PRESENTS
How do we wake up to the ephemeral nature of our bodies?
Photos by RJ Muna
WELCOME: How do we accept that this arc of life will eventually come to an end? As a culture we are pretty much in denial about old age and the diminishment of the body. We all walk around thinking, “Well, it isn’t going to happen to me!” But, of course, we know that isn’t true, and still we don’t soften ourselves into a state of acceptance. I’m interested in that and so this collaborative project called As We Go emerged.
I must thank all of the performers for their contributions to the choreography and the textual content. I especially want to thank Patrica West and Damara Vita Ganley for being my artistic partners on this piece and for their input both choreographically and conceptually.
THE ARTISTIC TEAM
Artistic Director/Writer: Joe Goode
Assistant Directors: Damara Vita Ganley & Patricia West
Performers: Alexandra Mannings, Brooke Terry, Felipe Barrueto-Cabello, Frances Sedayao, Molly Katzman, Óscar Trujillo, Wailana Simcock, Marit Brook-Kothlow, Pangaea, Patricia West, Damara Vita Ganley, Joe Goode
Music: Ben Juodvalkis
Lighting Design: Jack Carpenter
Production Stage Manager: Katherine Mattson
Visual Design: House of Perception; Katherine Mattson
Costume Design: Wendy Sparks
Sound Design: Kevin McKerreghan
Video Design: Jessica Swanson
Publicist: Mary Carbonara
Photography: RJ Muna
THE STAFF
Founder/Artistic Director: Joe Goode
Executive Director: David Mack
Creative Engagement Leads: Damara Vita Ganley & Patricia West
Venue Lead: Aja Randall
Technical Director: Colin Johnson
Communications & Development Manager: Alyssandra Torres-Wu
Finance & Operations Associate: Dustin Magidson
Front of House: Emma Andre, Erin Coyne, Liam Fleming, Mary Jane Agnew, Alexandra Vidich, Sophia Grimani, Rebecca Puretz
Volunteers: Kathryn Ketman, Hannah Westbrook, Miki Pryor
THE BOARD
Board President: McCrae Parker
Treasurer: Elise Hurwitz
Secretary: Kathleen Moore
Board Members: Aarin Burch, Ellen Chamberlain, Joe Goode, Kara Page Jariwala, Regina Dick-Endrizzi
BIOGRAPHIES
JOE GOODE PERFORMANCE GROUP: The Joe Goode Performance Group, formed in 1986, tours regularly throughout the U.S., and has toured internationally to Canada, Europe, South America, Africa, and the Middle East. Goode is known as a master teacher; his summer workshops in “felt performance” attract participants from around the world, and the company’s teaching residencies on tour are hugely popular. He is a member of the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley in the department of Theater, Dance and Performance Studies.
Joe Goode (he/they) is a choreographer, writer, and director widely known as an innovator in the field of dance for his willingness to collide movement with spoken word, song, and visual imagery. His many awards include a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, a United States Artists Award, a New York Performance (Bessie) Award, and Several Isadora Duncan Awards (Izzies).
Goode’s performance-installation works have been commissioned by the Fowler Museum of Natural History, Krannert Art Museum, the Capp Street Project, the M.H. de Young Museum, and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. His dance theater work has been commissioned by Pennsylvania Ballet, Zenon Dance Company, AXIS Dance Company and Dance Alloy Theater among others. The Joe Goode Performance Group has performed throughout the US as well as Europe, Canada, Africa and the Middle East.
ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM
Composer, Musical Director Ben Juodvalkis composes original music for dance, film, theater, corporate events, and museum installations. He has created scores for over 50 organizations and has had his music performed on four continents. Juodvalkis works from his studio in San Francisco as well as on location with his mobile custom built electronic instruments.
Alexandra Mannings (she/they) is a dance artist hailing from the east coast. They are excited by the possibilities of dance creation and performance when linked with text and other visual mediums.
Brooke Terry (she/they) is a native to St. Louis, pre-professionally trained rigorously through COCA STL, and recently graduated from the Alonzo King LINES Ballet BFA program with Dominican University of California. They’ve worked with dawsondancesf, REYES Dance, Xochipilli Dance Company, TEENS at LINES, as a consultant for DETOUR Dance’s WBHH, and DHPCO. This is Brooke’s first season with JGPG.
Damara Vita Ganley (she/they) is a movement artist and facilitator. She is grateful to be a long time creative collaborator with Joe Goode Performance Group, BANDALOOP, Fog Beast and DAP.
Felipe Barrueto-Cabello (he/him) is a native of Chile and grew up in the Bay Area. He received a degree in Mathematics from Cornell University and has performed with Joe Goode Performance Group since 1996.
Frances Sedayao (she/they) is a multi-disciplinary artist who has performed with many Bay Area notables, in the US and abroad over the past 25 years. She is an SF Apature Featured Artist, Art resident of NY OMI International, Jefferson Awards recipient and currently in collaboration with Nina Haft, Yiddish Theater (actor), Naomi Newman, Sarah Bush Dance Project and Kularts. Sedayo is also an educator and an end-of-life doula.
Marit Brook-Kothlow (she/her) is a Bay Area native and a longtime member of the Joe Goode Performance Group. In addition to performing, she is cultivating a visual art practice.
Molly Katzman (they/she) has been dancing, teaching and performing in Santa Cruz for 16 years. They also teach dance through their educational outreach program as well as at Motion Pacific and Tannery World Dance and Cultural Center.
Óscar Trujillo (all pronouns) is an embodiment doula whose practice bridges somatic education, the expressive arts, trauma support, bodywork and intuitive energy reading. Trujillo currently makes movement theater in Kansas City and performs with Joe Goode Performance Group in San Francisco.
Pangaea (she/her) is a performance artist, fine artist and activist recently arrived in San Francisco, after a six year stay in Chicago, IL. where she regularly performed in theaters and nightclubs. She is an actor, singer, dancer, drag performer, costume designer, curator, show producer/director.
Wailana Simcock (all pronouns) was born in the Philippines and raised in Hawaii and speaks both Tagalog and ‘ōlelo Hawai’i. They have been living again in San Francisco Yelamu Ohlone land since 2017 where they first lived as a dancer in the 90’s for nearly a decade. They are a dancer, textile artist, and licensed massage therapist. They have been a JGPG company member since 2018.
Patricia West (she/her) JGPG Assistant Director, Performer, Creative & Community Engagement Lead, was born in the Bay Area. She is a collaborating artist with DAP, Fog Beast and has been with JGPG since 2006. West is also the Director of Cal Performances’ AileyCamp.
THANK YOU
Thank You from the Artistic Director: I would like to thank Palliative Care Specialist, Dr. Lam Nguyen, Queen’s Hospital, Hawaii Dan Sweeney, Accelerator Design Department of Theater Dance and Performance Studies, UC Berkeley, Glen Fishman, Molly Goode, Dalia Yalda, and Peter Federico for dog care, emotional support, and friendship.
As We Go is funded in part by National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, California Venues & California nonprofit performing arts grants, and JGPG Creator’s Circle members. JGPG would also like to extend thanks to YBCA for presenting As We Go.
Main Image by RJ Muna | Dancers: Damara Vita-Ganley & Felipe Barrueto-Cabello * Description: Two dancers lie on top of one another on the mossy forest floor. One looks up into the camera and the other looks away