Mojalet Dance Collective takes on environment with its new show

Mojalet Dance Collective will be going back to nature with its new show, “Enchanted and Endangered,” which will be performed Friday, May 29 and Saturday, May 30 at the Lyceum Theatre.

Show times are 7 p.m. Friday, May 29 and 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, May 30.

Tickets range from $15 to $25 and are available by calling 858-243-1402 or by calling the Lyceum box office at 619-544-1000.

This program is funded in part by the Horton Plaza Theatre Foundation, an organization funded by the City of San Diego Special Promotion Programs and the Alfred Sasso Memorial Charitable Trust.

This original show feature contemporary dance and aerial performances while reflecting on nature and the roles humans play in its destruction.

“This project is incredible,” said Faith Jensen-Ismay, the artistic director of Mojalet Dance Collective.

The show features a number of aerial performances, including the hoop, silks and hammock, along with a mixture of modern, jazz and classical ballet dance.

Enchanted and Endangered demonstrates how humans can be abusive to the environment without meaning to be, said Jensen-Ismay.

The performers in the show include several fairies, who will be performing aerial work, and humans, who will use modern and jazz dance to represent humans. “The humans will jump, leap and frolic through the forest with an almost destructive enthusiasm,” said Jensen-Ismay. “It’s not meant to be destructive, but it is.”

The show will also feature a dancer as the Spirit of the Forest, performing classical ballet.

The fairies in the forest represent knowledge and enlightenment, said Jensen-Ismay. “They’re there to help others see the beauty in the forest,” she said.

“We have a big and diverse cast,” said Jensen-Ismay. “Many of them are from Poway, Rancho Bernardo, Escondido and around the county.”

Enchanted and Endangered is choreographed by Jensen-Ismay and features performances by Megan Ferrera, Lyndsey Gemmell, Robby Johnson, Alyssa Kinnear, Alia Ismay, Sadie Ismay, Kathryn McLean, Aubree Leader, Jedi Taylor, Nicole Wooding, and Christina Wurz.

Members of Jamolet, Mojalet’s junior company, will also perform in the show, including Mojale’s Arnold, Miranda Heyer, Tria Ismay, Haley Knapp, Ella Levinston and Tali Tragarz.

Jensen-Ismay said the performance was embedded with a lot of contemporary modern dance, with unique movements representing the movement of the forest.

In keeping with the show’s theme, its set is also environmentally friendly. “I’ve become more green at my personal house, and we’re trying to be green here too,” said Jensen-Ismay.

The set is almost entirely made of recycled materials, including recycled lumber, old paint that was donated and papier-mâché set pieces made of old paper. Jensen-Ismay said that about 95 percent of the set was made of recycled materials. “We’re putting to work the concept we want to show the audience,” she said.

The show’s music is a blend of contemporary and classical, said Jensen-Ismay. “It’s adventure genre (music),” she said. “It’s playful, complex and athletic. It’s meant to intrigue adults and provide a fairy tale-like story for kids.”