The Santa Monica College Global Motion World Dance Company will present its vibrant fall 2018 performance showcasing dance styles from around the world. Performances are Friday, November 16, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, November 17, at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in The Broad Stage at the SMC Performing Arts Center, 1310 11th Street (at Santa Monica Boulevard), Santa Monica.
The performance will feature traditional and contemporary World Dance styles, including West African, Belly Dance, Jazz Funk, Hip Hop, Indonesian, Korean, Mexican Folklórico, Salsa, Viennese Waltz, and Filipino dance.
Global Motion, founded by SMC Dance Department chair Judith Douglas, is under the artistic direction of Raquel Ramirez and Sri Susilowati.
Faculty choreographers are Laura Canellias, Keali’i Ceballos, Jennifer Jesswein, Angela Jordan, and Sri Susilowati.
Guest choreographers are DaEun Jung, Peter DeGuzman, and Alondra Ramirez.
Student choreographers are Michael Hale and Milo Poon-Fear.
Global Motion is a World Dance performance company that expresses the concept of humanity in the form of global citizenship. The company is composed of SMC students who learn, rehearse, and perform World Dance styles. Global Motion provides a platform for SMC students to experience other cultures through dance while working with professional choreographers who are experts in the field. Global Motion has toured extensively and performed at schools, festivals, and special events throughout California and Mexico for more than 30 years. The company recently returned from performances in Beijing, China; Bracciano, Italy; Santiago, Chile; Barcelona, Spain, and Paris, France.
Raquel Ramirez is co-director of Global Motion and a dance professor at SMC. She is also the founder and director of a folklórico performance group, and is dedicated to supporting the traditions and cultures of Mexico.
Sri Susilowati, originally from Indonesia, is co-director of Global Motion and a member of the SMC dance faculty. She is a dancer, choreographer, and storyteller, creating and performing traditional and contemporary works that focus on community, gender, and ethnicity.
Jennifer Jesswein’s lifetime in the arts includes Ballet, Tap, Baton, and 15 years as a stage actress. She is a founding troupe member of Al Rakasaat Turkish-Egyptian Dance Company, and Tahiya and the Staggering Goddesses of the Omplahos. She is an avid performer and Director of the American Cabaret-style troupe Raqs Nouveau.
DaEun Jung is a dance maker, dancer, and dance educator. Rooted in Korean dance — including six years of specialized training at Gugak National Arts School in Seoul — DaEun’s dances reveal her body memories. She recently completed her MFA at UCLA, where she received the Westfield Emerging Artist Award, and is currently an artist-in-residence of Dance Resource Center and of Show Box L.A.
Native Angeleno Michael Hale, who found an interest in the arts at a young age, began dancing competitively at the age of 15, and then started traveling as a dance instructor. He is now pursuing a degree in dance and hopes to one day open a dance studio so people can fall in love with dance just like he did.
Tickets sell out quickly. Advance (pre-sale) tickets are $20 (service charge applies). At-the-door tickets are $23. Parking is free.
Advance tickets are strongly recommended and available at www.smc.edu/eventsinfo or by calling 310-434-3005. More information is available at www.smc.edu/dance or by calling 310-434-3467.
Submitted by Grace Smith
