gnosis

Hello dear friends- long time, no read! More time dancing means less time for blog posting, and with four performances coming up and several new pieces to debut, we’ve kept our hands (and feet) busy preparing for a very exciting fall season.

First up is Kathy Mata Ballet’s Autumn Showcase on September 21st, where we’ll be unveiling our latest incarnation of “The Green Chair,” our ever-evolving collaboration with acclaimed artistic director, Paco Gomes. This is the gorgeous view we’ll have from the stage at the SF Conservatory of Music (but hopefully with you in the seats!)

As one Yelp commenter says, “Do I really have to comment on such perfection? Among the hustling of Civic Center is this auditorium that just leaks beauty and splendor.” So prepare yourselves for a beautiful performance in a beautiful space. Tickets are free and available online or at the door. Seating is limited so if you want to reserve your spot, visit www.brownpapertickets.com today.

San Francisco’s 34th Carnaval Festival and Parade is this weekend, May 26th & 27th. Come join the celebration as Gnosis and fellow “Dance for Another Day” dancers take the party to the streets! Sunday’s parade features more than 60 contingents and will include Gnosis dancer Michael Leavell with Grupo Tania Santiago, fabulous DFAD ’10 performers Samba do Coraçao and lots of friends from ODC/Rhythm & Motion, Symbolic Dance & Fitness, Hot Pink Feathers and more. Parade starts at 9:30am at 24th St. & Bryant with the main parade route running down Mission St. to 17th. So don your feathery finest and stake out your spot for the most spectacular travelling dance party in town!

Wishing a very happy Mother’s Day to all of our friends, families and supporters!

To celebrate, Gnosis and “Dance for Another Day” have made a donation today to the Alliance for Lupus Research in honor of all mothers living with lupus and in loving memory of those we have lost…

Happy Mother’s Day, and thank you for continuing to inspire us all!

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, flowers are blooming and everyone is shouting, “It’s Spring!” So why is Gnosis counting down the days ’til Fall? Well for starters, just look at the photo above!

On September 21st, Gnosis Dance Collective will perform on this stunning stage for Kathy Mata Ballet. The San Francisco Conservatory of Music is one of the Bay Area’s premier venues, and the chance to dance in the elegant main concert hall with its gorgeous architecture and historic seat in S.F.’s “Cultural Corridor”- just steps from City Hall, the San Francisco Opera, War Memorial & Performing Arts and Davies Symphony Hall- has us simply giddy with anticipation.

And let’s not forget a little show on October 6th called “Dance for Another Day!” It’s already shaping up to be a can’t-miss event that will include modern, hip-hop, tango, ballroom, belly dance, and that’s just the beginning of the list. If you are a professional or teacher and would like to add your act to the line-up, please contact us today. If you are a dance student and would like to perform, send your teacher on over to our website and encourage them to sign up now. It’s sure to be another stellar show!

With such fantastic events to look forward to, is it any wonder that we’re eagerly awaiting autumn? Fortunately, we have lots of fun stuff to keep us busy in the meantime- we’re back in the studio with Paco Gomes for the next evolution of “The Green Chair,” plus working on new original material and even plotting some multi-media collaborations with some of our multi-talented friends…

Yes, Spring has officially sprung for Gnosis, so stick around to see what sprouts up next!

Gnosis has so much to celebrate this month! Following another fantastic show to round out Bay Area Dance Week, we marked our fourth birthday on May 1st with lots of love, laughter and yummy treats courtesy of our own dear Bojon Gourmet– and with this very special announcement:

After a year-long search we have finally found a beautiful new home for our annual charity dance event, “Dance for Another Day!” This year’s showcase benefiting the Alliance for Lupus Research will take place on October 6th at Oakland’s Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts. Previously known as the Alice Arts Center, this historic 350+ seat theater is just a 5-minute walk from BART with tons of parking all around and has been home to such inspiring companies as the Oakland Ballet, Citicentre Dance Theater, AXIS Dance Company and Dimensions Dance Theater. We are so proud and honored to take the stage in this lovely space with such a great tradition of community, innovation and talent. We already adore our new home and we know that you will, too.

