Rite of Spring

Local dance artist and graduate student in the Department of Theater and Dance Meredith Cabaniss presents Rite of Spring, a program featuring a contemporary adaptation of Le Sacre du Printemps and performances by dance artists from throughout Southern California.

In her adaptation, Meredith Cabaniss creates a new and refreshing take on the revolutionary 1913 ballet with dancers from throughout Southern California. Cabaniss has chosen to develop the work with members of her company Selah Dance Collective, State Street Ballet, and dancers from the greater Los Angeles area in collaboration with UCSB’s undergraduate Dance program. Cabaniss continues to develop her distinctive blend of athleticism and poignant storytelling through the medium of contemporary dance.

Cabaniss’s choice to only cast women in her adaptation is a stark departure from the traditional cast of men and women. This choice, she states, comes from her experience in the field of dance where the power dynamics contain more nuance and complexity between women who compete for the same resources and privileges. “I wanted to see if something would come out of this process differently if I focused purely on the ways that the story of Rite – the rituals, the sacrifice, and the eventual tragedy of its conclusion – came from womens’ interactions with one another. In my experience, I have suffered more at the hands of women in my field who were trying to help me than I ever have by someone who has tried to hurt me.”