ODC Welcomes Jill Parker and Danica Sena This Weekend

ODC has announced the program for the next installment of Dance and Diaspora, its recurring showcase celebrating the world of dance within the Bay Area. This double bill takes place this weekend, February 20-21, 2015, and features work by belly dancers Jill Parker & The Foxglove Sweethearts and flamenco artist Danica Sena.

"Internationally revered for having made a historically and culturally informed contribution to the nature of modern belly dance" (SF Weekly), Parker is known as the founder of the modern Tribal Fusion Belly Dance movement, a style emphasizing, in Parker's words, the "strength and vulnerability" of the performer over mere "prettiness."

In her second Dance and Diaspora presentation, Parker and her troupe, The Foxglove Sweethearts, will focus on the music and dance of South Egypt -- from a jaunty Baladi folksong danced in the traditional manner with a cane to the Zaar trance ritual, a ceremonial dance designed to banish possessing spirits. Winner of the 2014 Bay Area Dancers Choice Award, Sena is a master flamenco instructor and performer. For Dance and Diaspora, she will perform original choreography accompanied by five artists including renowned Andalusian musicians El Niño Manuel and El Gori, and dancer José Carlos el Bayunco. All three men hail from the small coastal town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda in the province of Cádiz.

Sena met Manuel 18 years ago while performing together in Japan. The two collaborated on successive occasions in Spain where Manuel introduced her to longtime colleagues El Gori and José Carlos. "For Dance and Diaspora I want to showcase the energy and extraordinary communication that occurs only between people who have been creating art together for decades," explains Sena. Her program will include two new pieces that she began choreographing with the artists last summer in Spain.

In anticipation of next month's concert, ODC will sponsor an open, all-levels class with Parker and Sena as part of its Studio to Stage program. Two 45-minute sets, one led by each artist, will take place on January 19 from 7:15- 8:45pm in ODC Dance Commons. Tickets are $30 and include the price of general admission to Dance and Diaspora. Arts Patron tickets are $45 and include the price of general admission to Dance and Diaspora. Students may either pre-register at odcdance.org/buytickets.php or sign up at the door.

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