Featured Profile: Moving Arts Dance  Photo by Scott Belding Moving Arts Dance performs works of dance art that speak to the emotional realities of our time through a fusion of ballet and modern dance styles. Under the direction of Anandha Ray, this company has been internationally heralded for their ability to express the common experiences of humans.
As a child, Ray was denied access to dance classes due to her family’s limited financial resources. In high school, she was able to take modern dance and immediately began winning acclaim and being given awards and scholarships. Ms. Ray has a BA in Dance Education from ASU, two Master of Arts degrees from UCLA (a double major in Choreography and Kinesiology and a second degree in Dance/Movement Therapy).
She has guest lectured and served on the faculties of colleges and universities throughout the nation. She has served as adjudicator for selection committees for the American College Dance Festival, for grants committees, and for many years toured a lecture circuit to festivals and universities across the nation.
 Photo by Scott Belding In 1996, she founded Moving Arts Dance. The mission of Moving Arts Dance is to cross cultural boundaries through the expression of dance. Each month, the company hosts performances of dance by local companies, students and hosting professional companies from as far away as France and Belarus.
The Moving Arts Dance company also hosts their annual MAD BAD Festival, which brings together artists from the California area, in various dance fields.
After three decades of a career and life in dance, Ray is a multiple award winning choreographer who has been inducted into the Contra Costa Women’s Hall of Fame, received a citation from the United States Senate for her services in dance, and has been heralded as a Visionary of the East Bay Area by Diablo Magazine.
 Photo by Scott Belding For this year’s Golden West College Professional Dance Invitational, Moving Arts Dance will be presenting their work “Presence of Absence”, choreographed by Anandha Ray.
Here is what Anandha had to say about the work:
"Presence of Absence is a piece about loss, and ultimately about the circle of life. Loss of a loved one is such a difficult thing to go through, I can think of nothing more difficult. Yet, it is predetermined that we each experience this. I find that by choreographing dances that explore such topics, I accomplish two goals: one is for me to better understand this part of life, and the other is for the dance to help audience members who have experienced something similar to know that they are not alone…that there is someone who understands them.
 Prescene of Absence / Photo by Scott Belding This new version dives deeper into the subject of loss. There is an edge of insanity that is threading part of the dance together. Since I follow my sub-conscious to create dance, and this one is not finished, I can’t say exactly what it will be about. However, this edge of insanity feels a bit like the deep, deep sorrow that has the capacity to dissociate one from reality, like when you see a loved one who has died, only to realize that it was someone who looked like them… but for that moment you believed it could be them.”
This is a beautiful, deep and very strong company that is not to be missed.
The Golden West College Professional Invitational will take place on February 18 & 19 2011, at 8 pm. It is being held at the Robert B. Moore Theater, which is located on the Orange Coast College campus in Costa Mesa, California. Tickets are $12 for General and $10 for Students; they are available through the OCC Box Office and online at www.occtickets.com.
For more information on Moving Arts Dance please check out their website: www.movingartsdance.org
Featured Profile: Donna Sternberg & Dancers  Entangled In Love Founded in 1985, Donna Sternberg & Dancers is an interdisciplinary dance company that has premiered over 60 works, including 6 full evening-length performances. From the movement of celestial bodies to the history of man’s flight, from the subatomic relationships of particles to man’s rage to know, from an investigation of human’s paradoxical relationship with the natural world to how perception and memory shape our sense of reality, interpreting scientific principles form the basis for DS&D’s multifaceted performances.
We intentionally build partnerships with artists, cultural organizations, scientists and science institutions to find innovative ways to bring the exciting discoveries of science to a larger audience through dance in collaboration with other art forms.
 Entangled In Love Donna Sternberg graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with degrees in Dance and Psychology. After graduation she co-founded the Mixed Motion Dance Company, where she choreographed, performed and taught throughout California, Oregon and Washington. Desiring to work with artists of other disciplines, Ms. Sternberg moved on to become Artistic Director of Dance Collaborative, where she choreographed and performed solo and collaborative concerts.
In 1985, she founded Donna Sternberg & Dancers, a modern dance company, to express her vision of the communicative power of movement.
 Entangled In Love The mission of Donna Sternberg & Dancers is to build bridges and make connections between dance, science, philosophy and other art forms so that people and ideas can come together in ways that expand human awareness, leading to that “aha” moment where people begin to envision the world as theirs to create in an unique way.
