SDSB C'est Fini

After ten years as one of the few festivals of contemporary dance in the United States, SUMMERDANCE Santa Barbara (SDSB) has decided to end its run as a festival. This is bitter news for anyone who values dance, or the arts, or fun, or culture growing in places outside of major cities and universities. Sure, I worked as the festival's publicist for the past few seasons, so am not an unbiased source, but still, you couldn't say enough about the jobs Dianne Vapnek and Laurie Burnaby did, putting on a three-week party every July that kept the town on its toes.

It will be missed.

In a letter to board members and SDSB supporters, Executive Director Vapnek, Artistic Director Burnaby, and President of the Board Megan Matthieson wrote: “A retrospective of past seasons provides so many memorable moments, so many achievements, so many challenges surmounted. Those of us with the festival want to thank everyone in the dance community and in Santa Barbara for their ongoing and enthusiastic support. We enjoyed a wonderful sense of community and developed fulfilling relationships with the dancers and choreographers who performed here. We believe we fulfilled our mission in creating new audiences for dance and in providing space and time for artists to create new work.”