Four Decades and Still Going Strong
San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival
War Memorial Opera House
San Francisco, CA
July 14, 2018
Celebrating its 40th anniversary, the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival performed at the City’s prestigious War Memorial Opera House for the second time. It was a wildly acclaimed occasion with excellent performances from a dozen companies from Mexico to Bolivia, Spain to India and Cuba to the Philippines. The program’s last page announced that next year’s Festival would again take place at the Opera House.
Having the EDF at the Opera House is an about-time idea; it finally acknowledges that world dance and music are no longer stepchildren in the City’s arts hierarchy. The artists deserve it. But the venue also opens access to audiences that might otherwise have few opportunities to attend this beautiful performance space.
And yet something was missing. Too much of the first program was given over to large showy ensembles. Solo artists and small groups don’t seem to make it through the audition process. Yet they are the ones who set off the larger ensembles, giving a program a trajectory and a sense of depth and breath. They need to come back.
With "The Shimmering Moon" Chuna McIntyre’s small Nunamta Yup’ik Eskimo Singers and Dancers set the tone of what can be: dancing that was small scaled and focused spoke yet strongly of communal and cultural values. But then why was soloist Sandor Diabankouezi, an elder statesman of Congolese arts, put on a balcony so half of the audience couldn’t even figure out what was going on? Or why were the Lion Dancers on another balcony with no space to show what they do? These artists are perfectly able to hold their own on the Opera House stage. The one soloist all evening, Ye Feng, presented a stunningly effective “The Chinese Soul” for which she beautifully incorporated a number of Chinese and Western traditions.
Still, this was an evening to be cherished. With “Sare Nau” (Nine and a Half [beats]) the Chitresh Das Youth Company’s fifteen young women paid more than a simple tribute to the late Chitresh Das and his disciple Charlotte Moraga’s training and artistry. Speed, discipline, precision and intricate musical acuity made this one of the evening outstanding presentations and spoke promisingly about the future of Kathak in the Bay Area.
AguaClara Flamenco’s “Aire del Romero” presented Flamenco at its most happy and playful, with the dancers in red accented white gowns performing simple percussive patterns with butterfly fans and filigreed hands. In her solo Clara Rodriguez, unfortunately, lost control of her big shawl.
Arenas Dance Company’s packed almost too much of a good thing into their exuberant styled “Manose de Mujeres a la Obra.” It honored women’s work — cleaning floors, sweeping and scrubbing clothes — with rumba rhythms. Fine dancers that they were, the three orishas, however, needed their own context.
After intermission, Parangal Dance Company’s wonderfully operatic “Kiyaprawa a ko Arkat Lawanen” (The Abduction of Princess Lawanen) pulled out every theatrical stop in a tightly formatted piece of narrative. Soldiers prepared and engaged in battle, banner carriers waved their flags, a prince arrive in a boat, a princess was kidnapped, though all ended well. Thanks perhaps to the festivities, which even included the always-popular sinkit.
Bolivia Corazón de América’s “Pachamana’s” (Mother Earth) presented three selections of intricate percussive footwork and lots of turns that set fabric flying from hats and skirts of the richly embroidered costumes. Well paced, the ensemble also impressed with fine musicians. The Ensambles Ballet Folklorico de San Francisco's suite of dances from the Tabasco region shone with some spectacular male dancing, both by themselves and while partnering flower-crowned women. The contrast between the men’s simple blue and white pants and shirt’s and the women’s colorful gowns looked particularly good. The small musical group featured two very different types of flutes, one made of ceramic, the other from reeds.
The first weekend ended with another story dance. Te Pura O Te Rahura’a's fifty-six dancers presented “O Moe’emo’e — Curiosity,” a contemporary narrative of an evil magician, a revengeful deity and a sad love story. The gracefully undulating women ended up being transformed into hairy beasts. The musicians included a small but hauntingly beautiful group of singers. There was no happy outcome here. This was a tragedy; possibly the first time that an EDF program did not end on the up-beat. It was most refreshing.
If the EDF, splendid as it is, is to continue to perform at the Opera House, it might consider expanding its perspective. Not everything has to be gloriously cheerful and big. No improving is needed in the beautiful and so very informative printed programs. They are almost collector’s items for anyone interested in world dance. Gratefully, these days EDF also is as much a music as a dance festival. With one exception, all the music was performed live on appropriate instruments.
EDF’s second program will be performed July 21 and 22, 2018.
copyright © Rita Felciano 2018
