With the sunny and warm weather of late the Yerba Buena Gardens has been full of visitors lolling about just waiting for the Festival to start. While getting lunch at Jessie Square I saw the usual variety of San Francisco characters: people walking while deep in discussion of their tech project, a topless man casually soaking in the sun, a bearded guy carrying a huge boom-box talking into a microphone, a woman in a boa standing on a stool and blowing bubbles, a wandering ukulele player. Just another day in the park, right?

Things were clearly a little off-kilter when the boom-box guy didn’t go on a long rant with his microphone. He put the mic aside, crouched down for some time, and then whirled himself around the plaza in circles. The lady in the boa was strutting up and down the church stairs. Was that ukulele player wearing waders?

At first I thought, I hope security is keeping an eye on this area. As I kept watching it dawned on me, These must be the dancers rehearsing for Eye of Horus! A little more careful scanning of the scene and off to the side I spotted the long wavy hair of who could only be the renowned experimental dance choreographer, Sara Shelton Mann. Funny how despite my calendar clearly marked with the dance rehearsal I felt almost like I’d been pranked.

Eye of Horus will be performed 5 times in Jessie Square during lunch times, starting this Thursday as part of Bay Area Dance Week. It will definitely be an intriguing series of site-specific dance works and will whet your appetite for free performances at YBG Festival.