Ranging from 5-7 members, Donna Sternberg & Dancers is a dynamic, emotionally vibrant contemporary company. The diverse repertoire is composed of vigorous, technically demanding movement that is alternatively edgy, sensuous and lyrical. Permeating the movement is a dramatic and emotional intensity.
 Entangled In Love For the 2011 GWC Professional Invitational, Donna Sternberg & Dancers will be presenting a work entitled “Entangled in Love”, which is an excerpt from a full evening length work entitled “Quantum Entanglement”. Exploring the concept of entanglement from both a scientific and human perspective, “Quantum Entanglement” mixes up the subatomic movement of particles with the emotional ramifications of being entwined with people and situations. The basis for this piece comes from the science of quantum physics, examining how two or more objects are linked together even though they may be spatially separated.
We are excited to have this company joining us on stage this year and can’t wait to see them perform this beautiful duet.
The Golden West College Professional Invitational will take place on February 18 & 19 2011, at 8 pm. It is being held at the Robert B. Moore Theater, which is located on the Orange Coast College campus in Costa Mesa, California. Tickets are $12 for General and $10 for Students; they are available through the OCC Box Office and online at www.occtickets.com.
For more information on the Donna Sternberg & Dancers please check out their website: www.dsdancers.com
Featured Profile: David Herrera Performance Company  DHPCo. 2010/11 David Herrera Performance Company is a touring modern dance company from San Francisco, California. Through the use of media elements, theatrical measures, and athleticism the company produces emotionally textured material that is culturally rich and relevant in contemporary America.
The leader of this up and coming dance company is David Herrera. David is a choreographer, dancer, actor, and producer. He began as an actor and was introduced to modern dance while attending the University of California, Santa Cruz. He holds his BA in American Studies and Theater Arts. While studying at UCSC, he had the opportunity to learn and work with Mel Wong, one of his influences. In 2002, he returned to UCSC, receiving a Post-Graduate Certificate focusing on modern dance/theater. Upon graduating, David headed to Los Angeles where he danced with the Nannette Brodie Dance Theatre. In 2004, he relocated to San Francisco and officially launched the David Herrera Performance Company in 2007.
 Photo by Vanessa Chu David Herrera Performance Company has been crafting material that is emotionally textured, visceral, athletic, and contemporary reflecting the evolution of culture within the American experience. Additionally, David Herrera Performance Company also devotes itself to creating works for and about the Latino Diaspora within an American context, presenting works that highlight the prowess and influence of Latinos in art, politics, culture, and community identity.
David Herrera Performance Co. is thrilled to present an excerpt from its 2011 Home Season production, American Layercake, "Listen" at the GWC Professional Invitational. American Layercake is a full- length, original modern dance piece that examines the way in which yesteryear's American Dream and Nuclear Family models continue to obsess an increasingly diverse American society. Why are they so deeply embedded? Are the progressive aspects of contemporary culture handicapped by these visions? What fuels our need to continuously recast ourselves in these roles despite the scrutiny and rebellion generations have given the topic? Through powerful dance, imaginative media, and an evocative, original musical score, DHPCo confronts these cultural ideals, highlighting and celebrating our diverse range of American identities as they respond and dance with those iconic models.
 Photo by Vanessa Chu At the outset, the piece invites the audience to follow a mixed race white/Latino family as they seek to understand themselves in the roles of a ‘typical’ American Nuclear family of the mid-century. Father, Mother, Child, Other: we see each role established, we understand its confines, and we watch the repeated attempts at breaking through or understanding each person within their role. What works? What doesn’t? What can be requisitioned, what jettisoned? An omnipresent Chorus directs our focus and guides both the characters and the audience as we attempt to recognize some of the deep pull these visions continue to hold, and the enduring need to find a way to feel at home with oneself and one’s community. Sometimes humorous, other times raw, always energetic and intensely felt, Herrera’s choreography, in its attempts to both shake off and climb beyond the present moment with its rough-shod immigration laws and its Mad Men addiction, becomes unwittingly aching and beautiful.
 Photo by Vanessa Chu This is the first time the David Herrera Performance Co. has performed at the GWC Professional Invitational and we are excited to see their work and to have them be a part of our upcoming performance.
