Land Acknowledgment
Heidi Duckler Dance recognizes and acknowledges that the Ballona Creek, originally, was a natural waterway fed by runoff and was once a natural resource for the indigenous people. The Native Americans in this area made board boats, which they waterproofed with asphaltum from nearby La Brea Tar Pits. We honor their Elders, past and present, and their descendants We recognize a painful history of erasure on the unceded territory we now occupy. We are committed to uplifting and educating HDD attendees on the rich but tumultuous history behind this land that we recognize and honor.
Creek History
Ballona Creek, originally, was a picturesque natural waterway fed by runoff. The creek collected the water from cienegas (swamps) and the rains. The banks of Ballona Creek were lined with trees, like sycamores, willows and tules, and even in my dad’s time, (1908-1987), he remembered the watercress growing at its edge. The creek was a natural resource for the indigenous people.
Learn more about the creek history HERE.
A statement from HDD’s Founder & Artistic Director, Heidi Duckler Ebb & Flow implies there is always change and this causes us to hope that we can rise and fall, become less or more, that situations fluctuate, and when something is out of reach it will eventually return. But the healing power of ebb and flow requires our participation. We need to refine our ability to pay attention and take care of our relationships and connections in our neighborhoods, across the continents, in our past and for our future, in order to preserve the health of our world.
Artists
1 Shoji Yamasaki
2. Jules Mara and Andrea Soto
3. Zhihan Young
4. Gunita Collective
5. Heidi Duckler and Braden Pontoli
6. Raymond Ejiofor
Program
1) Shoji Yamasaki | Trash Fairies
Created by: Shoji Yamasaki
Performers: Eden Algoso, Kait McKinney, Christina Morales, Yukiko
Nimura and Liessa Son
Choreography and Artbook: Shoji Yamasaki
Costumes, prop design, and fabrication: Yi-Lun Chien (Yamasaki’s Costume)
A magical storytime about the Ballona Creek, where your imagination becomes your reality.
2) Jules Mara & Andrea Soto | Paradiso
Created by: Jules Mara & Andrea Soto
Performers: Jules Mara & Andrea Soto
Choreography: Jules Mara and Andrea Soto
Music by: Jolee Gordon
Carrying to touch, always reaching to touch. We start together, as do they. You deserve to see the creek waiting patiently. To carry, to empty, to swallow. One after the other.
3) Zhihan Young | Metam
Created by: Zhihan Yang
Performers: Zhihan Yang, Aashray Harishankar
Choreography: Zhihan Yang
Composer: Aashray Harishankar
Costumes/Installation Designer: Yi-Lun Chien
Metam. is a live performance that combines choreography, installation, body, material and sound. Inspired by the symbolism of the cicada's shedding its shell——metamorphosis, it presents the ecological balance and regenerative capacity of the natural world, to convey the creative theme of metamorphosis and regeneration through symbols and imagery, as well as the sustainable interaction between human beings and nature.
4) Gunita Collective | Sacred Space
Concept and Choreography by: Annett Bone and Gunita Collective
Performers: Annett Bone, Noelle Marie Falcis, Nicole Mae Vizconde Martin, Lacy Keiko Omon, Victoria Villamil "Tori Cristi".
Music: "Energy" by Kalya Scintilla/Eve de Voke
Costumes by: Gunita Collective
"Sacred Space" pays homage to the ancient, hallowed grounds of Ballona Creek. Amidst the bustling cityscape, this immersive experience unearths the profound connection between the elements - fire, earth, water, and air - and the enduring sacredness of this land once cherished by indigenous peoples.
The dance artists will take you through ritual and more, and you'll witness the ebb and flow of water, a vital element both sacred and sustaining. Their movements ripple like waves through Ballona Creek's history, recalling a time when the waterways thrived with life, breathing life into the stories of the indigenous people who revered this land long before us.
Yet, "Sacred Space" does not shy away from confronting the darker aspects of the present. The haunting specter of pollution looms overhead, a stark reminder of the challenges faced by this sacred land. But even in the face of adversity, the resilience of Ballona Creek endures, and its sacredness perseveres.
Through movement, music, and an unshakable reverence for the elements, we honor the indomitable spirit of this land and its enduring, sacred legacy.
5) Heidi Duckler & Braden Pontoli | Beyond the Bleeding Creek
Created by: Heidi Duckler & Braden Pontoli
Performers: Braden Pontoli, Rebecca Lee, Joey Navarrete Lopez
Choreography: Heidi Duckler
Original soundtrack: Braden Pontoli
Beyond the Bleeding Creek, three washed up hermit crabs were found abandoned on the opposite shore. Tenacious and resilient, they cross the current into the future.
6) Raymond Ejiofor | Torrent
Created by: Raymond Ejiofor
Performers: Andrea Bess, William Okajima, Isaac Huerta, JM Rodriguez, Alejandro Perez
Choreography: Raymond Ejiofor
Musician: Marta Tiesenga
"Nothing is as soft as water. Yet who can withstand the raging flood?"
Production Team
Creative Director: Shoji Yamasaki
Production Manager: Jessica Emmanuel
Stage Manager: Raphaelle Ziemba
Heidi Duckler Dance Board
Ken Bernstein, Mary Ann Braubach, Maristella Casciato, Heidi Duckler, Raymond Ejiofor, Nefer Fernandez (President), Maricela Gomez, Jamarah Hayner (Treasurer), Anthony Holland, Victor Jones, Fiammetta Piazza (Secretary), Lisa Greer Quateman, Patti Rhee, Julie Stephens, Danielle Valentino, Deborah Weintraub
Heidi Duckler Dance Staff
Heidi Duckler, Founder & Artistic Director
Raymond Ejiofor, Associate Artistic Director
Raphaelle Ziemba, Managing Director
Raven Richard, Director of Development and Communications
Jessica Emmanuel, Engagement Director
Belize Wilheim, Education Director
Letxia Cordova, Education Manager
Sharice Bryant, Marketing Coordinator
Fernando Mau, Media & Production Assistant
Yueun Lim, Media Intern
Jules Kim, Production Intern
Leadership Circle
Yuval Bar-Zemer, Meg Bates & Scott Johnson, Joyce & Aubrey Chernick, Olga Garay-English, Nancy Griffin & Steve Ehrlich, Jerry Kohl, Brenda Potter, The Honorable Mark Ridley-Thomas, Dan Rosenfeld, Thomas
Safran, Whitney Sander
Thank you to Culver City, Lee Lawler and the Julian Dixon Library.
Special thanks to Deb Gregory, Sandrine Cassidy, and Amy Rosenstein at Ballona Creek Renaissance, Stephanie Gebhardt and Jillian Marshall at Heal the Bay.
Special shout out to Dan Rosenfeld for your continuous support.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Heidi Duckler Dance 38th Anniversary Celebration
Saturday, October 7, 2023, 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Arts District Warehouse
205 S Mission Rd, Los Angeles, CA
Join us for an unforgettable night of dance, music, delicious food, and a celebration of Los Angeles’ unique architecture, culture, and artistic history.
Save the Date!
I Will Remember What I Forgot
Thursday, November 2, 2023
Behavioral Health Center