San Francisco's dance scene springs to life this fall with a vibrant array of performances. From intimate black box theaters to outdoor parks, our city's fall dance calendar is brimming with works that range from classical ballet to cutting-edge contemporary, offering dance enthusiasts a rich tapestry of performances to savor as the days grow shorter and the fog rolls in. We'll have even more dance coverage in next week's issue.
World Arts West
World Arts West embraces the theme "Dance as Activism." This free event features 13 performance ensembles, including three LGBTQ dance groups. Experience a rich tapestry of cultural heritage expressed through dynamic rhythms, vivid costumes and captivating performances. The festival showcases dances from Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, the Americas, and beyond. Free, September 8, Presidio Tunnel Tops, 210 Lincoln Blvd. www.worldartswest.org
Reyes Dance
Jocelyn Reyes and her company present "DIOS," a world premiere work about losing faith and finding personal power. Set against the backdrop of Holy Week, this innovative work follows the structure of a Catholic mass while charting Reyes' personal evolution. The piece spans her early years as an altar server, through her awakening doubts at U.C.L.A., to a transformative health crisis in young adulthood. $10-100, September 5-7, ODC Theater, 3153 17th St.
Smuin Contemporary Ballet
In its first program under the artistic direction of Amy Seiwert, Smuin introduces the Bay Area to two internationally acclaimed choreographers. Jennifer Archibald presents the world premiere of ByCHANCE, exploring themes of fate, chance encounters, and serendipitous moments that shape our lives.
Matthew Neenan, celebrated by The New York Times as "one of the most appealing and singular choreographic voices in ballet today," makes his company debut with The Last Glass, a world premiere set to the music of indie-rock band Beirut. Rounding out the program is Seiwert's "Renaissance," returning to the Bay Area after its praised New York premiere at the Joyce Theater this summer. $25-92; September 13-October 20; Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, Lesher Center for the Arts, and the Cowell Theater. www.smuinballet.org
Sean Dorsey Dance
Sean Dorsey Dance celebrates the groundbreaking artistry of its trailblazing founder, whose work as a choreographer, dancer, writer and trans rights activist has shaped Bay Area culture for 20 years. The company will perform a trio of his works including "Lou," based on the diaries of pioneering trans activist Lou Sullivan, as well as excerpts from "The Missing Generation" and "The Secret History of Love," both based on oral histories Dorsey recorded with LGBTQ elders across the country.
Dorsey said, "This home season is about legacy, sharing our history, uplifting stunning beauty, heartache, resilience, and love, especially at this brutal moment in America." September 19-21, $15-$35, Z Space, 450 Florida St. www.seandorseydance.com
Siddhi Creative
While South Indian Bharatanatyam movement serves as the primary vocabulary for Siddhi Creative, the company integrates it with contemporary dance, experimental movement, theater, literature, poetry, music, and technology.
Their new program, entitled "Two Folds," features "The Maze," which draws inspiration from Artistic Director Surabhi Bharadwaj's lived experiences as well as other women navigating patriarchal structures. "Finding Joy" is an ensemble exploration that celebrates themes of nostalgia, love, community, and art that bring joy amid constant pressure in a competitive world. $23-47, September 20-22, ODC Theater, 3153 17th St.
www.siddhicreative.org
Printz Dance Project
The Presidio Theatre and Printz Dance Project present a remounting of choreographer and director Stacey Printz's landmark 2017 work, "GLASSlands." The evening-length work features set design by award-wining artist Sean Riley comprising large, transparent pod-like structures, or "bubble rooms" that fill and animate the performance space, creating a plastic world that dancers inhabit and explore. $39-$49, September 21-22, Presidio Theatre, 99 Moraga Ave. www.presidiotheatre.org
Alonzo King LINES Ballet
Perhaps our city's most prolific choreographer, Alonzo King and his iconic company partner with The John & Alice Coltrane Home and the Coltrane Family to celebrate the life and work of legendary spiritual leader and musician Alice Coltrane. As part of a nationwide celebration, "The Year of Alice," LINES premieres a new work set to her revolutionary music.
The program also features King's recent collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony, set to Ravel's sweeping "Ma mère l'Oye (Mother Goose)." According to King, "I'm not trying to recreate Mother Goose fairy tales. My intention is to unearth the deeper allegorical meanings beneath the fairy tales and illustrate those with dance." $40—135, September 26—29, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 700 Howard St. www.linesballet.org
Chitresh Das Dance
Just off a successful multi-city tour of India, Chitresh Das Dance presents a restating of "Mantram," a sonic and visual journey in India's kathak dance, created by Artistic Director Charlotte Moraga.
First premiered during the pandemic, "Mantram" celebrates the creative innovation and tradition of North Indian classical kathak dance and North Indian classical music. Chitresh Das Institute's Youth Company will also perform an invocation. $29-79, September 27-29, ODC Theater, 3153 17th St. www.odc.dance/mantram
Liss Fain Dance
The always-innovative Lisa Fain Dance presents an immersive, evening-length performance installation about transformation and choice, "Open Time." The work is set in four different rooms, separated by passageways. The audience, moving freely around the periphery and between the rooms, experiences the work from different perspectives. $30-60, September 27 -29, Z Space, 450 Florida St. www.zspace.org/open-time
Flyaway Productions
Drawing inspiration from the covert abortion network, "Jane," which operated before the legalization of abortion in 1973, "Ode to Jane" is a new aerial dance that examines the resistance movement following the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision. The performance unfolds on the fire escapes and walls of the historic Cadillac Hotel in the Tenderloin. Free, October 4-12, Cadillac Hotel, 398 Eddy St. www.flyawayproductions.com
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