Bay Area dance community honors its own with week of special events

Oakland Tribune, Apr 28, 2006 by Cheryl Ross, CORRESPONDENT

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Bay Area upheld its title of largest per capita dance center in the United States on Tuesday at the Bay Area Dance Awards at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

The ceremony, including the 20th annual Isadora Duncan "Izzie" Dance Awards, was one of 244 free dance events during the Bay Area National Dance Week.

The event, which began April 21, wraps up today. For more information visit http://www.bayareandw.org for details.

In an ethnically diverse field of nominees including Balinese, Korean, African-American, and Cuban dancers, choreographers and other performance contributors, Izzie winners continually promoted community awareness and local dance advocacy.

Clogging, Indian kata and tango pieces paid tribute to the victors' various artistries.

Lifetime Achievement award winner Deborah Brooks Vaughan, artistic director, principal choreographer, and co-founder of Oakland's Dimensions Dance Theater, told the audience, "The arts give us the power to transform ... it helps us realize how connected we really are."

Ong Dance Company, established by Korean native Kyoungil Ong, and New Style Motherlode, co-founded by Corey Action and Teela Shine- Ross, shared the limelight for Company Performance.

The Rev. Dr. Albirda Rose, Oakland native and renowned Bay Area performer, choreographer, and teacher, received the Sustained Achievement award. Rose said, "Don't stop dancing. Give what you've been given, back."

BANDW founding board member Barbara Kaplan helped create the weeklong dance open house nine years ago to market an already diverse dance community.

"This is the one opportunity to really celebrate ourselves," Kaplan said. "All kinds of dances are represented here. It's joyous."