San Diego Dance Theater will be performing on the Metropolitan Transit System’s Blue Line on Sept. 16-17 for its 25th annual Trolley Dances.
Kickstarting in Old Town and continuing through Little Italy, all the way to the UC San Diego Park and Market, ticket holders will be able to experience culturally rich dances created by more than six choreographers.
San Diego Dance Theater’s artistic director Terry Wilson, bkSOUL, Blythe Barton, DanzArts, Kim Epifano, and former artistic director Jean Isaacs came together to choreograph dances that represent the rich cultural history of the region’s landscape while celebrating the history of hip hop and ballet folklórico.
The dance company enlisted the help of their team and local community college dancers to capture the essence of Old Town in their site-specific performances. Originally conceptualized by Isaacs, the decision to perform based on the architectural elements of the Trolley’s Blue Line, and the natural light and shadow of the daytime, came from her desire to step away from the hierarchy of space that is imposed by conventional stages.
Rather than experiencing a traditional frontal point-of-view, audience members will be encouraged to watch the performances from multiple different angles as the dancers explore the original intended use and history of their artistic space.
Guided by a volunteer trolley tour guide, the tours will commence at the Old Town Transit Center and will start at 10:15 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 12:15 p.m., 1:15 p.m., 2:15 p.m., and 3:15 p.m. on both days. Participants are encouraged to arrive 15 minutes beforehand.
Running for the last 25 years in partnership with the Metropolitan Transit System, the trolley dances have employed more than 100 choreographers and 1,000 dancers, as well as brought in over 45,000 audience members. San Diego Dance Theater received funding from the City of San Diego, California Arts Council, Commission for Arts and Culture, the National Endowment for the Arts, Qualcomm Foundation, and Zinser Family Foundation – as well as a new connection with UC San Diego in light of their recent campus trolley extension.
Those wishing to experience the trolley dances are encouraged to buy tickets beforehand due to the limited tour sizes. General admission tickets are sold for $35 online and include a free all-day trolley pass.
