Vanessa Isaac Dance

Modern Life: A Global Artworld Performance

The Vanessa Isaac Dance Company performed an original choreography by Vanessa Agle Isaac in collaboration of two-time Grammy Award winner Ted Nash at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art

Inspired by the exhibition Modern Life: A Global Artworld, 1850 to 1950, and responds through music and dance, to works by Pierre Bonnard, Wifredo Lam, Georgia O’Keeffe, and other modern artists.

Choreography: Vanessa Agle Isaac

Dancers: Arianna Hartanov and Vanessa Agle Isaac

Music: Palace by Ted Nash

Musicians: Ted Nash, Ed Smith, Trey Henry, and Anthony Wilson

This show was made possible by a generous donation of Starr Siegele, who established a fund at SBMA to support dance as part of the Museum’s programming.

Press Review

A review of of this work as published in (on) the Santa Barbara Independent, written by Jatila van der Veen, it is titled “A Superlative Collaboration of Art, Music, and Dance at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.”

A few excerpts about the dance:

“… it worked spectacularly. American jazz has its roots in African music, with the call-and-response patterns found there prominently featured in jazz. Isaac’s roots in Afro-Brazilian dance and music, as well as contemporary dance, connected perfectly with the piece she chose. The meticulous balance between synchronicity and asynchronicity, between harmony and juxtaposition, in her choreography were perfect expressions of the musicians’ performance.”

“And what an impressive collaboration it was! Hartanov is a highly accomplished ballerina as well as a skilled contemporary and lyrical dancer. Isaac is skilled in so many dance genres; her smooth-like-velvet style was beautifully complemented by Hartanov’s raw power. They were a perfectly matched duet, and I hope to see more of their collaborations in the future!”

To read the full review please click here