As the host for the Dancer/Musician Improv Extravaganza at the Margaret Jenkins Dance Lab in San Francisco, Kara Davis creates an atmosphere where dancers and musicians can share their talents with each other and the audience. A dancer is paired with a musician — based on names chosen from a hat — to create a three-minute improvisational performance. There are no rules and no mistakes, only a chance to explore creativity with the combination of spontaneous sound and movement.
Davis is a classically trained ballet dancer who now focuses on modern and contemporary dance with Kunst-Stoff. She has taught at Berkeley Ballet and received an Isadora Duncan Award for outstanding achievement in individual performance for her entire 2002 and 2003 season performing with Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, Janice Garrett & Dancers and Kunst-Stoff.
Spark visited Davis at the Dance Lab to see the outcome of her experiment. As expected, unusual but interesting teams such as drummer/ballet dancer were formed. For more information on the Dancer/Musician Improv Extravaganza, which usually occurs the last Sunday of the month, check the Kunst-Stoff’s Web site under “Special Events.”
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