Visit our DFAD website and “Like” DFAD on facebook today for lots more info on this year’s show, and please let us know if you’d like to take part in this magical, memorable event with us.

Cheers!

What a remarkable day of dance! Sunday’s Dance Week Celebration presented by Kathy Mata Ballet featured an incredible gathering of dancers and styles ranging from modern to lindy hop to folkloric dance to ballet. We were thrilled to be part of the action and to premiere our new piece, “The Green Chair.” The beautiful, lofty space and intimate salon atmosphere were the perfect setting for an afternoon to remember.

If you missed it, don’t fret- you’ll have another chance to catch the show this Sunday, April 29 at Alonzo King’s LINES Dance Center. Register today to reserve your spot at www.bayareandw.org (search for “Kathy Mata”).

Looking forward to seeing you there!

It’s the (second) most wonderful time of the year! Bay Area Dance Week is upon us, when studios around the bay open their doors and amazing teachers, performers and choreographers spoil us with more than 600 FREE EVENTS, including classes, shows, open rehearsals, lecture demonstrations and more. It’s the perfect time to check out that class you’ve always wanted to try, go behind-the-scenes and get inspired at open rehearsals for some of the hottest dance companies in town and, of course, see some fantastic performances- all free of charge!

This year, Gnosis Dance Collective is very proud to be part of Kathy Mata Ballet’s Dance Week Celebration. On Sunday 4/22 and Sunday 4/29, we’ll be performing two fresh new additions to our repertoire- a sassy 1920s jazz-inspired rendition of “Ain’t Misbehavin'” and the debut of “The Green Chair,” a compelling, contact-heavy Modern piece created especially for Gnosis by renowned choreographer and artistic director, Paco Gomes. You won’t want to miss it!

Kathy Mata Ballet’s Dance Week Celebration
Sunday, April 22 & April 29, 3:30-5:30pm
Alonzo King’s LINES Dance Center
26 Seventh Street, 5th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94132
Reserve your spot online @ www.bayareandw.org
(search for “Kathy Mata”)

(and for those of you wondering, this is the most wonderful time of the year…more details on that coming soon, so stay tuned!)

Gnosis dancer Michael Leavell never ceases to amaze us with his endless enthusiasm and ever-growing list of dance endeavors…

In addition to his work and play with Gnosis Dance Collective, Mike has recently joined fellow dancers Peter Cheng, Peter Chou, Peadar Cremin, Vin Eiamvuthikorn, R. Jefferson Joseph and Indie Stan to form an all-mens’ performance group. Led by dancer/choreographer Weidong Yang, the group recently debuted their new piece titled, “Metal, The Fourth Element”.

According to Ancient Chinese philosophy, the world is comprised of five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. As the fourth element, metal is associated with courage, grief and destruction, and often serves as the symbol for war. Similarly in African mythology, the Orisha of war, Ogun, is also the Orate of metal and technology. Inspired by these myths and symbols, “Metal, The Fourth Element” reveals how the discovery of metal marked the greatest leap of warfare in human history.

The sinuous and powerful choreography of this piece is inspired by the dancers’ past work with Paco Gomes and Weidong Yang’s lifelong explorations in multidisciplinary dance, Taiji, and martial arts movement. Combining the strength and fluidity of Modern and Afro-Brazilian dance with contact-based movement evocative of battle and hand-to-hand combat, the dancers embody the dual potential of man to create and to destroy. In Yang’s own words, “Metal perfectly symbolizes young warriors – their honesty, bravery, strength, romanticism, grief, and destruction.”

Click here to view some of Weidong Yang’s own images of the dancers in action, and sign up for free to see “Metal, The Fourth Element” as part of Kathy Mata Ballet’s presentation for Bay Area Dance Week, April 22nd and April 29th at Alonzo King’s LINES Dance Center.

What a fun afternoon! It was a heartwarming day of dance and community, and an excellent reminder that dance is the language of experience spanning all ages and cultures. The youngest dancer in the program hasn’t even reached the double-digits yet, while our oldest audience member at 105 years could probably teach us a thing or two about the original 1920s Charleston!  So many thanks again to Kathy Mata Ballet and all of the sweet and supportive dancers, residents and staff at The Sequoias…

We’re saving our love for you!