SBCC Presents Annual Collective Collaborative
Dance Companies from California Converge at the New Vic.
Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) Dance Company’s Artistic Director Tracy Kofford welcomed 11 professional and pre-professional companies from Santa Barbara and Northern and Southern California at the New Vic Theatre last weekend as part of the third annual Collective Collaborative.
Conformity and synchronicity emerged as common themes, with Kofford’s “Scorched Earth” stealing the show with its militaristic and powerful uniformity. First debuted in SBCC’s Spring Collaborative, the stunning reimagined performance highlighted Kofford’s expert choreography, which physically mimicked the auditory illusion of a constantly ascending scale — the Shepard tone — so prevalent in Hans Zimmer’s score from Oscar-nominated film Dunkirk. Breaking from the traditional multi-overlap and canonical movement of contemporary dance, Kofford featured Lennon Cahivec-Scheider and Dallin McComb in the center while six other dancers moved in synchronization, creating a visual paradox that made repetitive movement new each time.
Southern California-based FUSE Dance Company’s “Fragmented” embodied the universal nature of brokenness, while Monterey-based SpectorDance’s beautiful ballet artfully conveyed the need to preserve our oceans. SBCC’s Shelby Lynn Joyce completed her dance trilogy with beautiful shapes and smart moving direction in “Prologue: A Sense of Human,” which showcased the talents of soloist Daisy Morhman.
From making L.A.-based GRAYSCALE’s dynamic Tess Goodrich and Megan Seagren seem to dance on water to the multi-layered effect of SBCC’s “Scorched Earth,” Joseph Lorenzen’s lighting design spotlighted each performance in way that enhanced the amazing performances.
In its third annual Collective Collaborative Fall showcase, Kofford’s intention proved successful and revealed a healthy and thriving contemporary dance culture in Santa Barbara.
