GETTING A LEG UP ON DANCE WORLD

More is less in the stylized world of dance.

Although a long-legged female dancer makes a striking presence on stage, “big” women are something of an anomaly in ballet and even in its more liberal sister, modern dance. Tall women are passed over in auditions in favor of smaller, more ethereal types, because their male counterparts (who generally are not very large) look a lot more impressive partnering delicate little dancers--particularly in choreography featuring athletic lifts and tricky airborne maneuvers.

Three tall San Diego dancers, Marta Jiacoletti (5-foot-11), Ellen Segal (5-foot-9) and Pat Sandback (5-foot-10), have decided to deal with this fact of dance life in their first collaborative concert slated for 8 o’clock tonight and Saturday night at Sushi Gallery. These talented independent dancer-choreographers are ready to fight back with the weapon they wield best--modern dance.

“When I was only 7 or 8, Balanchine (the most powerful voice in modern ballet) told me to go home and shrink,” Segal recalled, still smarting from the callous remark.

“You either stand in the back,” Sandback said, “or you do solos. (Tall women) always get noticed and you look great on stage. But you’d better not screw up, because if you trip, you have a lot further to fall.”

“You get to be King Christmas,” Segal joked. “Marta just did Mother Ginger” in a local production of “The Nutcracker.”

“And that’s traditionally a man’s role,” Jiacoletti said. “I lost a job . . . in 1978 because I was too tall.”

“I auditioned for Bob Fosse,” choreographer of a slew of hit musicals on Broadway, Segal said, “and he said, ‘Watch that tall girl. She’s a beautiful dancer.’ Then he turned to me and said, ‘But you’ll never work for me.’ ”

“There are all kinds of prejudices in dance,” Sandback said, “height and age, especially. There are expected norms, and (size) is part of the image.”

Each is a successful dancer in her own right, and all three acknowledge the fact that their experiences were not all negative. Segal was a principal with the prestigious Martha Graham troupe for years, and she still mesmerizes audiences with her slinky, shaped moves and stage charisma. Sandback is a respected dancer and choreographer, and a member of the San Diego State University dance faculty. Jiacoletti, a superb technician, is one of the most sought-after independents in town.

As a result, the “Big Ladies” concert is not just an expose of the subtle discrimination that pervades contemporary dance. It is an expression of dance logic and theatricality by three women who tower over most of the female dancers in town--both literally and figuratively. The “Big Ladies” theme will be used as a framework for exploring both sides of the coin--the delights as well as the dilemmas of being a tall female dancer. And a strong dose of humor will be part of the package in this weekend’s pair of concerts at Sushi.

In the title piece, “Big Ladies,” a dance that crosses over into the realm of performance art, Sandback, Jiacoletti and Segal will heighten their assets with the highest heels they can muster. To flesh out the ensemble works on the program, they have enlisted the aid of a few other tall dancers in town, including 5-foot-10 Vicki Wolf.

Using music, speech and visuals (including a slide projection of America’s ultimate big lady, the Statue of Liberty), this unusual threesome will tell it like it is, without taking a hard-edged, feminist perspective on the subject. In fact, its creators envision “Big Ladies” as a metaphor for coping with adversity, and they hope its appeal will be universal.

“It’s part aggression,” Sandback said. “But it’s not really feminist, although it speaks of the female condition. We’re focusing on being tall, because that’s what makes us different, but everybody has something that makes them different.”

Not every piece on the program is thematically linked to the title, nor is each a collaborative effort. Segal has contributed a solo for herself that she describes as a “healing dance.” “In Praise of Wonder,” juxtaposed against ritualistic music from the Taos Indians, was Segal’s way of dealing with a personal tragedy (her mother’s terminal illness).

“Fast Last,” Jiacoletti’s lively work (loosely based on the jitterbug), is for the trio of Terry Shipman, Nancy McCaleb and Wolf. The original score was composed by Jiacoletti’s husband, Phil Keeney.

Segal’s “The Spirit” also boasts an original score (by James Mooney and Burnham Joiner.) This demanding solo was designed for Jiacoletti, and as Segal insists: “No one but Marta can do it. I tried, but just don’t bother. It was made for Marta, and it’s like a dress that just wouldn’t fit anyone else.”

Also included on the program are two works by Sandback. “Streets Two,” a twosome for Jiacoletti and Michael Kilpatrick, the only male dancer on the program, is danced to original music by San Diego percussionist Jon Szanto. “Towards Stillness,” designed and danced by Sandback, is a mournful evocation that Segal says will “knock your eyes out.”

Jiacoletti, Sandback and Segal will team up for the finale, “Saturday: 8 p.m.,” which they choreographed. Linda Vickerman’s improvisations on ragtime themes propel the piece to its jazzy conclusion.

“There’s a lot of variety on the program--good dance, emotional pieces, theater pieces, a sense of humor and ritual,” Jiacoletti said. “And we haven’t gone outside modern dance to do it.”