Performing Arts Foundation Plans Exciting but Risky Season

The theme of the 1988/89 season announced by the San Diego Foundation for the Performing Arts this week is “New Worlds.” But it might well have been called Brave New Worlds, since it represents the riskiest, and in many ways the most exciting, slate of events the foundation has ever assembled.

This year’s roster boasted at least one household name, Rudolf Nureyev, to tempt dance buffs into subscribing to the series. But the upcoming slate moves deep into uncharted territory, with such names as Trisha Brown and David Gordon, post-modern dance pioneers respected in New York and other major dance centers, but unknown quantities in San Diego.

The season will get under way September 30 with two performances of the critically-acclaimed Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, followed on November 7 by one performance of what is being termed “a futuristic visual libretto” by Philip Glass. “1,000 Airplanes on the Roof,” a multimedia work that melds music, text, projections, and a battery of theatrical effects, will make its world premiere this summer in Vienna.

Batsheva Dance Company of Israel will bring its ballet-trained modern dancers to San Diego on December 5 and 6. The organization programmed this as an alternative to the “‘Christmas Carols and other traditional holiday fare,” said foundation director Diane Annala.

Jose Limon’s legacy, the Limon Dance Company, will make another stop in San Diego on January 27-28, with two Limon classics never before seen in this neck of the woods. On February 10-11, KODO, the Japanese troupe that mesmerized audiences in San Diego in 1987, will bring its own brand of rhythmic music, dance, and pantomime back for an encore.

Trisha Brown will make her local debut with the California premiere of her latest work, “Newark,” in a performance that “complements the season,” Annala said.

The closing concert will be a new work by David Gordon, titled “United States,” commissioned in part by the foundation. The performances on May 5-6, danced by David Gordon/Pick Up Company, will take place at UC San Diego’s Mandeville Auditorium, one of the co-sponsors of this event.

“This year we did a lot of soul-searching,” Annala said. “We were interested in companies whose names alone wouldn’t sell tickets. Our board is committed to bringing in cutting edge dance, and we were encouraged by this season’s response, as well as recent Harris polls showing a growing interest in modern dance. If you want to make a difference, you’ve got to be committed to risk-taking.”

The budget will remain about the same as last year, about $1 million, but the foundation has shaved some of its expenses and increased the number of available seats by moving from the Spreckels to Symphony Hall.

“We’ll have 800 more seats, so we’ll be able to go after more students--not just grade students, but high school and college students. We had to sell every seat at the Spreckels,” Annala said. “There’s a lot of newness in this season. Even the companies who have been here before will be doing new things.”

One thing the foundation wants to continue is its supporting role in the local dance community.

“We’re trying to get another California Arts Council grant, and this year we might showcase individual artists and dancers,” Annala said. “That’s what the dance alliance told us they really need, so we’re hoping to get funding for it.”