Margaret Jenkins is the founder and artistic director of the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company (1973). Jenkins has worked with writers, composers and visual arts luminaries for decades. Her Company has performed annually in San Francisco as well as having toured extensively. She was Merce Cunningham’s assistant in restaging his works (1967 -1976) around the world and is honored to have danced in Twyla Tharp’s original company with Sara Rudner and with Viola Farber and Gus Solomons.
For her unique artistic vision, Jenkins has received a Guggenheim Fellowship, an Irvine Fellowship in Dance and the San Francisco Arts Commission Award of Honor, among many others, April 24, 2003 was declared “Margaret Jenkins Day” by San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown. On that day, she also received a Governor’s Commendation from Governor Gray Davis.
As a former Principal Dancer with San Francisco Ballet, Tiit Helimets has danced major roles in Tomasson’s Giselle (Albrecht), Nutcracker (Grand Pas de Deux Prince), The Sleeping Beauty (Prince Desiré), and Swan Lake (Prince Siegfried and Von Rothbart); Tomasson / Possokhov’s Don Quixote (Basilio); Cranko’s Onegin (Gremin); Neumeier’s The Little Mermaid (Prince, Poet); Scarlett’s Frankenstein (Alphonse Frankenstein); and Wheeldon’s Cinderella (Prince Gillaume). He created principal roles in Caniparoli’s Doublestop, Ibsen’s House, and Tears; King’s The Collective Agreement; Liang’s The Infinite Ocean; Possokhov’s Swimmer (Humbert); and Wheeldon’s Ghosts.
Choreographer, Writer, and Composer Robert Moses has created over 100 works of varying styles and genres for his highly praised dance company, and has composed many of the sound and narrative scores for his works since 2008. Moses has choreographed for dance, opera, and theater companies including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, San Francisco Opera, Olympic Arts Festival, Ailey II, Philadanco, Lorraine Hansberry Theater, Cincinnati Ballet and more.
Moses’ work explores topics ranging from oral traditions in African American culture, contemporary urban culture, and the complexities of identity, to the simple joys and expressive power of pure movement.
7 Choreographers, 1 Weekend, 4 Steps
- TED Talks-style Presentation—The artists will each lead off with a talk on how this particular work came to be, challenges that arose along the way and how it fits in to the larger scheme of their creative process.
- Premiere Performance—Part two is a premiere of the new work on the fully-lit stage at the iMPACt Center for Art & Dance. (Thank you SFAC!) Six of the choreographers will present world premiers and one will be presenting two signature works in a West Coast premiere.
- Moderated Panel Q&A—Experts in the field will moderate panel discussions following each performance, featuring the choreographer and select members of the creative team such as dancers, costume designers and musicians. Bring your curiosity as audience questions will be answered!
- Sponsor/Artist Reception—Become a sponsor of the Festival and join the nightly reception that gathers the featured artists of the day for cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and more conversation!
Lauded as “refreshingly original” by Alastair Macaulay of The New York Times, choreographer Miro Magloire is the founder and artistic director of New Chamber Ballet. Magloire has created over one hundred ballets in his signature style for his company, all distinguished by sweeping elegance, a striking theatricality, and bold musical choices. “It’s heartening to see work so focused on the meeting of dance and music,” Macaulay wrote in his Times review, “always you’re aware of an intelligence at work that resists romantic cliché.”
Known for his visionary collaborations with musicians, singers, violinists, pianists and large ensembles – Magloire has a special affinity for cutting-edge contemporary music, which has led him to work with many of today’s leading composers.
Nathan Cottam founded Mannakin Theater & Dance in 2013, while living in Belgrade, Serbia, as a soloist with the Belgrade National Theater. He produced his first full evening performance at the REX Cultural Center, Belgrade, followed by two tours of Serbia, supported by the US Embassy. Since returning to the U.S., Nathan has led MTD in performances at venues including San Francisco’s Palace of the Legion of Honor, War Memorial & Performing Arts Center and the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, in Salt Lake City, Utah. His original holiday production The Nutshell! has been part of the Bay Area’s Nutcracker festivities since 2017.
Rick Wamer is a physical theatre actor, choreographer and director. His, solo performances, collaborations, and residencies have delighted and entertained audiences globally for close to four decades. He is a student of Marcel Marceau, and served as his assistant during his U.S. Seminars in Gambier, Ohio in the 1980’s and ‘90’s. He also studied with Stefan Niedzialdowski of Warsaw Polish Mime Theatre founded by Henryk Tomaszewski. Outstanding global festival appearances include the Shanghai International Arts Festival, Warsaw Mime Festival, performances at the Panphys Physical Theatre Festival in Skopje, Macedonia, for which he won “Best of Festival” honors and representing the United States in a Festival for Peace among Jewish and Palestinian Israelis in Shefa-Amr, Israel.
Traci Cottam assistant directs and dances with Mannakin Theater & Dance. Traci spent ten years in New York City, dancing with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet, New Chamber Ballet, and CelloPointe. Recent projects have included guesting with Les Grands Ballet Canadiens; dancing in Signals from the West, Bay Area Artists in Conversation with Merce Cunninghamat 100; and Marco Pelle’s T+I at Lake Tahoe Dance Festival. She has performed classical and neoclassical ballets with Neglia Ballet in Buffalo, NY. Originally from Utah, Traci graduated from Brigham Young University with her BA in Dance. Traci has choreographed work presented in New York City, Minneapolis, Seattle, and Lake Tahoe.
Jesselito Bie moved to the Bay Area in 1992 to dance with the High Risk Group and has since performed with many local companies such as Scott Wells and Dancers, Stephen Pelton Dance Company, Joe Landini and Kim Epifano/Epiphany Productions. Jesselito has been the artistic director of STEAMROLLER Dance Company since 1994. He has received awards for his choreography from the SF Bay Guardian, the 360 Award from CSUEB for all around Outstanding and Outrageous Queer Dance Work. He was also a participant in ODC Theater’s Sandbox residency program and was a 2019 mentee in the CHIME residency program and Joe Goode’s The Feedback.
