We are still smiling about the Sapphic Valentine’s Soirée on Valentine’s Day. We are in love with our community and the brave performers who turned us on with their sexiness, boldness, and vulnerability.
Watch performances from Sapphic Soirée.
“This was SO GOOD. I felt like I was revisiting the Lex and reading On Our Backs all at once, with some Club Q thrown in for good measure. It was sexy as hell, tender, sweet, playful, and fun as all get out. Thank you to all the artists! The show was a warm hug from a crush. So good.” – Jenn Allen, Meriama Fund
“The dancers used every nook and cranny to explore movement and tantalizing interactions between dancers. The whole show was a feast for my eyes. There was Frances Sedayao and Richelle Donnigan performing a bittersweet love ballad with modern dance and ballet tones. We were mesmerized when Frances’ lover left her and she was left to mourn her partner and dance alone, with only the memory of her loved one to satisfy her for now.” ~Nobu Ito
“I was touched by the first performance which transported me back into the 90’s. The two friends were exploring their love of music and friendship when you sensed the longing and desire by one of the dancers who questioned her growing need for more from her friend. The fear and trepidation of making that first move and admitting her desire had drawn a lot of tears.” ~Nobu Ito
PHOTOS BY AMAL BISHARAT PHOTOGRAPHY
“The Sapphic Valentine’s Soiree curated by Sarah Bush and KJ Dahlaw was an unforgettable experience. I anticipated feelings of strength, solidarity, and power knowing the impact of these dancers’ movements and their ways of moving through the world. What was revealed was so much more multi-dimensional than I could have anticipated. The dancers shared and bared themselves. Strength morphed into play, vulnerability, joy, curiosity, heartbreak, and courage. KJ and Sarah asked these dancemakers to muster the courage to create art that would reflect back to us our whole humanity. In its own way, each piece beckoned us to open our eyes, mind, and hearts to the whole experience of love; and the inseparability of love from a life lived in its full complexity.” – Rebecca Johnson
What does it mean to be sapphic? We love the description provided by Them magazine: “Sapphic is an umbrella term that includes lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, trans, femmes, mascs, nonbinary folks, and cis women. Yet unlike these sexualities, “sapphic” strives to conjure an experience more akin to an intention toward attraction that is less oriented to any specific gender identity and more to the fullness of a potential lover’s humanity.”
Virtual Gala 2023
In celebration of our 16th year, we gathered to share artistic highlights from 2023 and celebrate incredible artists in our community. Enjoy music videos about heartbreak, steamy dance performances, and poetry. Together, we explored the juicy topic of how freedom evokes creativity.
Give to SBDP!
For 16 years, Sarah Bush Dance Project (SBDP) has created groundbreaking dance and art for the Bay Area community. We are proud of our incredible cadre of 25 diverse artists, with a majority who identify as LGBTQIA++. Your support of SBDP is vital for the dancers and artists to create extraordinary performances. Please generously donate to SBDP so we can soar into 2024.
Who We Are
Sarah Bush Dance Project (SBDP) is an Oakland-based contemporary dance theater company. We create multimedia dance theater through innovative artistry and community interaction. Our art reminds audiences of the power and compassion in ourselves and others, bolstering a resilient hope for humanity.
“Transformative dance that speaks so clearly to pressing social and environmental issues without ever sacrificing the beauty and daring of the choreography or the breathtaking performance.”
NEW VIDEO: Don’t Be Afraid ft. KJ Dahlaw and Sarah Bush
MURMUR: Black Crow ft. Richelle Donigan
SPIRIT AND BONES
Since 2007, Sarah Bush Dance Project has produced five critically acclaimed repertory shows in the Bay Area: Home, Rocked by Women, This Land, Spirit & Bones, and Un-Changing Nature.
The SF Chronicle said of our sold-out Spirit & Bones premiere, “Dance makers want to reflect the zeitgeist in their productions. But every so often the planets align, and a long-planned work ends up tapping the cultural climate so aptly that it doubles as a rallying cry.” Of the outdoor landscape series, This Land, the Huffington Post said, “the drama of Bush’s highly charged movement is meant to renew our sense of self, our sense of place and community.” The SF Bay Guardian reviewed Rocked by Women, a coming of age story honoring the history of women’s music, as “a weighty yet explosive expression of the power of an indomitable spirit and embracing courage.” A Homeward audience member reflected, “Homeward stirred memories and longings for relationship, for meaning, for home. Such a feast of choreography.”
— KQED Arts
— SF Chronicle
“Against these spectacular, constantly shifting backdrops, infiltrated by ambient sounds and intentional music, the drama of Bush’s highly charged movement is meant to renew our sense of self, our sense of place and community.”
— The Huffington Post
Recent newsletters:
New Video – Don’t Be Afraid - Performed & Choreographed by Sarah Bush and KJ DahlawMovement & Performance Consultants: Dominique Hargrove and Elyse Selvarajah
Videography and Music: Be Steadwell
Sarah Bush Dance Project 