Dance Flash: Trolley Dances

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Do you love weekends, cool weather, almost free events, and the J-Church? Then this weekend's interactive dance tour, Trolley Dances, is right up your alley. Just don't expect any dancing in the trolley (er, streetcar); that would be illegal.

Picture this: you and your buds, post-40 minute wait at Tartine for the most delicious éclair ever, meet up at Dolores Park, check in with your "tour guide" at the statue of Miguel Hidalgo, and, along with the rest of your group, make your way, via foot and the J, through the Mission, Noe Valley, and Balboa Park, all while stopping along the way to see a wide variety of local dance companies and performers in site-specific works. The cost to you: $2 (your Muni fare).

Site-specific dance sounds like a construction project, right? But it's not. It's dance that's created to exist only in a certain place or location, and the choreographer takes into consideration the space, like benches in a garden or escalators in a mall, when creating the movement. In the past, Trolley Dances' dancers have performed in spots like UCSF, the Bayview Opera House, Maiden Lane, and a cluster of bamboo trees in SOMA.

But what kind of dance will you see? SF-based Deborah Slater Dance Theater is a sure crowd pleaser, and you've got to feel giddy when watching the SF Merionettes Synchronized Swim Club whirl about in the pool. Former Urban Bush woman Amara Tabor-Smith's Deep Waters Dance Theater doesn't perform in water, but her movement and incorporated text tend to have a liquid feel to them. Knowing Kathleen Hermesdorf, a popular instructor, performer, and choreographer, expect the unexpected (and how can you not? In this video, she gives an interview sitting atop a stove). Also on the bill are Jorge Rodolfo De Hoyos, performance artist and dancer, and Rosamaria Garcia, and Trolley Dances' director Kim Epifano's Sonic Dance Theater.?

From an audience member's perspective, part of Trolley Dances' allure depends on the unknown. You're on a city-based dance tour, but that's probably about all the information you'll get, at least until you get near each company's venue. Hopefully, the J appears on a regular basis, and the weather cooperates (and, according to weather.com, it should). But prepare what you can beforehand.

Namely:
-- Layer with a jacket or something to keep warm should you venture near any ferocious fog or air conditioning (you're on the Metro!).
-- Apply sunscreen to your forehead and nose.
-- If you're not a Muni passholder, have your bus fare ready in exact change (but please, don't fork over 200 pennies).
-- Have a positive attitude; you're about to meet new people and experience a purely local dance tour.

?Where: Beginning at Mission Dolores Park, performance tours (led by "tour guides") will wind through the Mission District, Noe Valley, and Mission Terrace to Balboa Park in the southern part of the City. Tours will begin at the statue of Miguel Hidalgo in the middle of Mission Dolores Park.
When: October 17th & 18th, 2009, starting at 11AM, and departing every 45 minutes until 2:45PM. For the clock-impaired, this means approx. 11AM, 11:45AM, 12:30PM, 1:15PM, 2PM, 2:45PM). Tours are on a "first come, first served" basis, so arrive early.
Tickets: $2 for Muni fare (remember to get a transfer!). The rest is FREE!? Special needs: For wheelchair accessibility, please arrive for the 11AM tours on Saturday and Sunday. ?Other: Call our production hotline at (415) 226-1139 for more information or email info@epiphanydance.org. And if you are interested in volunteering for Trolley Dances, please contact Randy Symank, randy@epiphanydance.org.