SFDanceworks turns nine, still traversing brilliant visions

Starting with its very first season, SFDanceworks was a brilliant success. Founder James Sofranko, who was at the time a soloist at San Francisco Ballet, wanted to present the past, present, and future of contemporary dance—and was fortunate to have a group of phenomenal dancers and support teams who could turn it into a reality. Now in its ninth season, the company s current artistic director Dana Genshaft has curated a thoughtful season-opening program (November 4-7, ZSpace, SF) that includes three solos by Merce Cunningham, two premieres—one by Germaine Spivey and the other by Brett Conway—plus the return of a work from last year by Yue Yin. Sarah Chou (l) and Emily Hansel in Everything Happens Later by JA Collective Cunningham is one of the world s greatest choreographers, ever. His work spanned 70-plus years and he was working up until he died in 2009 at age 90. (This writer feels grateful to have seen him and his company perform from 1966 until his demise.) Origina