With sunshine and agreeable temperatures that flow seamlessly from one month to the next, Santa Barbarans have long grown accustomed to discerning the signs of a changing season through idiosyncratic means. Cues from the cyclical offerings of our area farmers’ markets, coupled with the city’s stellar cultural offerings, ensures winters in the 805 will be greeted with slices of persimmon bread and a hearty serving of international films, while summers celebrate their supremacy with a vibrant bounty of stone fruit and stomping señoritas.
So when a rat-tat-tat chorus of overripe olives starts to hit our city sidewalks, and our theater directors find themselves peering out through the drawn velvet curtains of a slumbering set of months, autumn has signaled its glorious return and with it a fresh new performing arts season in Santa Barbara.
Fueled by the momentum of new grant opportunities and forums within the city, many area dance companies are extending past the formulaic tradition of premiering singular work over the course of a swift evening to more expansive platforms. From ambitious collaborative undertakings to student outreach to cross-cultural exchanges, choreographers and directors are fleshing out resourceful methods to weave art and community together, setting the stage for an approach that widely considers the inherent value of creative cooperation.