Voice of Dance

Inside the Incubator: Pilot 58
A collective of budding choreographers

March 22, 2011

By JULIE POTTER

Pilot 58, Photography by Weidong Yang

While it may not take a village to produce a dance concert, a collective of choreographers sure makes the process easier, according to the current artist participants of Pilot, ODC’s long-running program (since 1990) that enables six emerging choreographers to work together on a shared dance concert at ODC. Often self-producing entails a one-man (or woman) show with responsibilities like theater and rehearsal space rental, selection of dancers and music, self-promotion and marketing, command of technical production, and sometimes performing as well. The Pilot Program helps to lighten the load on each individual choreographer, providing a sort of scaffolding through human capital and training in areas of choreography and self-production from seasoned professionals in the field.

The participants Raisa Punkki, Byb Chanel Bibene, Bianca Cabrera, Katharine Hawthorne, Ashley Johnson and Erica Jeffrey of Pilot 58: Fight or Flight seized the opportunity to work in this structured group environment for a variety of reasons. With ten production meetings, two work-in-process showings and one choreographic workshop during the eleven week program, the artists work together on a weekly basis to stay focused and support each other.

For some, Pilot is about learning the landscape of a new dance community. “I moved here two years ago and have been in graduate school the whole time, so I know very little about the Bay Area as far as dance and art making goes. This is an opportunity for me to produce specifically in the context of the Bay Area.” said Johnson. Cabrera is also testing the waters of San Francisco’s dance scene. “Coming from Seattle and Boulder. I was starved for everything, underfed artistically.” Bibene arrived in San Francisco two years ago, and mentions how getting settled takes time. “Being here is another way for me to experience a new place. It’s not easy in a new place where you have to learn the language, to meet people, to make sure they understand you, learn how you work with them… I’m also researching the dance community and meeting dancers and choreographers to see what their visions are and how we can work together.”

Punkki, a participant in Pilot:57, continues into her second round of the program serving this time as a facilitator and participant. Her presence and past experiences serve as a springboard for the new group. Punkki maintains contact with a couple artists from the previous Pilot, demonstrating the networking potential within the program.

In addition to gaining exposure to the aspects of production, Hawthorne emphasizes the added value of coordinating with fellow artists creating the performance. “I had done a lot of shared evenings where you don’t even know the other people. You just show up, and show your work. I was looking for something that even though you may not have a deep artistic conversation, you’d at least know the other faces and choreographers before you put the work onstage.” said Hawthorne. Cabrera agrees. Speaking of showcases with other choreographers she said “There’s sort of a batting up against each other. There’s not a real agreement between people. We’re not set up to be in relation to each other and that feels less about community. It’s like sardines in a can. This [Pilot] feels like an opportunity to be transparent…by the time we get to the show we’ve shared already.”

The collective spirit is a major draw for all of the choreographers. While Bibene acknowledges that working as a team can cause decision making to be more challenging, Jeffrey points out the enrichment of interacting with artists who possess different styles and ideas. She enjoys pooling the talents within the group and also values the opportunity to work with dancers she hasn’t exchanged with before, those outside her normal circle. Cabrera said “The process goes beyond the small container where my vision can get stuck.” Rather than holding the torch for one idea, Pilot enables her to consider multiple perspectives. “I have done a lot of self-producing and I was coming to Pilot hoping for a community and an artistic conversation and a lot of intimacy around process.”

Halfway into the choreographic process, the artists discuss what audiences can expect at the performances March 26 and 27 at ODC. Bibene is adapting a work in process that appeared at the Museum of the African Diaspora exploring the energy of “Kitezo,” a state of the body that can represent the inner being and the emotion of the limbs. He hopes to shape the piece into a site-specific work, so the appearance at ODC will probably not be the final home for the dance. Johnson’s episodic work looks at the aspects of sameness throughout the country. Hawthorne’s duet for two women includes a moving light source, with one of the performers wearing a light. A trained researcher and scientist, her stage performances tend toward physical concepts, this one combining scored improvisation and set choreography. Cabrera composes what she describes as “a little dance cartoon” with limited physical vocabulary on a small platform stage. Dancing a solo work, Punkki looks at what the numbers associated with Type 1 diabetes actually mean. Finally, Jeffrey’s quartet incorporates letters from the civil war to the present in a dance about distance and intimacy.

Cabrera believes traction comes with rigor. “You can’t replicate what someone else did. You just do it and say yes. Be able to say yes and have an easy facility of work and not get bogged down. Just have the personal momentum. Make traction with whatever you meet up with.” As each Pilot artist draws their own map into the dance scene, the collective’s five other bright minds help illuminate the path.

Pilot 58: Fight or Flight
ODC Studio B
Saturday, March 26, 8 p.m.
Sunday, March 27, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.
www.odctheater.org