SF TROLLEY DANCES Announces 15th Anniversary Season

Epiphany Dance Theater has announced the program for the 15th anniversary of San Francisco Trolley Dances (SFTD), October 20 to 21. This year's route travels along the N-Judah Muni line, from Mission Creek Park to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). Participating companies include Aisan Hoss and Dancers, H?lau Makana Polynesian Cultural Arts, ODC/Dance, Robert Moses' Kin, San Diego Dance Theater and STEAMROLLER Dance Company, in addition to Epiphany Dance Theater. A total of 12 tours are scheduled over the weekend, six each day starting at 11 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:15 p.m., 2 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. Each tour runs approximately two hours. Admission to SFTD is free with the cost of a Muni ticket.

Each year Kim Epifano, artistic director of Epiphany Dance Theater, matches artists and ensembles with specific sites, inviting them to create an 8- to 15-minute piece in response to the physical environment, architecture and history of the area.

"Since the first SFTD in 2004, San Francisco has seen rapid growth, with 100,000 new residents and taller and taller buildings," said Epifano. "Mission Bay and South of Market, the start and end points of this year's tour, have seen some of the biggest transformations. But for all the new developments in the city, the spirit of our festival has stayed the same."

"We believe art is for everybody. We use and we celebrate the city's public transit system. And with every new edition of the festival we're working to knit the city together in new ways, to shine a light on what's past as well as what's on the horizon. And every year we aim to showcase the great diversity our city has to offer."

This year's event will begin performance tours at Mission Creek Park at 4th and Channel Streets, before traveling Muni's N-Line en route to the Public Knowledge Library at SFMOMA. In addition to Mission Bay Park, community partners this year include the San Francisco Public Library, Mercy Housing, the Yerba Buena Community Benefit District, Yerba Buena Alliance, the Children's Creativity Museum and Intersection for the Arts.

"For our 15th anniversary season, we are delighted to welcome back several festival favorites, who have participated in San Francisco Trolley Dances over the years," said Epifano. "We are excited that Robert Moses' Kin will be returning, as well as Jean Isaacs, who founded San Diego Dance Theater and our sister-city event, San Diego Trolley Dances. Another highlight is STEAMROLLER Dance Company, under the direction of Jesselito Bie, who performed in the very first Trolley Dances. Finally, ODC/Dance returns to perform a new dance choreographed by ODC School Director Kimi Okada. It's a dance she's making expressly for this occasion."

"Other first-time participants include Alameda-based H?lau Makana Polynesian Cultural Arts, a company which preserves Hawaiian, Tahitian and Maori dance traditions, and Aisan Hoss of Aisan Hoss and Dancers, an up-and-coming choreographer from Tehran, Iran."

At each site, trained volunteers greet audience members, while professional theater artists act as tour guides leading audiences along the performance journey. In addition to taking public transit, attendees have the option to walk or bike to the performance sites on their own. Route maps will be available on site and online at epiphanydance.org.

Kids on Track is the educational programming arm of SFTD that since 2007 has served Bay Area elementary through college students through in-school lecture demonstrations and workshops led by teaching artists. On October 19, Kids on Track students and their teachers are invited to experience SFTD performances on reserved tours culminating in a conversation with the featured artists.

ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO TROLLEY DANCES

?San Francisco Trolley Dances is produced by Epiphany Dance Theater. An annual event now in its 15th year, SFTD is presented free to the public over one weekend every October. Artistic Director Kim Epifano curates the large-scale, site-specific event, working to sustain a public-private partnership that involves the San Francisco Municipal Transit Authority, multiple professional Bay Area artists and ensembles and the neighborhoods and community sites where the route is placed each year. SFTD aims to introduce audiences to new neighborhoods and new dance companies that reflect an array of sensibilities, cultures and styles. The unpredictable sounds and sights of San Francisco intermingle with the spontaneity of public response to ensure a dynamic, meaningful experience for audiences and performers. For more information, visit epiphanydance.org.

Kim Epifano photographed by Andy Mogg.