Two Jewish choreographers are presenting new works of modern dance in San Francisco this fall, using the dynamism of dance to communicate the resilience of the human body and spirit.
Deborah Slater has been a part of San Francisco’s dance scene for decades. Her new piece, “Shout in the Dark: A Guide to Hope & Good Grief,” explores what follows loss, especially in turbulent times. It will run Sept. 19 to Oct. 5 at Studio 210.
“The concept of hope that’s kind of fascinating to me is that hope is a mixed bag,” she told J. “It really only shows up in the worst moments. It’s not optimism. It’s really something that reaches beyond what’s visible and possible.”
“Shout in the Dark” is a collaborative work, and Slater sees her role as more of a director than a choreographer. She worked closely with the dancers, as well as with musicians and playwright Eugenie Chan, to create the piece. Slater said the creative process gave her hope.
“It really made me feel like community is possible and caretaking is possible,” she said.
She founded her dance company, Deborah Slater Dance Theater, in 1989. She told J. in 2019 that one of her parents was raised Orthodox and the other was raised socialist. She said that her Jewish identity informs her work — not through overt themes, but through the progressive politics, feminism and civil rights activism that infuse her art.
In 2023, Alyssa Mitchel transformed a Contemporary Jewish Museum gallery into a stage to premiere “Regard,” a dance performance inspired by the ideas of Jewish philosopher Martin Buber.
Now she’s set to premiere “Endure” from Oct. 3 to 5 at Dance Mission Theater. This piece explores what pushes people to their limit and then beyond. It features six dancers combined with video interviews of six marathon runners.
Mitchel grew up attending San Francisco’s Or Shalom Jewish Community, a Reconstructionist congregation.
“Endure” grew out of the Covid-19 pandemic. Mitchel took up running when dance studios were closed and later connected with the Unseen Run Club, a running group in San Francisco.
“Just like how amazing the dance community is, the running community is amazing,” she said. “Everyone has a different story of what led them to start running.”
Mitchel interviewed six of the runners for “Endure.” Each dancer embodies each of these distinct characters.
“You hear the recordings of each person talking about their journey, their running journey, and what made them decide to run their first marathon, and who they are as a person,” she said.
The dance performance includes projected images by Zach Litoff.
While “Endure” was inspired by Mitchel’s interest in running, she said that its essence is about the challenges that life throws at you and the ones you choose to take on.
“I’ve been talking to my dancers about what their marathon is and that everyone has something that is a challenge. You have to persevere through it,” she said. “At the same time … you need the challenge in order to feel like you’ve accomplished something.”