ASL interpretation to be provided for this program.

YBG ChoreoFest 2023 Dates:

• Day One: September 23, 2023
• Day Two: September 30, 2023

A two-weekend festival of site-specific work, the Yerba Buena Gardens ChoreoFest showcases the extravagant creativity, diversity and vibrancy of the Bay Area dance scene. Programmed by RAWdance for its first five years, YBG ChoreoFest opens a new chapter co-curated by David Herrera Performance Company (Artistic Director David Herrera) and PUSH Dance Company (Artistic Director Raissa Simpson and Associate Artistic Director Ashley Gayle).

The two companies lay the groundwork for a dance festival promoting and presenting contemporary, modern hip hop and global dance forms. A recipient of the National Latino Arts & Culture Leadership Fellowship and many other grants, commissions and residencies, David Herrera launched David Herrera Performance Company in 2007 in response to the lack of Latinx visibility and representation on the U.S. modern dance scene. A highly sought after educator, scholar, interdisciplinary artist and award-winning choreographer hailing from African-descended sharecroppers and an immigrant from the Philippines, Raissa Simpson founded PUSH to examine the body as a site for racial discourse. Together, these companies have designed the sixth annual YBG ChoreoFest with extraordinary performances throughout the Gardens’ lawns and architecture by an array of distinguished local dance companies.

Know Before You Go:

• This program moves to various locations in the Gardens, spanning approx. 2 blocks or .5 miles
• Seating at each site is very limited and prioritized for seniors and those with disabilities
• Each performance is about 15-20 minutes in length
• ASL interpretation will be provided on both September 23 and September 30 events
• In case of poor air quality, we recommend sensitive groups wear masks
• Feel free to ask event staff or volunteers for questions or assistance
• Contact us at info@ybgfestival.org or (415) 543-1718 

Day One Artists:

Fullstop Dance is a project-based contemporary dance company founded in San Francisco in 2015. Artistic Director Kathryn Florez is a freelance performer and teacher whose work has been presented all over the West Coast. Her choreography and teaching have been commissioned by The Merde Project, TWObigsteps, SALT Dance’s Link Program, Shawl Anderson Dance Center and ODC. Her choreographic work has been presented at Bay Area’s ODC Theater, Palace of Fine Arts, Cowell Theater, Little Boxes Theater, Mission Dance Theater, Joe Goode Annex and LEVY Dance, as well as Nevada City’s Miners Foundry Cultural Center. Through Fullstop Dance, Florez has performed in works by internationally acclaimed choreographers including Nicole Von Arx, Tushrik Fredericks and Kirill Berezovski. She was Berkeley Ballet Theater’s Artist in Residence from 2021-2022 and has previously held residencies at SAFEhouse Arts and LEVYdance.

Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company is an elegant, sensual and captivating company that melds ancient forms with modern dance in an artistic and inventive marriage of styles. The company bridges the continuum from ancient to contemporary – from court dances of Chinese dynasties to contemporary works fusing classical Chinese movement, modern dance and ballet, complemented by dazzling costumes and innovative staging. Established in 1988 by Lily Cai, the company has received accolades from theater and festival audiences throughout the country, from Hawaii and the West Coast to New York, the Virgin Islands and the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. In 1996 and 2016, the company received two coveted Isadora Duncan Dance awards for Outstanding Company Performance.

Seeds and Sequins is a collaborative project between artists Europa Grace and Snowflake Calvert. Decolonial somatic movement practice and ancestral practices of care co-mingle to create sounds and shapes that reassociate the dissociated body-mind. The lineage of the seed becomes a mirror for the regenerative growth process of intergenerational blessings – all potential lies within. Watering these seeds and tending to the soil of time opens a doorway to tell queer creation stories.

TURF FEINZ is a dance group that started in 2005 by original dancers Taz, Flex, Looney, Zach. Dreal became the 5th member and the rest was history. The group began performing smaller, free shows for years just for fun, and their skills evolved over time. Dancers Eninja Chonkie and NoNoize (aka Nohjustice) kept TURF FEINZ going for a period of time and helped grow the group, now TURF FEINZ consist of Chonkie, Eninja, icecold3000, NoNoize (aka Nohjustice), T7 (aka bread), Turf Kurry and yaya. TURF FEINZ continue to aim for greatness by displaying content from party music, lit dancing, tribute videos and even short stories.