Balboa Park’s centennial inspires dance showcase

“Collage 2015: Innovation” dance concert at Casa del Prado Theater in Balboa Park over the next three weekends was inspired by the park’s centennial celebration.

“This year marks the centennial anniversary of the founding of Balboa Park, (where) 100 years ago, in honor of the completion of the Panama Canal, the people of ... San Diego came together to host a phenomenal party which celebrated innovation, architecture, culture and the natural beauty of their city,” said Andrea Feier, dance specialist for the City of San Diego’s 73-year-old recreational dance program, San Diego Civic Dance Arts.

“With this year’s ‘Collage,’ we come together again to celebrate dance, art and some of the innovations of the last century and before,” she said. “We also celebrate how far the Civic Dance Arts program has come.”

“Collage” has 10 shows starting this Friday and running through Feb. 15. Tickets are $5 to $15, which Feier said is a bargain for a professional-level dance show.

It is the annual showcase for SDCDA’s four advanced companies, featuring the best of the city programs’ 3,000-plus dancers. Among the Company, T-Troupe, Young Adult Ensemble and Adult Ensemble there are 83 dancers who were selected via audition to serve as the program’s ambassadors by performing at community events throughout the city. Of these, nine live in Rancho Bernardo, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Sabre Springs, Rancho Penasquitos or Poway.

“There are some really great numbers,” Feier said of the 24 dances choreographed for the two-hour show. Some have been choreographed by SDCDA’s instructors while others are the creative works of guest choreographers like Maud Arnold, a tap dancer who has worked with Beyoncé in commercials and music videos, taught around the world and is a member of the viral hit “Beyoncé Tap Cover” by Chloe’s Syncopated Ladies. Another is Broadway veteran Jonathan Taylor, whose credits include the Broadway casts of “Cats” and “42nd Street.”

A wide assortment of dance styles will be featured, including tap, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, modern and musical theater. Feier said their focuses revolve around the idea of innovation on a personal or worldly level. According to the choreographers’ notes, the jazz number “Danger Zone” was inspired by the technological innovation of the F-14 Tomcat and Top Gun Flight School that was based at the former Naval Air Station Miramar.

Other examples are “Particles,” inspired by innovations in science; “Fashionista” by innovations in fashion and “System.out.tapIn” by computers. “What is Lost” focuses on the losses due to innovation and progress; “Love Never Felt So Good” spotlights the music contributions of Michael Jackson; “Ms. Chief” focuses on the rise of the woman executive in the late 20th century; and “Step in Time” is a nod to the innovations of Walt Disney.

“It will be as equally enjoyable for a 4-year-old as it will be for someone who is 40 or 84,” Feier said. “There is something for everyone in this show ... from jazz music to the latest in pop music and (numbers) a little more off-beat.”

For the latter, Feier said an example is “Summer” — set to Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons,” a classical work typically associated with ballet, but this time a hip-hop number.

“(‘Collage’) is like an old-time variety show (due to its style diversity),” she added.

“Collage” can be seen at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30 and Feb. 13; 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, Feb. 7 and 14; plus 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8 and 15 in the Casa del Prado Theater, 1650 El Prado in Balboa Park. Tickets are $5 to $15, with military and group discounts available. Purchase at www.collage2015.brownpapertickets.com. For questions, contact the box office at 619-796-3657 or boxoffice@civicdancearts.org.