RE: LIVE // Vol.2

Selah Dance Collective is taking over State Street! On Saturday, January 22 from 12-5 pm, SELAH will produce a curated performance series highlighting local organizations and independent artists from Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. This day of performances brings what would usually be in the theater out into the world, bringing a world-class dance experience of various styles directly to the community of downtown Santa Barbara.

SELAH has invited other dance artists and organizations from throughout the Southern California area to showcase their work in the first professional dance performance produced in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara on State Street. A highlight of the residency is SELAH’s invitation to Santa Barbara Centre for Aerial Dance, directed by creative powerhouse Ninette Paloma, to incorporate their innovative style of Floor to Air® movement. Other performances include Santa Barbara City College Dance, directed by Tracy Kofford, UCSB Dance Co. under the direction of Delila Moseley, and Calliopus Contemporary Dance and Calliopus 2, led by Joseph Lister and based out of Los Angeles.

“to create is to live twice.”

Our goal is to do our part to revitalize our city by creating a pop-up art spaces featuring local artists, organizations, and businesses. If the role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible, we believe that artists should be at the revolution’s forefront - and the revitalization of State Street is a deeply needed movement towards change in our city.

Our work, as SELAH, has never been just about us. We believe in making dance accessible and relatable to all people, especially in a city that has supported us for the past five years. Santa Barbara has become an amazing hub for dance on the West Coast and we are honored to be a part of it, alongside artists and organizations with so many different interests, influences, and histories. Our goal with this event is to create an experience in which all artists can take part and everyone in Santa Barbara is welcome. We are partnering with many local artists and organizations alike to bring this vision to life.

THE IMPACT

In the past, we have supported artists from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange County, Austin, and New York City by providing a space for them to share their work and to create networks of like-minded artists with big visions and dreams.

»The role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible.«
Toni Cade Bambara

If the role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible, we believe that artists should be at the revolution’s forefront - and the continued vibrance of State Street is a deeply needed movement towards change and a way for us to showacse the resilience of the arts community of Santa Barbara.

Our work straddles the contemporary/modern aesthetic and while we have many influences, we want to highlight other amazing artists who do not share the same aesthetics as we do. Providing a platform for others to share what they have created or what means most to them is part of our mission and deeply important to our cause. We have invited dozens of local artists and organizations to participate in our previous productions and have been overwhelmed with the support and excitement about our events. And we hope that you are excited too!