Tag archives: dance
Last year, the Santa Barbara dance organizations Selah Dance Collective and Nomad Tango collaborated on a program called Malena: Between Two Worlds, which brought together champion Boston-based Argentine tango dancers Fernanda Ghi and Silvio Grand with Selah’s contemporary dancers. This weekend, they return to the Lobero with an even more ambitious double bill dubbed Beethoven’s […]
It’s no accident that dance is at the front of the new oversized magazine promoting the 2026-27 UCSB Arts & Lectures season. After all, among all of the luminous events spread across the arts, entertainment, and spoken word genres, dance has been the sparkling gem in the A&L crown that adorns one of the finest […]
Why La Boheme Dance Group Inspires People to Join, Return, and Begin Again Summer Solstice has always felt like the true beginning of the season in Santa Barbara. It is the moment the city tips fully into joy, and nowhere is that more visible than in the annual Solstice Parade. This year, the 52nd annual […]
Alejandra Folguera, founder of Nomad Tango, and Rodney Gustafson, founder of State Street Ballet and co-founder of Nomad Tango, knew they’d hit on something special when Tango Meets Classical, their production of separate pieces of tango and ballet, was a sensation at SOhO last year. This year, things have grown by leaps and bounds as […]
As aftershocks of the June 29, 1925, 6.3 earthquake continued to rock the town and the waters from the broken Sheffield Reservoir still muddied the waterfront, representatives from the Community Arts Association met to discuss Recreational Activities that would, according to CAA member Mrs. Charles W. (Lucy Russell) Dabney, “have a beneficial psychological effect upon […]
State Street Ballet marked the end of its landmark 30th season at the Lobero with Brilliance: Balanchine, Arpino, and Beyond with the Opera Santa Barbara Orchestra under conductor Kostis Protopapas. The triple bill was a true culmination of a wonderful year with George Balanchine’s Who Cares? being the first performance of a Balanchine work in […]
State Street Ballet closes out its 30th season with The Brilliance Program: Balanchine, Arpino, and Beyond, a title meant to characterize the works featured on the May 9-10 performances at the Lobero Theatre – but also apropos for the company’s spectacular season, the first full one under the leadership of Artistic Director Megan Phillips and […]
To the Gail Towbes Center for Dance for a sneak peek of State Street Ballet’s upcoming Lobero Theatre show The Brilliance Program: Balanchine, Arpino and Beyond – celebrating the company’s 30th anniversary with an electrifying finale. Featuring Balanchine’s Who Cares?, Arpino’s Birthday Variations, and a world premiere by Kassandra Taylor Newberry, a choreographer known for […]
Alvin Ailey’s American Dance Theater is described as “an American cultural treasure” and after two performances at the Granada, part of the popular UCSB Arts & Lectures series, one can see why, as it brought its unique blend of contemporary and classic movement to the cavernous stage. Showcasing a dazzling range of cultural influences and […]
If you think Mardi Gras magic is reserved solely for Bourbon Street, think again! Earlier in the month, Santa Barbara’s own La Boheme Productions brought the electrifying energy of New Orleans to the Alhecama Theatre for their fourth annual Mardi Gras bash. Let me tell you, it was a night to remember! Dressed head-to-toe in […]
Security was paramount at the Granada when Israel’s Batsheva Dance Company performed as part of UCSB’s popular Arts & Lectures program. A small number of protesters were present, carrying disparaging placards. More than 18 Santa Barbara police officers were stationed in and outside the theater and guests had to go through metal detectors placed in […]
Twyla Tharp Dance’s Diamond Jubilee – the New York company’s first visit back to our Eden by the Beach in ten years – took place at the Granada with live music from the Third Coast Percussion, and was a true tour de force. The energized performance, part of the popular UCSB Arts & Lectures program, […]
The twist is decidedly not part of the ballet repertoire, but State Street Ballet has done some shakin’ for its 30th season, the first one to be entirely programmed without the supervising hand of founding director Rodney Gustafson. New artistic director Megan Philipp and executive director Cecily MacDougall – who worked with Gustafson for more […]
State Street Ballet ended its latest season on a high note with Other Voices at the Lobero. It was a captivating blend showcasing the talents of choreographers who pushed boundaries, redefining the art of dance. A sweeping panorama of innovation. The productions were as thought provoking as they were entertaining. The show featured four short […]
Ephrat “Bounce” Asherie is an award-winning, New York-based hip-hop “b-girl” with extensive training in ballet and modern dance. Rooted in African American and Latinx street and club dances, her dance company returns to town with her latest exploration of the inherent complexities of the dance forms. Ephrat Asherie Dance‘s latest work ODEON brings together and […]
UCSB Dance Company, the ensemble that changes every year as it’s composed of senior dance majors, once again has no male members. But rather than deciding to double down again by creating a program with all female choreographers as in 2023, director Delila Moseley instead chose to diversify. In Different Realms… el arte perdura, which […]
Border Crossings: Exile and American Modern Dance – an art exhibition, symposium, and a pair of dance performances – takes over several venues at UCSB and downtown this weekend in a multifaceted celebration of immigrant and BIPOC artists whose work challenges previous histories of dance to consider how war, inequality, and injustice shaped 20th century […]
Selah Dance Collective has a slogan that undulates across its website and shows up on the company’s new t-shirt: “No choreography, just vibes.” The phrase came from a post-show comment by a dancer’s spouse about a segment in their latest work, Sound and Smoke, which resonated with Selah founder and artistic director Meredith Cabaniss Ventura. […]
Whether you’re needing a bit of exercise to work off the Christmas feast, seeking some family fun time with lots of other folks, or merely looking for a way out of the house after a weekend with relatives, the Santa Barbara Country Dance Society might have the answer. They’re throwing open their doors to everyone […]
The annual invasion of local productions of The Nutcracker doesn’t begin until mid-December, as Festival Ballet and then the State Street Ballet roll out their full-fledged renditions of Tchaikovsky’s Christmas classic. But this weekend brings a tasty holiday appetizer, especially for the tots and teens, as State Street Ballet Academy presents Rudolph, the charming holiday […]
