Choreographer Della Davidson takes interest in different cultures.
"Last year I was in London, and it's very different living in Europe," said Davidson during a phone interview from her San Francisco home. "You become more aware of other languages and customs. We are sometimes so ethnocentric here in America that we miss things like that."In that same vein, Davidson reached to the Hispanic culture as a basis for her latest creation - a work based on the writings of Bay-Area writer Isabel Allende.
Davidson's work, collectively called "Night Story," will premiere along with Utah choreographer Donna White's "Whirls, Splatters & Hiccups" during Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company's 33rd fall season opener. Called "Kick It Around," the program will be at the Capitol Theatre, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 1-2. Curtain for both nights is 7:30 p.m.
There will also be two revivals among the selections - Joan Woodbury's "Hoopla!" and Doug Nielson's flirtatious "Short Stem Roses."
"For the last six years, I've been interested in Isabel's stories," Davidson said about Allende. "Her topics mainly focus on women's issues, sensibility and what is known as `magical realism,' or the concept of how different people interpret the world. You see, not everything is defined in realistic ways. What is real to some may not be real to others."
Davidson said she wanted to bring that concept to dance because the American culture is sometimes so ethnocentric it has a hard time empathizing with the world.
"In London, it was interesting how much more aware you become of different cultures," she said. "Here, we tend to shoot for our own culture and ignore the rest."
Although her trip to Europe aroused her awareness of different lifestyles, Davidson has always been interested in foreign languages, as seen through her piece titled "Tongues" a few years ago.
"This time around I wanted to work with English and Spanish," explained Davidson. "I wanted to explore how other languages have shaped English words. That led me to (Allende's) works. Her stories are written in very descriptive text and expand on the differences between our cultures' languages and explain the differences of views and passions that drive our lives."
Among the five Allende stories for which Davidson received the rights, she wanted especially to do "Wicked Girl" because of its focus on destiny and tragedy.
"It's a coming-of-age story, really," Davidson said. "It's about a mother and daughter who own a boarding house. The story is based on how passions, love and eroticism shape our behaviors, no matter how modern or old-fashioned they may be."
But staging a work like this isn't the end of Davidson's thirst for knowledge. While in Salt Lake City, she spoke and worked with various Hispanic leaders and children at the Centro Civico Mexicano.
"Ririe-Woodbury contacted the leaders," she said shortly after the workshops. "I worked with several boys ages 8-15. I had them tell me all the things that happen at a party, and we laid those things out in order and choreographed a program.
"It was a cultural exchange," Davidson said. "And that's what I hope my works will be. The selections Friday and Saturday are dialogues from community to community."
Davidson said her work couldn't have come at a more crucial time.
"In California, immigration is huge election issue," she said. "Though my work really isn't directly political, I think it gives a more intimate look at the beauty of language and culture. We need to appreciate others' way of life more than we should be demeaning it."
- Tickets for "Kick It Around" are on sale at all ArtTix outlets or by calling 355-ARTS (2787). Prices range from $15-$25. Season tickets ranging from $56-$85 are also on sale.