For the third year running, San Francisco’s Dance Mission Theater will present deeply political performances, this time with a focus on current points of contention like resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline, Black Lives Matter, displacement, deportation, and colonization.
Among the programming are various traditional dances with little European influence. The March 24th performance will open with an Ohlone prayer and will also feature a Yaqui Deer Dance reenacting the practice of a deer hunt from the northern Mexican state of Sonora. Parts of the show will be held outside. The evening will be a benefit for Standing Rock activists.
The performances, which stretch over two weekends from March 24th to April 2, will also include panel discussions and workshops. Performers include NAKA Dance Theater, Maurya Kerr, Jessica Recinos, Dexandro “D” Montalvo, Dance Monks, Dancing Earth, Jesus Cortes and Cuicacalli, Jory Horn, Danza Xitlali, Tanya Bello, Angela Dice Nguyen, Natalie Aceves, and Bianca Mendoza among others – a full lineup is available here.
From Dance Brigade:
“Not only are our artists expressing their outrage, but also their joy and beauty, which can also sometimes be an act of defiance… These days, ‘to exist is to resist.’ Live art is an opportunity for people to come together in community. Many people are feeling despair and rage, but after having a collective experience, they realize they are not alone and leave the theater feeling inspired, reinvigorated, and ready to act. Magic happens with live performance. Spirit is conjured. Dance is how we rejoice. It is our resilience. Our resistance.”
Admission is $20 in advance; $25 at the door.