“Evidence, A Dance Company” Celebrates 25 Years

Evidence, a San Francisco based dance company, launched their 25^th anniversary season on Feb. 4, and long time supporter Pamela J. Joyner hosted a benefactor reception and salon at her home in San Francisco two days prior to the company’s opening performance at the Novellus Theater, located in the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in downtown San Francisco.

The company’s choreographer Ronald K. Brown has been praised by the New York Times as being “one of the most profound choreographers of his modern generation.” Brown’s directorial style infuses African dance with modern ballet and social dance styles to tell stories that illuminate the profound aspects of the human spirit.

Brown attributes his unique choreographic style to contemporary and social tradition. In a recent article published in the San Francisco Chronicle, Brown said, “I use dance forms to dance out particular images. If there’s a feeling of love I want to communicate, I might use dance from Cuba. If it needs a hard edge, I might do something from Senegalese or Brazilian dance. And because I’m from Brooklyn, I might throw in a bit of hip-hop.”

The title of his most recent work is “Two-Year Old Gentlemen.” This masterful dance embodies the raw power and immaculate brilliance of youthful men in both a sensitive and moving fashion. The dance itself has been said to stand as a post-feminist interpretation about the masculinity of man in modern times.

Also in the program for the opening night was Brown’s masterful re-working of his most widely recognized piece title “Grace,” as well as a two dances called “IFE/My Heart,” and “Journey.”

The benefactor reception served not only as a tribute to the Evidence dance company, it also honored a long list of supporters who have dedicated much of themselves to ensure Brown’s beautiful interpretations will continue to be shared with appreciative audiences everywhere.

Benefactors who attended Joyner’s reception received tickets to the Feb. 4 opening and a copy of Evidence’s 25^th anniversary calendar and commemorative coffee book created by artist Cheryl R. Riley.