repertory

The Violet Hour (Summer 2022, in progress)

investigates exile as a distinct part of the modern experience. Modern art is sometimes conceived as reflexive of an understanding of crisis, especially in response to the violences of modernity. Designed as an installation at L'ahah in Paris, France, in collaboration with the exhibit “Homeshaping/Homeshaking: Modern Odysseys”, The Violet Hour embodies the movement of displacement and reinvents new spaces that highlight the exilic experiences of modern life, one's relationship to migration and historical landscapes. The piece offers a glimpse of the possibilities within a conversation that asks questions about intimacy, displacement, and homeland. The Violet Hour seeks to embody the concepts of spaces and barriers in order to illuminate what these ideas reinscribe upon the body.

original cast: Arianna Hartanov

Rite of Spring (Spring 2022)

Le Sacre du Printemps was originally performed on May 29, 1913 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris by Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. The advance publicity for the production had called the ballet “real and true art,” praising both the choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky and the avant-garde musical composition by Igor Stravinsky. Stravinsky, who developed the libretto for the ballet, described Sacre as a “musico-choreographic work… unified by a single idea: the mystery and great surge of the creative power of Spring.” Nijinsky’s choreography subverted traditional ballet steps in favor of internal rotation of the feet, collapsed and contracted body shapes, and the use of stamping and flat-footed jumping. The premiere proved scandalous, causing a “riot” that has since become legendary. Reviews of Le Sacre du Printemps in the New York Times called it a “failure” and described the audience hissing and booing at the performers, Nijinsky’s choreography, and Stravinsky’s score. In spite of – or perhaps due to – its controversial premiere, Sacre has had a lasting impact on the historical consciousness of Western dance. Since the 1913 premiere, more than 200 different adaptations have been performed worldwide.

In her adaptation, Meredith Cabaniss creates a new and refreshing take on the revolutionary 1913 ballet with dancers from throughout Southern California. Cabaniss chose to develop the work with members of Selah Dance Collective, State Street Ballet, and dancers from the greater Los Angeles area in collaboration with UCSB's undergraduate Dance program. Cabaniss continues to develop her distinctive blend of athleticism and poignant storytelling through the medium of contemporary dance.

Original cast: Daisy Mohrman, Ashley Kohler, Bianca Salazar, Arianna Hartanov, Rachyl Pines, Amanda Keller, Monique Nadeau, Tara McAninch, Nikki Nistal, Leila Drake, Nathalie Wutkee, Amelia Taylor, Brooklynn Reeves-Mallett, Sarah Eichler, Victornia Snider, Genevieve Noonan, Alexis Robards, Allie Mikalatos, Madeleine Wilkowske, Annie Howeth, Camilla Robertson, Riley Haley, Sloan Takeuchi-Ross, Megan Hanson, Gabriella Wei, Gwendolyn Austin, Marta Cremonini, Tirza Panunto, Megha Ramachandran, Katie Gonella, Grace Hopper, Liz King

Taureau (2022)

Taureau, choreographed by assistant director Arianna Hartanov, is a vibrant dance for 7. Inspired by bull fighting and natural chaos, the movement is athletic and full-bodied, matching the energy of music by Orchestre de la Paillote.

Original cast: Daisy Mohrman, Rachyl Pines, Ashley Kohler, Vietor Davis, Alexis Robards, Amanda Keller.

Quantum (2021)

Quantum is a 6-person dance piece that explores the minutiae of energy and labor through expansive ideas of temporality and scale. Inspired by the work of Max Planck and set to music by Liszt and Chopin, Quantum relies on precise musicality, motif, and interconnected movement.

Original cast: Rachyl Pines, Bianca Salazar, Ashley Kohler, Meredith Cabaniss, Arianna Hartanov, Daisy Mohrman.

Infinite Corridor (Spring 2021)

From choreographer Meredith Cabaniss: “I created Infinite Corridor as a response to a traumatic event I experienced in February 2020 where I felt like I was going to die. For the first time in my life, I experienced the imminence of my death and have spent the past 15 months trying to recover from how tangible the feeling was. I started working with my dancers on this piece via Zoom in April 2020 and started in-person, socially distanced rehearsals in October 2020. Even though the work was developed as an abstract way for me to deal with this trauma, it grew into an exploration of ego and sense of self, which is connected to my body of work. Through selah’s signature blend of synchronicity and physically demanding movement, we explore the dissolution of the barriers that separate human consciousness. Driving the work is my desire to see how the expansion of one’s sense of self brings us into relationships with others and community while its contraction erodes our connection to others and our Self.”

Original cast: Bryn Gallagher, Chloé Roberts, Amanda Keller, Rachyl Pines, Arianna Hartanov, Tara McAninch, Amara Galloway

Human (Spring 2021)

A piece created by Selah Dance Collective member Amanda Keller: I have spent this past year both unraveling, and rebuilding, falling apart, and standing back up again. A heartbreaking year of surrender; and yet through it all I learned what it is to be human. To be raw and exposed and crying with compassion for the strength it takes to be simply that, a human being. This piece is a result of brave questioning. It is a glimpse into the comforting repetition and gentle motifs that carried me forward. Moving through the pain and confusion, I found more healing, I found more joy. 

Original cast: Bryn Gallagher, Chloé Roberts, Amanda Keller, Rachyl Pines, Daisy Mohrman, Arianna Hartanov, Tara McAninch, Amara Galloway

ne me quitte pas (Spring 2021)

A work by Selah Dance Collective member Chloé Roberts. Exploring the pressures applied to female-identifying artists in the entertainment industry, the movement reflects the ever-expanding demands placed on dancers to be versatile, malleable, then, positive, beautiful, marketable, strong, and quiet. Ne Me Quitte Pas examines the tension between the physical demands of dance, the love for the art form held by the performers, and the complexities of creating “art” a a form of income.

