Vabang

VaBang! has begun its collaboration with post-beat jazz poet Steve Dalachinsky. Steve performed in VaBang!’s world premiere in NYC March 29 and 30 for two of the three shows. Check out Steve’s first poem about VaBang! here:

VaBang!

dance dappled damsels

radiate outward from the circle’s center

stepped within

dare devil darlin’s illuminate the dark

dance rapidly lightly gaily musically

let the movement guide you

this commitment to the membrane of community

imagined landscapes

identity love

endless possibilities of gesture

dance dappled damsels

move body & feet through the violence of politics

& life

let the moment guide you DANCE

VaBang - Claim your space

VaBang - here within the human race

VaBang - rise with honor & with grace

VaBang VaBang VaBang………

dalachinsky nyc 3/30/08

VaBang! is performing its first outreach performance at the Mario Umana Middle School Academy in East Boston, MA on Wednesday April 2. If you are interested in VaBang! performing in your school, please contact us.

June 7, 4-6PM, 975 Howard Space (975 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA)

OR

June 8, Noon - 2PM, ODC Audition Series (fee audition) (ODC Dance Commons, 351 Shotwell Street, San Francisco, CA)

VaBang! is looking for three dancers (female or male) for its SF company. Must have strong background in modern dance and classical forms, and be open to exploring new ideas. We are a bi-coastal modern company based in NYC and SF. We have a company of five dancers in NYC and are now expanding to establish our SF company.

Dancers must be available to perform in SF August 22 - 23, possibly the end of July as well, and available for rehearsals 4 - 8 hours per week including the week of 4th of July and 4th of July itself.

Rehearsals begin Saturday June 14, 4-6PM in SF. Rehearsals are mostly nights and weekend (morning and afternoons starting at 10AM).

Performance pay and weekly stipend provided.

Please email vabangdance@gmail.com to reserve a slot.

VaBang! is pleased to announce all three nights of its world premiere run in Tribeca sold out. Thank you to all our wonderful supporters.

VaBang! will hold its NYC premiere on March 28, 29, 30 in Tribeca. 8pm - 9pm.

There is one more ticket for Friday and Saturday is sold out. Come to our Sunday show.

Tickets available here: http://vabangpremiere.eventbrite.com

We have hired three new dancers for our NY-based group:

Kristin Licata

Meghan Frederick

Lauren Hope Melusky

Congratulations!

SF premiere of STEEP, produced by Mark Obenhaus.

January 17, 7:30PM, SF Embarcadero Center, Auditorium #3.

Buy your tickets here (all ticket proceeds go towards VaBang!): http://www.eventbrite.com/event/86721386

STEEP, a SONY Pictures Classic, swept Tribeca Film Festival. Be one of the first to see this film before it opens to the public in the Bay Area!

STEEP is a film about the evolution of Big Mountain backcountry skiing and skiers; it is a discovery story, and adventure story. Whether it’s jumping out of a helicopter hovering above the powdery slopes of Alaska’s mountain ranges or trying to outrun an avalanche in the French Alps, STEEP traces the legacy of extreme skiing from its early pioneers to the death-defying daredevils of today.

It includes locations from all around the world, and features many of the sport’s greatest athletes including Bill Briggs, Stefano De Benedetti, Eric Pehota, Glen Plake, Shane McConkey, Seth Morrison, Chris Davenport, Ingrid Backstrom and Andrew McLean.

Check out the trailer and more:

http://www.thedocumentarygroup.com/featuredProject.php?pid=13

Vabang! SF launch + benefit party was a raging success!

Held on December 13th at Element Lounge.

We raised a little less than $5,000 from ticket sales, silent auction, and our new American Apparel VaBang! t-shirts. It’s a great start to our fundraising!

Thank you to everyone who donated auction items and the 100+ people that attended.

• VaBanG! was accepted on October 15 by CIF of the San Francisco Foundation’s Board for fiscal sponsorship
• VaBanG! completed their first two works after their inaugural NYC choreographic session from October 4 – October 29
• VaBanG! completed their video and photo shoot with pro bono professional videographer (Erich Eilenberger) and photographer (Danielle Foreman and Justin Horowitz) on October 29th
• VaBanG! has designed and created American Apparel Vabang! t-shirts (contact us to purchase one)
• VaBanG! is currently in conversation with corporate sponsors regarding a spring tour
• VaBanG! is currently planning its January auditions in NYC
• VaBanG! is currently organizing and planning its NYC premiere March 13-16, 2008
• VaBanG!  is currently planning its collaboration with Stray Dog Haus Records’ musician(s)
• VaBanG! is currently planning its summer 2008 plans (includes SF residency, auditions for SF dancers, and late August/early September performances)

VaBanG! is a uniquely bi-coastal dance company founded in 2007 by Jessie Feller and Julia Sabangan. The two directors formed a strong friendship at Vassar College, where they danced together for the first time with Vassar Repertory Dance Theater. Two years after graduating from college, Feller found herself again dancing back home in San Francisco, studying with the biggest names in dance on the west coast. Quite similarly, Sabangan was living in her home town of New York City, where she too was studying at dance schools particular to her coast. The east coast is home to many of the founding institutions of modern dance (the Graham School, the Limon School, the Cunningham Studio and the Taylor School, to name a few) and at the same time holds a separate niche for the very recent “downtown” scene. Feller, in California had been taking class with masters who define the sort of dance excellence that the west coast produces. Also in California, Feller found that all types of modern techniques were fused together instead of taught at and performed by separate institutions. How could the two friends, now inhabiting two very different dance worlds, ever resume their partnership?

The answer was to make an attempt to transcend the divide between east and west. Feller and Sabangan were inspired to bring the styles of the two coasts together, letting one mode of movement inform the audience of the opposite coast. Similarly, they chose not to let physical miles separate them. Rather, they sought to bridge the geographical and cultural gap. The two undertook their first project in October 2007 and choreographed two duets in New York. Their work speaks to the ability and desire to transcend boundaries whether they are categorical or physical.