DANCE / EILEEN SONDAK : S.D. Dance Promoter Hits Europe in Search of Acts

While the mayor’s fact-finding party explores new avenues of artistic exchange with the Soviet Union, Suzanne Townsend, a trailblazer for world-class dance in San Diego, is on a scouting expedition of her own in another part of Europe.

“I’m going to Paris to see the Frankfurt Ballet, to choose the repertory I would like them to bring when they perform for us,” said Townsend, before taking flight to France. “Basically, I’m going as part of the International Presenting Network, a group of presenters masterminded by Darlene Neel (of the Bella Lewitzky Dance Company). The Frankfurt is the first ballet tour on the network.”

Townsend, a founding member of this ambitious arts network, noted that team presenting translates into lower ticket prices, based on the economy of scale.

“No one organization is going to bring in everything on the network. But there are 30 members in the United States and Canada, and all we need is about five or six to make a tour profitable, so it really makes a lot of sense to work through the network.”

During her stay in France, Townsend will attend an international meeting of European presenters, seek out festivals presenting top-notch dance troupes, and even detour off the beaten path to pave the way for future seasons of San Diego Performances.

“We go to performances of everything ,” she said. “And if there’s a company that isn’t performing while we’re there, we go to the studios to watch them. That’s how we discovered the Frankfurt Ballet. We were there when Billie Forsythe was setting ‘Artifacts,’ and we watched him working with the dancers. At the time, the movement was so cutting edge and foreign to the dancers, we thought they’d never get it.”

Now, the full-length ballet by the popular choreographer of “Love Songs,” a powerful contemporary piece that wowed local aficionados when it was danced by the Joffrey, is under consideration for a San Diego debut next June.

“We try to work with artists whose work is a major influence in dance, and I think the Frankfurt is the most cutting-edge company we have on the San Diego Performances season this year,” Townsend said.

“Our plan is to continue to work closely with the International Presenters Network. There’s some very interesting stuff coming out of Germany,” she said, “and we’ll be looking for more foreign attractions. I’m very excited about this trip. I may even go on to see two festivals in South Italy. Who knows where it will lead?”

Now, almost one month after Dance California Conference ’88 met in San Diego, the kudos are still coming in from around the state, said Tom Corcoran, executive director of the alliance.

“I keep hearing from people, and all the feedback has been extremely positive. This was the first time the group ever met in San Diego, and the attendance more than doubled over last year,” Corcoran said. “We haven’t got the final figures as yet, because the bills are still coming in. But this was the first time the California Conference has turned a profit. We’re very proud of that, and we expect to host these meetings on a rotating basis from now on.”

The San Diego Area Dance Alliance, local hosts of the statewide meeting, had high hopes for the conference when it went out on a limb to sponsor the two-day event. But the response far surpassed even their most optimistic forecasts.

“It was the best conference we’ve had in three years, and the best-attended conference we’ve ever,” said Anne W. Smith, chairwoman of the California Advisory Council.

“We had representation from the biggest companies like the Joffrey, San Francisco Ballet and Lewitzky, and many of the smaller ones from around the state,” Corcoran said. “We even had a couple of people from Arizona and New Mexico.”

Dance California Conference ’88 also had some nice fringe benefits for the local dancers in attendance.

“The real value to me is the contacts I made,” said John Malashock. “I got a chance to meet people from all over the state.”

Veteran Los Angeles-based dancer Lola Montes said, “The conference supported my belief that San Diego dance is inching its way towards becoming one of the leading alliances in the state.”

Looks like this first step by the alliance to put San Diego on the dance map might just have done the job.

American Ballet Ensemble’s Laura Taber will be dancing the role of Myrtha when the Gloria Campobello Ballet School of Tijuana performs the second act of “Giselle” Wednesday and Thursday at the Tijuana Cultural Center.

American Ballet School spokeswoman Pat Wielandt pointed out the long-term implications of this cultural exchange.

“We have strong ties with Tijuana already, since some of our boys come from the other side of the border, and we’re looking forward to more cross cultural connections,” she said. “This is a wonderful opportunity.”

Rolando Sarabia of the National Ballet of Cuba and Tijuana-trained Minerva Tapia are featured along with Taber in this staging.

“It’s great to be able to dance with another company,” said Taber. “It’s the first time I’ve ever made any guest appearances.”

Taber and her sister Claire will be off to San Antonio for a two-week summer workshop with the Joffrey Ballet right after the Tijuana performance.