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The Cal State Fullerton Department of Theatre and Dance proudly presents “Fall Dance Theatre: In Tandem,” showing November 30 through December 9 in the 150-seat Hallberg Theatre on the campus of Cal State Fullerton. This evening of dance features works by guest choreographers – including alumnus Bradley Beakes – faculty, and students. Created “in tandem” as a collaborative process, this is the first time Fall Dance will be presented intimately “in the round,” where the audience surrounds the stage on all four sides. After each show, there will be a brief Q & A in the Hallberg with the show’s choreographers and designers.
Bradley Beakes is a New York City based dance artist originally from Glendora, California. He received his formal education at Cal State Fullerton (‘09, B.A. dance) and later at the Ailey School. Beakes joined Doug Varone and Dancers as a company member in 2017. He has been honored to dance with the Limón Dance Company (2016-2017), Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company (2011-2016), Nikolais Dance Theatre (2011-2018), among others. Beakes' choreography has been presented in venues across the U.S. including Dumbo Dance Festival (2019 New Dance Festival Korea award winner). He is currently researching duet work with collaborator Thryn Saxon.
The dance works featured in “In Tandem” are representative of the breadth of the dance program and the variety of dance forms celebrated within the department. Faculty and artistic director of FUSE Dance Company, Joshua Estrada-Romero opens the show, taking the audience on a joyous, four-dimensional journey through the land of Nintendo’s famous duo Mario and Luigi.
Bradley Beakes’ “The Only Constant” is inspired by Gestalt themes that illustrate how multiple parts of an organism, pattern, community, or collection of symbols can create a larger whole imbued with meaning. The narrative touches on themes of metamorphosis and the cyclical nature of time, suggesting a dichotomy between the cooperative symbiosis of group dynamics and the contrast of the individuals that comprise it.
“Tosoro,” choreographed by professor and dance program coordinator Alvin Rangel along with guest artist Edgar Aguirre, is a celebration of Afro-Latine diasporic movements and community. The work celebrates the African heritage of Latin music and dance through its diasporic roots. “Tosoro” inspires the dancers and the audience alike to embrace their own resiliency, ancestral lineage, and the lineage of others.
Dance program students featured in “In Tandem” include Eric Jaimes and Madeline Lindbeck. In Jaimes’ “Temiqui” explores the sacrifices, hopes, and fears inherent in the immigrant experience. Derived from two Nahuatl terms for dream and to die, “Temiqui” asks: How do you find the strength to leave everything you know behind to step into world built against you for only a sliver of opportunity? Lindbeck’s work “Supported” is a duet that follows the transition of two interdependent people who eventually find their own sense of self separate from each other. The work resolves with a balance between the two individuals.
“Fall Dance Theatre: In Tandem” runs November 30 – December 9, 2023, with performances Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8:00 pm, and Saturdays at 2:00 pm in Clayes Performing Arts Center’s Hallberg Theatre at Cal State Fullerton. Talkbacks are scheduled after each performance. CSUF students receive one complimentary ticket per production. General Admission tickets are $14 ($12 Titan Discount) and are available online or by calling (657-278-3371) or visiting the Clayes Performing Arts Center Box Office, 12-4 pm, Tuesday through Friday.
Our first show of the spring semester is “Marisol, ” running March 8–23, 2024 in the Little Theatre on campus. When young, big city professional Marisol Perez wakes one morning to find the world has become a dystopian battleground, her life abruptly turns upside down. Brooklyn is a war zone, coffee is extinct, the moon has disappeared, and angels are trading in their wings for machine guns. Amidst the chaos, Marisol remains resolute in her mission to salvage what hope remains amidst the rubble of the apocalypse. Winner of the 1993 Obie Award, “Marisol” is a harrowing and timely dark fantasy that keeps you “laughing right through the misery” (Los Angeles Times).
CSUF students receive one complimentary ticket per production. General Admission tickets are $14 ($12 Titan Discount) and are available by calling (657) 278-3371, 12-4 pm, Tuesday through Friday at the Clayes Performing Arts Center Box Office or online. Tickets for “Marisol” will be on-sale February16.
