New Dance with Live Performance of New Music

While my coverage of dance performances continues to be relatively limited, I continue to take an interest in productions that involve adventurous new music, particularly when that music is performed (rather than recorded) as part of the presentation. Not too long ago I first became aware of Sharp & Fine, a contemporary dance company based here in San Francisco founded in 2011 by sisters Megan and Shannon Kurashige. Their current project is Just Ahead is Darkness, which is being described as a “play for dance.”

Sharp & Fine dancer Sarah Dionne Woods-LaDue (photograph by RJ Muna, from the Sharp & Fine Web site)

The production is inspired by the Japanese Bon Festival, which is basically a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves. This tradition has been maintained within the Japanese-American community. Bon dances are an important part of the ceremony, and they provide the point of departure for the creation of Just Ahead is Darkness. The Kurashige sisters will assume the roles of two ancestors; and the other dancers will include Christian Burns (Father), Tristan Ching Hartmann (Death), Sonja Dale (Child), and Sarah Dionne Woods-LaDue (Mother).

Sharp & Fine has commissioned Cory Wright to compose the score for Just Ahead is Darkness. Wright is an active member of the local jazz community, perhaps best known to readers for his appearances at the Make Out Room, where he plays a wide variety of reed instruments. He will both lead and play in a quartet that will provide the music for the performance. He will be joined by Steve Adams (also on multiple reeds), Karl Evangelista (guitar), and Jordan Glenn (percussion).

Just Ahead is Darkness will be given three performances at 8 p.m. on Friday, February 7, and Saturday, February 8, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, February 9. The venue will be Z Space, which is located in NEMIZ (the NorthEast Mission Industrial Zone) at 450 Florida Street, between 17th Street and Mariposa Street. Ticket prices will be $35 at the door and $30 if paid in advance. However, until January 22 there will be two special $20 rates, one for “early bird” tickets and the other called “Pay-it-Forward,” allowing one to purchase an additional ticket for someone who might otherwise be unable to see the performance due to financial barriers.  (Those experiencing financial barriers and wish to receive one of these tickets should contact Sharp & Fine by electronic mail, providing first and last name and the date of performance. Z Space has created a single Web page for online purchase from which one may select the date of the performance one wishes to attend.