The Golden West College Professional Invitational will take place on February 18 & 19 2011, at 8 pm. It is being held at the Robert B. Moore Theater, which is located on the Orange Coast College campus in Costa Mesa, California. Tickets are $12 for General and $10 for Students; they are available through the OCC Box Office and online at www.occtickets.com.
For more information on the David Herrera Performance Co. please check out their website: http://dhperformance.org
Featured Profile: Scorpius Dance Theatre  “…Scorpius Dance Theatre, a local troupe known for mixing graceful moves and humorous interludes in a way that makes dance accessible to the average Joe.” – Phoenix New Times
Born under the astrological sign of Scorpio, Artistic Director and Choreographer Lisa Starry, is intense but friendly, passionate and determined, dependable and intuitive. These inherent traits are what help make Scorpius Dance Theatre the foremost performing arts company in Arizona.
Lisa grew up throughout the US and Europe. She began her formal dance training in modern, ballet, and choreography at the Phoenix School of Ballet in 1985 and continued on to college to receive her BFA in Dance/Choreography from the California Institute for the Arts in 1993. That same year she was presented with a full scholarship to the London Contemporary School of Dance student exchange program. She returned to perform with several local companies in and around Phoenix. However, it was around this time that she knew she had something refreshing and distinct to offer as a choreographer herself. In 1999, the Scorpius Dance Theatre was born.
 Photo by Ed Flores Based in Phoenix, Arizona, Scorpius Dance Theatre is a non-profit organization and is observing its twelfth year in operation. The contemporary dance company has been a constant presence in the metropolitan Phoenix arts community since its inception, combining the motifs of humor, drama, and both organic and technical movement to form a very distinct style of dance.
Their mission is to provide accessible, outstanding, professional modern dance to a diverse audience while achieving recognized artistic excellence within the Arizona arts community.
Lisa manages Scorpius like a tight-knit family and many dancers enjoy working with her for that reason. Other dancers simply respect Lisa for her creativity and motivation…always thinking outside of the box. This is a team environment and Scorpius’ strengths come from the mutual care, respect and cooperation of dancers, volunteers, and board members.
 A Vampire Tale VII / Photo by Ed Flores A consummate professional, it’s been instinctive for Lisa to build relationships within the metropolitan Phoenix arts community and she continues to do so in the dance and theater circles. As a result of Lisa’s reputation, personal character, and with the steady exposure of this unique contemporary dance company, Scorpius quite often has exclusive opportunities presented to them, regularly experimenting with innovative performance situations while making new friends.
At this year’s Golden West College Professional Invitational, Scorpius will be performing their piece titled “Manifest”, which is choreographed by Lisa Starry.
 Scorpius performing 'Manifest' We look forward to having them perform and the opportunity to share the stage with this incredible and talented company.
The Golden West College Professional Invitational will take place on February 18 & 19 2011, at 8 pm. It is being held at the Robert B. Moore Theater, which is located on the Orange Coast College campus in Costa Mesa, California. Tickets are $12 for General and $10 for Students; they are available through the OCC Box Office and online at www.occtickets.com.
For more information on the Scorpius Dance Theater please check out their website: http://www.scorpiusdance.com/
 Tango Point / Photo by Scott Mitchell Golden West College presents their Professional Invitational Dance Concert on Friday, February 18 and Saturday, February 19 at 8 pm at the Robert B. Moore Theater, Orange Coast College, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa.
Tickets are available in advance at the OCC box office and online at www.occtickets.com.
The box office phone number is 714-432-5880 and the tickets are $ 12 general admission and $ 10 for students.
We recommend buying the tickets in advance because we often sell out before the performance. A reception to meet the artists will follow both programs.
For the last 6 years the Invitational Dance Concert has proven to be a highlight of the professional dance season in Southern California. The GWC Dance Department has brought together the talents of diverse artists for two evenings that promises to satisfy your many tastes for dance.
Nannette Brodie, Director of Dance for Golden West College, brings her company, Nannette Brodie Dance Theatre, to perform their newest work, BODY OF WATER, and TANGO POINT. Both works are dynamic in imagery performed by the NBDT ensemble of 12 dancers. From the Long Beach area we are presenting FENCES by Jazzworks-Long Beach, under the direction of Andrew Vaca, who is a professor of dance at CSULB and a major choreographer for jazz teams in the professional sports field in the U.S. There are two groups traveling in to perform that are based in Nevada: Kelly Roth and Dancers, and the Nevada Repertory Dance Theater.
