‘Other Voices’ Features Cutting-Edge Choreography at the Lobero

State Street Ballet brings its 2023 /24 season to a close with Other Voices, featuring the talents of  contemporary creators who push boundaries, redefining the art of dance. With choreography ranging from classical to experimental idioms, the production includes new works—Corelli Concerto by Nilas Martins, The S.I.T. by Royce Zackery, and A Warm Window by Nicole Powell—plus audience-favorites As We Always Have by Laurie Eisenhower, and Common Ground by Edgar Zendejas.

Performances are at the Lobero Theatre, Friday, May 10, and Saturday, May 11, at 7:30 pm. Audiences can expect an entertaining, thought-provoking experience.

About the Four Short Works

Classical ballet, contemporary ballet, and modern dance are the disciplines that inform the four short works that open Other Voices. The pieces showcase aspects of these mediums, settiung the stage for the integration of performance styles and techniques in the longer finale,

Common Ground.

Nilas Martins’ Corelli Concerto is a classical and ballet-focused piece with precise and clean pointe work, set to music by Arcangelo Corelli. Just under eight minutes in length, it features three women who Martins praised for “their understanding of the musicality and the shifts and transitions in dynamic energy that are required for some of the choreographic sequences. I love how these three performers dance in perfect harmony and still come across with their individual personalities.”

“Life itself” is the inspiration for choreographer Royce Zackery’s The S.I.T. Based on his observations as an educator, Zackery focuses on the human need to “sit with things you’ve gone through, whether good or bad,” and reflect on them. Zackery has been a contributor to State Street Ballet since 2010, and the creation and staging of his piece reflect his vision of the company as a “beautiful, eclectic whole” with a mission of bringing together people of “all different walks of life, all different colors, all different shapes and sizes, and all different athletic abilities.”

Nicole Powell’s A Warm Window is about resilience; experiencing the struggle, hurt, growth, stagnation, and joy that makes us human. The first section of the work depicts a world with a range of emotions and specific memories in an intimate setting. The second section explores joy and playfulness in a group setting, celebrating individual complexities, accomplishments, and perseverance. Powell describes her artistic goal as celebrating that “life is not always good or happy. But there is beauty in all we experience, and that gives us the power of resilience.”

As We Always Have, with music by Ludivico Einaudi and Armand Amar, and choreography by Laurie Eisenhower, was last performed by State Street Ballet in 2019. Focused on the cyclical nature of our lives, the innovative and unexpected style of this piece makes it a favorite among serious dance watchers and professional dance makers, and a rich contribution to Santa Barbara’s creative scene.

About ‘Common Ground’

Premiered in 2015 by three diverse companies (State Street Ballet, Detroit’s Eisenhower Dance, and UCSB’s Santa Barbara Dance Theater), and last performed by State Street Ballet in 2017 at the International Ballet Gala in Santiago, Chile, Common Ground speaks to the core of our human condition.

The choreography by Edgar Zendejas, set to Max Richter’s recomposition of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, explores evolutions, changes, and the unfolding of lifes’ paths. Zendejas uses classical pointe work, contemporary movement, and modern dance segments to portray the uniqueness of each one of the seasons, culminating in a finale where all styles are performed on stage together, creating an inclusive and  wholistic vision of equity through the common language of dance.

“To find a cycle in seasons brings me to the cycles of life that are offered to us as humans,” Zendejas explains. “Interaction with others happens from the moment we are born, always changing and always moving, starting from the new to the old of every relationship. Common Ground explores not the changing of the seasons, but the change of seasons within each of us.”

Tickets are available at www.lobero.org, or 805-963-0761, or at the Lobero Theatre box office. Tickets are priced from from $26 to $58. Discounts of 20% are available for parties of 10 or more—call the Lobero box office to purchase.

FOR CALENDAR LISTINGS

•       Other Voices, performed by State Street Ballet

•       Choreography by Edgar Zendejas, Laurie Eisenhower, Nilas Martins, Royce Zackery,

Nicole Powell

•       Music by Max Richter, Ludivico Einaudi, Armand Amar, and others

•       Friday, May 10, at 7:30 pm; Saturday, May 11, at 7:30 pm

•       The Lobero Theatre, 33 E Canon Perdido Street, Santa Barbara

•       Tickets at www.lobero.org, or 805-963-0761, or at the Lobero Theatre box office

•       Prices range from $26 to $58. Discounts of 20% are available for parties of 10 or more—

call the Lobero box office to purchase

ABOUT THE COMPANY

State Street Ballet, founded in 1994 by Rodney Gustafson, is an internationally acclaimed

dance company based in Santa Barbara, California, and led by Artistic Director Megan Philipp and Executive Director Cecily MacDougall. A pioneering collaborative that supports international

ensemble members, the company consistently strives for new and innovative artistic opportunities to serve a broad audience. Each season is dedicated to bringing the highest standards of artistry and originality to tried-and-true classics, and creating innovative works that reflect the contemporary nature of the ensemble. Public performances, educational outreach, community partnerships, and training programs are fundamental to their mission, at home and on tour.