With utter calm and fierce precision, the dancers of LINES Ballet and the Shaolin monks of China create an unprecedented synthesis of Eastern and Western classical forms, as if ascending together from the stage to the heavens through pure, gorgeous intensity of movement.

The Shaolin monks practice a form of martial arts developed in the 6th century CE, when an Indian monk named Bodhidharma came to their temple on Songshan Mountain. Blending the indigenous Chinese form of self-defense (called wushu) with a series of movements based on yoga, Bodhidharma taught the Shaolin monks to breathe strength into their bodies; they learned to soar into leaps as if they were cranes spreading their wings, and to land as silently as tigers prowling in the mountains.

Alonzo King�s visionary choreography is renowned for its ability to connect audiences to a profound sense of shared humanity � of vulnerability and tenderness, but also of furious abandon and exhilarating freedom � and for its unique capacity to imbue classical ballet with new expressive potential. The project between Alonzo King�s LINES Ballet and the Shaolin monks, like Bodhidharma�s integration of yoga and wushu, represents both a blending of very different cultural traditions�Western classical ballet and Chinese martial arts�and, at the same time, a recognition that these arts of movement are convergent and intertwined.

Spring 2007 Home Season
April 13-15, 18-22
Performances Wed-Sat at 8 pm
Sunday, April 15 at 7pm and Sunday, April 22 at 3 pm
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater
Tickets: 415.978.2787
$65, $50, $35, $20

Pictured: Chang Qiang and Brett Conway
Photo by: Marty Sohl

�When his nine company members dance, I think of diamonds�twisting in the light or rapidly scratching complex codes on glass.�
-- Deborah Jowitt, Village Voice

JOYCE PROGRAM

MOROCCAN
The Moroccan Project sets the vibrant drumming of Gnawa ceremonies as a backrop for the haunting strains of oud and violin. Amid shifting rhythms and echoing voices, the extraordinary dancers of LINES Ballet move with unexpected intimacy and flawless grace.

MIGRATION
A breath stirs in the body; a tiny crack appears in the shell; the dance begins with the moment of emergence. This piece explores the awakening of complex bodies, and the beauty of their constant evolution into new forms. Alonzo King�s choreography is a call to the spirit, and also an intimate form of listening for the spirit�s response.

We hope you will join us at our opening night benefit in New York on Tuesday, May 1st! Your $250 donation includes premier seats for the performance and a cocktail and hors d�oeuvres reception at The Park restaurant after the show with Alonzo King and the LINES dancers. Please call (415) 863-3040 ext 250 to arrange tickets.

"The work of Karina Epperlein has a depth of sensitivity and insight that dissolves the often blinding exterior of appearance into the simplicity of the commonly shared human condition. In her extraordinary work the eye of the camera is actually the eye of the heart and mind experiencing the reason and feeling behind any particular circumstance.�
-- Alonzo King

Phoenix Dance (2006) follows accomplished dancer Homer Avila as he returns to the stage after losing a leg to cancer. Dancing without crutches, he performs a duet choreographed by Alonzo King. We witness determination, skill and courage as Homer works with his now �imperfect� body � and his �one-leggedness� turns into transcendent beauty.

The film has been screening in more than 30 different festivals and theaters all over the United States. The film won a Golden Gate Award at the San Francisco International Film Festival, and was one of eight "shortlisted" for an Oscar nomination for Best Short Documentary.

You are welcome to see this award winning film at the Dance Center by checking it out at the Front Desk and watching it in the fifth floor conference room. It is also for sale on Karina's website.

"I've always been drawn to the arts. I wanted to find a place to work that had a worthwhile message and had the potential to make a profound impact on the world. I found that here at LINES working with Alonzo. This new position will give me the opportunity to use my business skills to strengthen this organization so that it will outlive me."
-- Ann Marie Nemanich

As the new year begins, a committed trio of new management takes the helm at Alonzo King's LINES Ballet. Ann Marie Nemanich, who has skillfully guided LINES Ballet as its Interim General Manager for the past seven months and as its Chief Financial Officer for the past three years, has stepped into the position of Executive Director. Ann Marie Nemanich's strong leadership abilities, complemented by 15 years of experience in corporate and nonprofit operations, will support the Company's future growth. Prior to her arrival at LINES Ballet, she worked in senior management at Lucasfilm. Among Ms. Nemanich's major goals for the Company are to strengthen the organizations foundation to support its burgeoning performance and education programs.

Joining Ann Marie Nemanich in the administration are Gayle Okumura Sullivan, the new Marketing Manager, and Wendy Marinaccio, the new Development Director.

Twenty young professionals selected from around the world will be presenting repertoire from Alonzo King's LINES Ballet and new works by Yannis Adoniou, Gregory P. Dawson, Arturo Fernandez, and Charles Moulton. Joining the performance will be guest artists from Alonzo King's LINES Ballet and KUNST-STOFF.

The LINES Ballet Ensemble Training Program is an intensive training experience for young professional and pre-professional dancers designed to cultivate strong, well-trained, educated artists. Ensemble members work with a diverse world-class faculty that guide participants on a journey that values artistic risk-taking and encourages independent thinking and problem solving.

Artists invited into the program immerse themselves in a core training of ballet, pointe & variations, modern, GYROKINESIS� and LINES repertoire, with an enriched curriculum including improvisation, music, jazz and world dance. These young artists are also given the unique opportunity to work with established and emerging choreographers on the creation and presentation of new work.