Cast: Amanda Keller, Meredith Cabaniss, Chloé Roberts, Bryn Gallagher, Rachyl Pines, Daisy Mohrman, Arianna Hartanov, Amara Galloway

Reverie (2020-2021)

As a personal reflection on the lost year of the pandemic, where so many things were put on hold or extended or erased forever, Reverie stands as a monument to all lost things. Much of the work is based on solos created for each dancer and simple moments of unison, where each dancer retains their individuality. At times a kind of meditation, Reverie creates a vulnerable space for dancer and audience member alike to look deep within themselves and come to terms with what they see. 

Original cast: Bryn Gallagher, Chloé Roberts, Rachyl Pines, Daisy Mohrman, Arianna Hartanov, Tara McAninch, Amara Galloway

W O R K (Summer 2019)

Developed as part of the inaugural Performance Workshop, WORK deals with the machinations of our daily life as explored by the toll it takes on human bodies. Set to the music of Radiohead, WORK relies heavily on exhilaratingly physical movement, precise musicality, and partner work to create an ever-changing landscape of bodies and movement in space.

Original cast: Lydia Lamberth, Bianca Salazar, Lucia Quirin, Briana Markovich, Rashelle Rascon, Alanna Hurd, Sara Glaser, Taylor Ostronic, Ashley Kohler, Vivian Hoang, Grace Salsido, Amara Galloway, Alexandria Murray

Regenerative Being (Summer 2019)

Developed as part of the inaugural Performance Workshop, Regenerative Being is choreographed by guest artists Shelby Lynn Caputo.

Original cast: Lydia Lamberth, Bianca Salazar, Lucia Quirin, Briana Markovich, Rashelle Rascon, Alanna Hurd, Sara Glaser, Taylor Ostronic, Ashley Kohler, Vivian Hoang, Grace Salsido, Amara Galloway, Alexandria Murray

Pivot! (2019)

work in progress. and some questions.

Pivot! is a series of vignettes choreographed by Artistic Director Meredith Cabaniss in collaboration with the dancers. A reflection on stories told by the dancers and woven together with the process of grieving the loss of a family member, Pivot! dives deep into the process of finding joy in the midst of pain and delight in the smallest of details. 

Original cast: Bianca Salazar, Juli Farley, Taylor Ostronic, Ashley Kohler, Rachyl Pines, Chloé Roberts, Bryn Gallagher, Daisy Mohrman, Amanda Keller, Tara McAninch, Monique Nadeau

i was too young (Winter 2019)

a short solo originally performed as part of Envision: Humanity at Center Stage Theater in Santa Barbara, California. In self-reflection, we begin to see the patterns and habits that we develop through circumstance and our relationship to the world around us. These patterns and habits are at once a part of us and apart from us. As we move forward, these pieces of our self-image fall away as circumstances and relationships begin, change, and end. In I was too young, these changes are represented by a kinesthetic force: audio, visual, and kinetic elements all working together to create a digital double that, through movement, evokes a sense of shedding skin and stepping into who we truly are.

Original cast: Bianca Salazar

E N D G A M E (SPRING 2017)

an evening-length work that explores the fluid balance of reality and illusion as expressed by the continual reconciliation of what we wish and what we know. Inspired by Samuel Beckett’s play of the same name as well as the work of Marcel Duchamp and other artists of the 1913 Armory Show, this piece creates a world where the usable becomes unusable, the obvious is suspicious, and reality is questioned. An ambitious creative endeavor in the company’s third season, Endgame comes to life through emotional rawness, physical exertion, and fast-paced non-linear narrative.

Cruel (Winter 2016)

our first collaborative work premiered at Triskelion Arts Collaborative Dance Festival in Brooklyn, New York in November 2016. The work, inspired by the letter written by the Stanford rape victim to her attacker, focuses on the process of healing after sexual assault. Lauren Emerson and Ian Charbonnet collaborated with our Artistic Director, Meredith Cabaniss, on creating the score for the piece while the dancers - Bianca Salazar, Jeff Schultz, and Colin Sneddon, collaborated on creating the movement.

flesh & blood (Spring 2016)

an exploration of the spiritual and emotional development of our own human-ness called: “flesh & blood“. How do our individual paths diverge through our experiences and affect our journey as a collective people? How exactly do we experience the society around us as we develop? What frees us and gives us hope? What breaks us and hardens our hearts? What must we do to keep our compassion? Full-evening length work premiered in Santa Barbara in February 2016, shortly followed by performances at St. Mark’s Church in Brooklyn, New York in March 2016.

WAGES (summer 2015)

This piece plays at the moral hinterland of the concept of sin, likened to the way that an infection interacts with the human body. Exploring the innate reaction that the immune system will fight, similar to the questioning of morals when presented with an unclear or questionable situation, and the symptoms that incur when a person has succumbed to the illness. Premiered in fall 2015 at DUMBO Dance Festival in New York with a full-evening length California premiere at the prestigious Marjorie Luke Theater in Santa Barbara, California in June 2015.

here, (spring 2014)

an exploration of the phrase "forgive and forget" expands into a deeper look at the different facets of bitterness and healing. Unable to keep the tight hold of reactions to past hurt, different pieces of one's consciousness fracture and dissipate, only to be reassembled when one pursues forgiveness. Premiered at NECTAR: a dance concert benefiting Santa Barbara Street Medicine in March 2014.