Raise your hand if you knew I was a childhood dancer. Yup, I studied dance from age 6 to 19. I never had professional aspirations, I simply liked to dance! My favorite genre was modern dance, but like most dancers I had years of ballet first. Professionally, I chose computer science (and math) fairly young, and picked my college (University of California, Irvine) because it offered both computer science and dance. As it turned out, in order to get any dance classes, you HAD to be a dance major. The computer and math classes were open to everyone, so guess what my first major was? Yup … dance. I still laugh when I remember that as a freshman my calculus teacher scolded all the math majors for being bested by a (can you believe it?) dance major!
So what became of my dance career? As an “amateur” among all those talented dancers at UCI, I just couldn’t keep up, but it was fun while it lasted. And, in my mind’s eye, I can still see the dapper Eugene Loring correcting us at the barre.
So, fast forward forty-something years to John Malashock and his Malashock Dance company. I had the pleasure of seeing their 2016 opening performance Signatures. Their last weekend is January 28-31, 2016, but hurry, they are selling out quickly.
Without furthur ado, here are seven reasons why you should go see Malashock Signatures.
1. The dancers are so talented (and amazingly strong).
2. It’s an intimate, informal performance in a dance studio. You feel as if the dancers are performing just for you.
3. It’s local. Malashock is a home-grown dance troupe that supports the community with classes and a junior dance company.
4. It’s art. And art feeds the soul, no matter what kind of “art” or “work” you do.
5. It’s at Liberty Station, and there’s always something new to discover there, with lots of choices for food and drink before the show.
6. It’s so inexpensive. General admission is just $25, and tickets for students, military and seniors are much less.
7. It’s an experience. The chairs are uncomfortable, and the jets can be heard overhead, but you’re there for the art!
