The distance between UCSB and downtown Santa Barbara is an inconsequential 10 miles, a 15-minute drive on a clear and construction-free day. But throw in a pair of vanguard choreographers, a motley crew of hungry dancers, and the vision of a forward-thinking artistic director, and the span widens with significance.
Last weekend, Santa Barbara Dance Theatre (SBDT) and their cool kid friends piled into their cars and headed south, leaving behind the traditional confines of their campus residency for a few days in the city. With guest choreographers Joshua Beamish and Emily Schoen in tow, and a roster of SBDT and community dancers, the company breezed into the Lobero Theatre and took command of a stage that is fast becoming Santa Barbara’s go-to art house for cutting edge contemporary movement.
SBDT Artistic Director Christopher Pilafian may know a thing or two about the benefits of diversification, having grown up and studied within the electric density of an urban landscape. His decision to premiere two newly commissioned pieces in the city’s Arts District signaled a desire to share his creative narrative with an expanded audience, and the community responded by showing up mid-week to witness the fruits of his resolution.