‘United States’ Takes Up the San Diego Step

The rigid boundaries between local and imported art will blur this weekend when David Gordon--a pioneer in no-holds-barred, post-modern dance--unveils his epic evening-long work, “United States.”

Gordon has been constructing this ever-changing ode to America since the fall of 1987, with sponsorship from a consortium of 27 presenters from 17 states. The project was designed to capture the qualities of all the regions represented. Since the San Diego Foundation for the Performing Arts is one of the commissioning institutions, musical and verbal references to our city flow through the piece.

“It’s a unique project,” said Fred Colby, interim director of the foundation. “The company was looking for presenters to contribute $5,000 each under a special grant program, and we felt as presenters

we should be making art happen . By becoming part of the creative process, we’ll get the work first, instead of waiting for the second tour.”

“It’s a much more personal way to work,” said Gordon. “What’s so interesting is that the sponsors themselves sent us the references about their cities.”

Gordon arrived early to absorb the essence of San Diego for himself.

And as Colby noted, “I’ll lay you odds, he’ll be making some changes while he’s here. The piece is constantly in a state of flux.”

Gordon, an improvisator since the 1970s, concedes that the work is still evolving, but he reminded that, “In the old days, we could come into town and see what we saw and do what we did. Now, we have to rehearse and everything is set. But some of the material will be overlaid when we start preparing for our Kennedy Center premiere in September. Then, the piece will be a two-evening work.”

Though Gordon has snared commissions from American Ballet Theatre and other internationally known dance companies, a coveted Bessie award for sustained choreographic achievement, and various accolades for his cutting-edge work in video and live performance, he remains an unknown quantity in San Diego. Fortunately, that did not deter the foundation or its co-presenter, UC San Diego’s University Events, from showcasing his work this weekend.

“The university is a good place for this kind of thing,” said University Events director Lynne Petersen. “We don’t need a blockbuster. Working with the foundation enabled us to get a big project on campus for our students. We just don’t have the resources to do it on our own. But we can help the foundation by having our staff do a lot of the nuts-and-bolts work.”

Gordon and his Pick Up Company will show their wares Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. at UCSD’s Mandeville Auditorium.