S.D. DANCE ALLIANCE OFFERS FESTIVAL CONCERT

Some things never change on the local dance scene.

Dancers still can’t make a living showing their wares--they have to scrounge for funding and audience support. And they still have no theatrical facility to call their own.

But at least they have the San Diego Area Dance Alliance (SDADA), an organization dedicated to promoting dance throughout the county.

The alliance has yet to achieve many of the lofty goals it set back in 1981. But it has begun to make a difference for local dancers--and for the dance-going public.

For one thing, the alliance has succeeded in forming a cohesive dance community from a splintered assortment of self-contained dance companies and independent dancer/choreographers. This involved ferreting out obscure artists and art forms rarely seen on area concert stages, as well as persuading mainstream dance troupes to join forces for the common good.

Another accomplishment of the alliance is the free bimonthly dance calendar, heralding concerts, workshops and master classes by local and visiting artists. But although the calendar serves as a clearing house for presenters, the alliance has not yet been able to eradicate scheduling conflicts.

The most visible contribution the alliance has made--and the most cherished by local dance buffs--is its annual dance festivals--a marathon of events designed to show off the best that San Diego has to offer.

Although these concerts often have generated criticism for the uneven quality of the dancing, poor production values and helter-skelter organization, they have uncovered a treasure-chest of offbeat kinetic offerings new to the concert stage. And they have given extra exposure to the more prominent professionals in the county.

At 8 p.m. Sunday evening, Dance Festival 6 will take to the main stage of San Diego State University. Ironically, although the alliance membership continues to grow, this alliance concert will feature the fewest performances in the organization’s six-year history. A scheduling conflict at SDSU (whose Cultural Arts Board is sponsoring the event) was cited as the reason for shrinking the weekend of dance down to a single concert.

Nevertheless, aficionados will see a wide spectrum of dance styles in the eight-piece program, which spotlights ensemble work. And the alliance will continue its tradition of zeroing in on unfamiliar artists.

Jazz Unlimited, the area’s most popular jazz ensemble, will set the show in motion with “Grounded,” an athletic trio originally designed to be danced by men. This adaptation, choreographed by the company’s artistic director, Patricia Rincon, will feature the same gymnastic vigor of the all-male version but highlights Kelley Grant, Suzanne Fernandez and Pamela Douglas.

Pasacat, one of the oldest ethnic organizations in San Diego, is making its first appearance with the alliance this weekend. The troupe will dance “Jewels from Mindanao,” which focuses on the visual pageantry of Philippine dance and the tinkling sounds of traditional instruments, performed live by four company musicians.

Graham Hempel’s San Diego Folk Dance Ensemble will bring “Szatmari Tancok,” a Hungarian couples dance, to this lively mixed bag. And Pat Sandback, also of San Diego State’s dance department, will restage “Hand Remembrance Mean.” The striking mood piece earned raves from the audience when Sandback presented it recently as part of the Big Ladies concert at Sushi.

Ballet will be represented by the American Ballet Ensemble dancing “Baroque Symphony,” a complex ensemble work choreographed by Mieczyslaw Morawski. (The area’s other leading ballet troupe, the California Ballet, declined the offer to submit a work for adjudication this year, blaming the timing.)

Three’s Company will participate with “Tabula Rasa,” a quintet that premiered at the troupe’s March repertory concert in La Jolla. Jean Isaacs, who choreographed the stark piece for an all-female cast, conceived the dance in feminist terms. To her, the title (translated as “blank slate”)suggests “that we all begin life on equal footing.”

Jon Barns and his wife Kelley Grant will team up for a duet of their own design. Described as “jazzy-blues,” “Moment in Crossing” offers ample opportunities for Grant to dazzle modern dance enthusiasts with her willowy back bends and fluid technique.

Sandra Foster-King first presented “Life’s Little Variations” at the alliance’s annual Youth Festival. It was so well received that the committee decided to invite Foster-King and her five dancers from the Creative and Performing Arts School at O’Farrell back for this professionally oriented concert.

Once again, Sunday’s celebration of local dance will offer extra incentives for excellence in the form of choreographic and performance awards sponsored by Ballerina Boutique.

Tom Corcoran, executive director of the San Diego Area Dance Alliance, has high hopes for the future of the organization.

“This year the organization is more economically stable than it ever was,” he said.