Jodie Gates debuts Summer Stage with four nights of dance, community and creativity
By DIANNE RUSSELL
Photos by Mary Hurlbut
From Stu News Arts: Celebrating the people, places and performances that make Southern California’s arts community extraordinary. More at www.stunewsarts.com.
From August 6-9, dance will take center stage across Laguna Beach as Laguna Dance founder Jodie Gates presents the inaugural Summer Stage: WE The People, transforming the beach, museum and theater into performance spaces for this four-night festival.
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Jodie Gates is the founding director of the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, a tenured professor of dance, and founder and artistic director of the Laguna Dance Festival
Due to an Innovation Grant funded by the city of Laguna Beach that she applied for and received, “This kernel of an idea then turned into a larger reason to create an artistic residency, summer performances and world premier works with dancers from across the nation, it just made sense,” Gates said. “It is also deeply meaningful as it is inspired by the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, as well as the word ‘WE.’ WE, meaning community, WE, meaning how we can help one another and be more bonded as a village and nation.”
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Gates and dancers during rehearsals on July 30
Even after decades as a dancer, choreographer and artistic leader, Gates remains deeply motivated by the experience of creating for – and with – dancers.
“Creating new work is much like writing a novel: There may be a sense of the middle, but the beginning and ending often reveal themselves as wonderful surprises,” she said. “It is an extraordinary collaborative process that asks us to be fully present, open and responsive to one another.”
Laguna seems the perfect venue for creating this new work and holds a special place in Gates’ heart.
“Laguna Beach has given me a profound sense of place, belonging and creative possibility,” she said. Equally meaningful to her is the community’s deep appreciation for artists and the creative process. “Laguna Beach has encouraged me to take risks, imagine more boldly and create work that connects art, nature and humanity. Personally, it has given me both an artistic home, a personal peace of mind and a community in which I feel deeply invested.”
Summer Stage takes full advantage of Laguna’s rich artistic and natural resources.
“Each setting offers a distinctly different relationship between the audience and the art. Performing outdoors creates a visceral, shared experience – the audience becomes part of the environment rather than remaining a passive observer. Within the museum, dance is inspired by and enters into dialogue with the visual art, allowing viewers to experience both movement and place in a more immediate and immersive way,” Gates said.
“In the theater, we can expand the movement vocabulary through thoughtful curation and the full dimensions of theatrical production –lighting, sound, design and staging.”
Yet across all three venues, she explained, the intention remains the same: To engage audiences actively and emotionally, inviting them not simply to watch dance, but to feel fully connected to it.
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Gates interacts with the dancers during rehearsals on July 30
Peter Chu is the series inaugural guest artist. “He is a remarkable choreographer, director and educator, and dancers love working with him. We are thrilled to be presenting a new work by Peter and are incredibly fortunate to have him here in town for our first residency,” said Gates.
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This world premiere takes on the difficult task of blending classical technique with contemporary storytelling.
“A 17-minute film edited by my friend Jack Eddy, opens my new dance work with music by the classical composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, along with epic nature excerpts by Greg MacGillivray. Dancers will weave in and out of the frame in motion with the film and also at times without imagery and with abstract lighting design by Michael Korsc,” said Gates.
She further explained that classical technique provides the architecture of the work – a kind of metronome that gives the dancer clarity, discipline and a shared physical language. But technique is never the destination; it is the foundation from which a more contemporary and emotionally resonant vocabulary can emerge.
“The movement is generated from an internal impulse and shaped by the music, the articulation of the spine, and the intricate rotations and pathways of the limbs. In this way, classical ballet does not constrain contemporary storytelling; it gives it greater precision, complexity and expressive range.”
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Gates anticipates the debut of “Summer Stage: WE The People” on August 6
The film component adds another narrative dimension. “Beyond the dancers and lighting, the extraordinary imagery created by acclaimed cinematographer and director Greg MacGillivray expands the visual world of the work,” Gates said. “Film and movement enter into dialogue, allowing the audience to experience the story through the human body, music and the natural world simultaneously.”
Gates’ hope is that Summer Stage and its artistic residency will become an annual tradition. Five or 10 years from now, she envisions Summer Stage as an internationally recognized destination, one that brings together exceptional dancers, musicians and visual artists from around the world to collaborate and create innovative new work in Laguna Beach.
Her belief is that meaningful artistic traditions are not built by artists alone; they require a community willing to pay attention, attend performances, advocate and invest.
“I believe Summer Stage can become an important part of Laguna Beach’s cultural identity: A one-of-a-kind destination for artistic discovery, collaboration and world-class performance,” Gates said.
For more information and the events calendar, click here.
From Stu News Arts: Celebrating the people, places and performances that make Southern California’s arts community extraordinary. More at www.stunewsarts.com.
