| SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- April 27, 2011 – The San
Francisco dance company Mary Carbonara Dances presents the world
premiere of What Does It Feel Like to Kill Someone? at 8 p.m. nightly,
June 8, 9, 10 and 11 at KUNST-STOFF arts, located at One Grove Street
(at Market) in San Francisco.
Choreographed by Mary Carbonara, the new work with the difficult
title, What Does It Feel Like to Kill Someone? questions how close
to an act of violence an individual must be before bearing some
responsibility for it. Our so-called global community is now constantly
witnessed to killing and our access to scenes of violence –
both real and fabricated -- is immediate and relatively uncensored.
How distant must a person be to be free of responsibility?
“Many things other than closeness influence our reaction
to an act of violence,” says Carbonara. “Our understanding
of who the perpetrator is, who the victim is, our relative strength,
the risk of danger to ourselves, whether or not it’s worth
the effort, whether or not we can prevent the violence from happening
again, all play into what is sometimes split timing decision making.”
She explains that in the heat of the moment our responses can be
visceral and instinctual, but at other times our reactions can be
more calculated, measured and even apathetic. “Sometimes it’s
as easy a closing the door or shutting off the television or computer,”
she says.
Composer Peter V. Swendsen creates the original score, incorporating
spoken word, electronic music, and live and digitally manipulated
sounds. He has created over thirty scores for dance, including seven
collaborations with Mary Carbonara, among them Deflecting Faith
(2004), The Beggar’s Table (2005), and Every Second (2007).
Swendsen’s music has been called “highly skillful”
by the San Francisco Bay Guardian, “marvelous” by the
San Francisco Chronicle, and “ethereal and arresting”
by the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
The dancers of the company are Laura Sharp, Brendan Barthel, Kerry
Demme, Erin Huestis and Arthur Prettyman.
ABOUT MARY CARBONARA DANCES:
Debuted in 2002, Mary Carbonara Dances (MCD), was in residence at
ODC Theater from 2004 to 2007, during which time the company created
and performed three world premiere works, Deflecting Faith (2004),
The Beggar’s Table (2005) and Every Second (2007). MCD is
the recipient of six Zellerbach Family Fund Grants (2002, 2003,
2004, 2006, 2007 and 2011) and has been presented by ODC Theater,
Summerfest/Dance, San Jose Dance Works, Spector Dance, Summerfest/Dance,
Dance Mosaic, San Jose Dance Works, Dancers’ Group’s
Local Choreographers Series, and as part of Venue 9’s Women’s
Work Series and the Monterey Dance Festival. Most recently, MCD
has performed as part of the 2010 Central Market Arts Festival,
KUNST-STOFF arts fest 2010, the RAW Dance Concept Series, and as
a guest company in Kimiko Guthrie’s installation project,
MamaLove, presented by Dandelion Dance Theater and Shawl Anderson
Dance Center.
Carbonara is a former member of Robert Moses’ Kin, Project
Bandaloop, Liss Fain Dance and Margaret Jenkins Dance Company (MJDC).
In her seven years with MJDC Carbonara assisted Ms. Jenkins in choreographing
new works on the Tanusree Shankar Dance Company, in Kolkata, India
and on San Francisco Ballet for the company’s 75th anniversary
season. Carbonara has choreographed commissions for San Jose State
University Dance Theater (UDT), Mills College Repertory Dance Company,
SF School of the Arts, the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance,
and the LINES Pre-Professional Program. She is a 2001 CA$H Grant
recipient. A master teacher, Carbonara has been on the faculties
of numerous colleges and universities and currently teaches at Alonzo
King Lines Dance Center.
Mary Carbonara Dances is supported by Dancers’ Group's Fiscal
Sponsorship program, which currently serves over 120 Bay Area dance
companies and independent artists. Dancers’ Group, founded
in 1982, provides a wide range of services and programs, including
presenting opportunities, In Dance publication, and the Parachute
Fund. The Parachute Fund provides emergency financial support to
members of the San Francisco Bay Area dance community facing HIV/AIDS
or other life-threatening illnesses. We're here when you need us.
www.dancersgroup.org
ABOUT PETER VSWENDSEN:
Composer Peter V. Swendsen is Assistant Professor of Computer Music
and Digital Arts at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. He studied
at Oberlin, Mills College, and the University of Virginia, and spent
a year in residence as a Fulbright Fellow at the NoTAM computer
music studios in Oslo, Norway. In addition to his work with Mary
Carbonara Dances, he has collaborated with choreographers Ashley
Thorndike and Amy Miller. His research focuses on soundscape composition
as well as the relationship between electroacoustic music and dance.
Performances of his compositions in the past year have taken place
in New York City, Boston, Montreal, London, Amsterdam, and Oslo.
www.swendsen.net
Mary Carbonara Dances presents the world premiere of What Does It
Feel Like to Kill Someone?, June 8-11, 2011 at KUNST-STOFF arts
(One Grove Street at Market). Created by choreographer Mary Carbonara
with composer Peter V. Swendsen, What Does It Feel Like to Kill
Someone? asks how close are the guilty to an act of violence and
how far are the innocent? Tickets are $20 and may be purchased online
at
www.brownpapertickets.com
Media Contact: Mary Carbonara
marycarbonara@gmail.com or 415/845-9994
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