? In its second annual D.I.R.T. Festival (Dance In Revolt(ing) Times), Dance Brigade will present explorations of all these themes and more, starting on January 22.
The festival is inspired by the dancers’ drive to go beyond making aesthetic movement and express themselves on social and political issues. In a statement, Dance Brigade’s artistic director Krissy Keefer called it “the duty of the artist” to reflect on the world’s problems – something Dance Brigade has a long and rich history, and indeed, a stated mission, of doing.
This year, D.I.R.T. includes collaborations with other programs and projects. The first weekend of D.I.R.T. performance will be presented in collaboration with the Black Choreographers Festival. On January 23, Dance Mission Theater will host a panel discussion, “The Matters of Our Lives,” a collaboration with Delina Dreams Productions. And on February 6, a series of site-specific works entitled “Stories of Revolt” will be presented jointly with the Mission Arts and Performance Project (MAPP) at locations around the neighborhood.
D.I.R.T. will run for three weekends and feature three distinct programs from January 23-February 7, 2016 at Dance Mission Theater in San Francisco (3316 24th St. at Mission). Tickets are $22 in advance at dancemission.com and $25 at the door. Festival passes are also available. For a full calendar, click here.