The LINES philosophy fosters the application of these experiences and techniques in balance with the value of each individual's inherent gifts of intelligence, self-expression and virtue. The LINES Ballet Ensemble Training Program focuses on an ultimate goal of continually realizing and achieving the full range of artistic potential while pursuing a professional career.

ROBERT MOSES' KIN ANNUAL HOME SEASON
Artistic Director
Robert Moses
February 8-18, 2007
Jewish Community Center
of San Francisco
3200 California St
(at Presidio)
Price: $26 Public
$23 JCCSF Members
$18 Student (with ID)
Call (415) 292-1233 to reserve tickets

RMK delivers a full program of extreme athleticism, eclectic choreography, socially relevant themes, and engaging performances. Three world premieres feature works by Robert Moses and guest choreographer, Amy Seiwert. Highlights include live music by Feinsmith Quartet and a special duet performed by Aleta Hayes and Robert Moses. RMK repertory favorites also return to the stage with Speaking Ill of the Dead (2006), Lucifer's Prance (2000) and State of Annihilation (1997).

SHANNON BRYANT PRODUCTION
Artistic Director Shannon Bryant
Choreographer Beatriz Restrepo
It's About Love
February 9, 2007, 8pm
The Larkspur Cafe Theater, 500 Magnolia, Larkspur
Price: $20, Call (415) 924-6107 to reserve tickets
Contemporary and World Jazz artist, Shannon Bryant leads the new music, poetry and dance performance, It's About Love.

LA TANIA FLAMENCO
Dancer/Choreographer La Tania
Velada Flamenca
Saturday, Feb. 10 @ 8:00 pm
Red Poppy Art House. 2698 Folsom St, San Francisco
Price: $15 suggested donation. Cash or check only
For additional information, call (415) 826-2402
Come experience the mastery of flamenco dancer La Tania in an intimate setting reminescent of the private flamenco fiestas which took place in "ventas" (roadside taverns) while she takes you on a flamenco journey through the many different "palos" flamenco styles.

BLACK CHOREOGRAPHERS FESTIVAL
February 9-11 (Oakland)
Malonga Casquelourd Center or the Arts
1428 Alice Street, Oakland
February 15-18 (San Francisco)
ODC Theatre, 3153 17th St, San Francisco
Price: $20 General Admission, $15 St/Sr/Adv
$10 Family Matinee/Children 12 years and under
For additional information, call (415) 863-9834
The Black Choreographers Festival: Here & Now is an annual event celebrating African and African American Dance and Culture with two weekends of dynamic performances, featuring award winning Bay Area choreographers and companies.

CHINESE CLASSICAL & FOLK DANCE WORKSHOP PERFORMANCE
Hai Yan Jackson and her students at SFDC are offering a free showing of their work in honor of Chinese New Year on Sunday, February 25th at 1:30 in San Francisco Dance Center's Studio 2. Joining them for the performance will be guests from the Stanford University Chinese Dance Club.

PHOTO EXHIBIT BY MAGDALENA JARKOWIEC
Through February
Magdalena is a dancer and a regular at the San Francisco Dance Center. She has performed as a guest with a handful of companies in California including LINES Ballet. She has been creating and photographing giant dolls for five years. She especially loves photographing dolls because they never get shy in front of the camera. She hopes that the drama and privacy of their world is felt clearly in this collection of photographs.

PHOTO EXHIBIT BY BEN WARDELL
Through February
Benjamin Wardell danced with Cincinnati Ballet for four seasons, achieving the rank of soloist, after completing his training at Classical Ballet Memphis School, under the tutelage of Pat Gillespie. Some of his favorite roles have been the Man in Donald McKayle's Rainbow Round My Shoulder, Blue Until June and Chasing Squirrel by Trey McIntyre, Darrell Moultrie's Heightened , and Adam Hougland's Beyond. Recently, Benjamin Wardell enjoyed an introduction to the world of choreographing with the world premiere of We All Have Wings, which he choreographed in April 2005. He has also recently taken up photography and is already producing stunning work.

CLASSES AT THE DANCE CENTER

Theater Dance Workshop in March on Mondays, 7-9
Barbara Bernardo's two hour workshops will give you a chance to learn exciting combinations from Broadway shows, including "Can't Stop the Beat" from Hairspray, "Tango Maureen" from Rent, "Summertime" from Porgy & Bess, and "McCavity" from Cats.

Also watch for:
Raissa Simpson now teaching Intermediate Modern on M/W at 6:00
Greg Dawson now teaching Advanced Ballet on MWF at 10:00
Feldenkrais with Donna Bervinchak moving to noon on Saturdays starting Feb. 10th
Zena Rommett Floor Barre� with David Chase starts M/W 10:00 on February 26
Horton on Tu/Th at 7:30 starts March 6th with Tiffany Barbarash teaching Tuesdays and Jacinta Vlatch teaching Thursdays
Lee Wei Chao has been asked by Kahz Zmuda to take over her Monday morning 11:30 Intermediate Ballet starting in March

This exhibition � the first of its kind outside of India � features superb court paintings and folk arts from Mewar, a fabled kingdom of Rajasthan, the �Land of Kings.� Group discounts, guided tours, performances, and a variety of other programs will be presented. Don�t miss your chance to see these rare and beautiful artworks at the exhibition�s exclusive venue.

Asian Art Museum
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 581-3500
www.asianart.org