From June 6 to June 21, 2022, Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture (FMCAC) presented Sara Shelton Mann’s 7 Excavations / at the edge of the shore and the edge of the world, an open residency and a new dance commission.
The 21-day activation culminated in a Summer Solstice performance debut of scores that had been in development for 20 years. Mann and her collaborators—jose e. abad, Gabriel Christian, Abby Crain, Clarissa Dyas, Ellie Goudie-Averil, Gizeh Muniz-Vengel, Ainsley Tharp, and Jesse Zaritt—developed works across the campus through an experimental performance-making process. Filmmaker Tori Lawrence collaborated on the project with original music by Miles Lassi and sound design by violinist Ira Echo. Abby Crain and James Fleming led production.
Related Programming
The residency included choreographic chalk grids, video, sound and art installations constructed accross campus. The public was invited witness Mann’s choreographic process through open rehearsals and participate in Chi Cultivation, Movement Alchemy and writing workshops. Tori Lawrence led a filmmaking class. California Arts Council Impact Projects and the National Endowment for the Arts supported the residency.
Sara Shelton Mann (b. 1943, Tennessee) has created a substantial body of work throughout a 55-year career as dancer and choreographer. From 1979 to 1996, she directed San Francisco-based company Contraband, creating immersive performances that came to represent a Bay Area performance aesthetic. As a process choreographer, her work is deeply collaborative and interdisciplinary, weaving stories and experiences into improvisational movement scores with a commitment to experimenting with new methods for presenting dance.
From June 6 to June 21, 2022, Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture (FMCAC) presented Sara Shelton Mann’s 7 Excavations / at the edge of the shore and the edge of the world, an open residency and a new dance performance commissioned for the FMCAC campus for FORT MASON ART’s Summer 2022 program.
Sara Shelton Mann:
SaraSheltonMann.org
Tori Lawrence:
ToriLawrence.org
Miles Lassi
MilesLassi.com
Ira Echo:
IraEcho.com