Anandha Ray from the Bay Area returns with her company, Moving Arts Dance Company, to perform one work each evening. And also David Herrera of San Francisco will present AMERICAN LAYERCAKE with his company in concert. Our guests this year from Arizona are Desert Dance Theatre, Dulce Dance Company and Scorpius Dance Company. From the South Bay, Kenneth Walker Dance Project will return again with an ensemble work, ALL THAT GLITTERS. Donna Sternberg and Dancers from Santa Monica will present a duet entitled, ENTANGLED IN LOVE. Luminario Ballet will present 2 duets in the concert, one choreographed by the late Michael Smuin. Intersect Dance Company from Riverside will perform LOSING PORT, choreographed by Mark Haines. Angelika Nemeth, faculty member of OCC and GWC, will perform with her Middle Eastern Ensemble on Friday evening.
Altogether this Invitational Concert is packed with dynamic dance performed by some of the finest dancers in California, Arizona and Nevada. And the program is different both nights, so we encourage you to attend both evenings.
Featured Profile: Stephanie Chadwick  Photo by Javier Armijo Stephanie found a passion and love for dance at a young age, with her long lines and strong stage presence she is captivating. Stephanie began dancing in high school and continued her training at Cypress College in California. She has been performing with NBDT for six years, and performs with Laura Gorenstien Miller’s, Helios Dance Theater, as well. Stephanie is currently on staff at Renaissance High School for the Arts in Long Beach, California, where she teaches and choreographs.
How and why did you get into dancing?
I always loved dancing and my mom could only afford to put me into dance lessons for 6 months when I was 11. After that I still loved dancing and would dance around my house all the time. My senior year, my high school offered a dance class for free and I jumped at the chance! I still had the love for it and my passion carried me through the next couple years of my dance training.
How did you get involved with NBDT?
I remember there was an audition and my ballet teacher at my college encouraged me to go because she knew of Nannette and the company.
 Photo by Steve Shea Do you have a favorite dancer, artist, company or teacher that inspires you to continue dancing?
Yes, I grew up watching old movie musicals with my family and I loved the dance scenes and my sisters and I would try to dance like them. My favorite dancer was, Cyd Charisse. I loved watching her dance because she was so beautiful and committed to whatever character she was portraying and was so versatile. And even at a young age I could appreciate those gorgeous legs and arches!
Where is your favorite place you have toured to and why?
I loved my trip to South Africa! It was such an interesting experience to be in a society that has only recently ended apartheid. We danced for a huge audience and the group we went with performed a modern number that was very well received. It was a beautiful country and I treasure my time there.
What is your favorite NBDT piece to perform and why?
I love performing "El Mundo do las Mujeres" by Jennie Sustaita. It's such an intense piece to dance and I love how it keeps driving all the way to the end.
 Stephanie getting ready for our Christmas Fashion Show What upcoming NBDT event are you most looking forward to this season?
I always love our trips to Ojai, CA. They always take such good care of us and I love all of the outreach we get to do there. It's also an adorable little town and we get to end each week with a fun performance!
Any last thoughts?
Just that I have loved being a part of this company in which I have found some of my closest friends and it's a great dance family. I am also so grateful to Nannette who has provided so many opportunities for us to dance. One week we will be dancing in a fashion show, the next a children's show, and the next week we're performing with the Long Beach Opera at the Terrace Theater!
 NBDT Christmas Party 2010 Wow, we have a lot of exciting and upcoming events for this new 2011 year. We are already in the process of working on multiple projects and we cannot wait to keep you all posted and updated with what we have coming.
Just to give you all a glimpse here is a lineup of what we have going on the next few months!
February 18 & 19, 2011 - Golden West College Professional Invitational
March 19 & 27, 2011 - Performing with the Long Beach Opera for their performance of Akhnaten
We will also be travelling to Ojai, California for our third year in a row to do another week long residency, which we are very excited about!
Thank you everyone for your continual support of our company and the arts, with out our supporters and fans a lot of this would not be possible.
Please keep checking our Facebook and website for updates and news with the company. We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season!
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