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EpiphanyDance TheaterSAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA

Epiphany Dance Theater creates thought-provoking,accessible dance performances and educationalprograms, building understanding across cultures andages. On the stage and in the street, we illuminatethe ordinary and the extraordinary, inspiring socialchange using art as a vehicle.OUR MISSION

02-0304-0506-08Company ProfileAbout Us0915-1819-212223Table of ContentsAction SpreadRock & MortarOhana Floor FundraiserSan Francisco Trolley DancesPerformance Programming: Rock & MortarPresident ReportTreasurer Report24-25Exec. Artistic Report10-14Educational & Outreach:Mudd Butt MysteryTheatre Troupe, MBI, KOT2

262019 Sponsors28-29CreditsRock & Mortar 2019Board Treasurer ReportCommunity Engagement327

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Epiphany Dance Theater extends aheartfelt thanks to the passion,dedication and hard work of theindividuals who make up our staffand board. We couldn’t do itwithout you.Column1: Company Coordinator Kaylamay Paz Suarez, Board President JamesHunter Board Member Todd Laby Column 2: Executive Artistic Director Kim Epifano, Managing Director Jes DeVille,Board Treasurer Arleen Vatuvei, Board Member Richard Kittle64

Kim Epifano - Executive Artistic DirectorKim Epifano is a long-time award winning choreographer,director, performer, vocalist, educator and collaborator.Erasing the boundaries between dance, theater and music, sheis acclaimed for her interdisciplinary, site-specific works thatwelcome new and diverse audiences to the world of dance,creating bridges of cross-cultural understanding. Kim'scuration of SF Trolley Dances and seven year teaching artistresidency at Bessie Carmichael Elementary through YerbaBuena Center for the Arts continues to thrive.Jes DeVille - Managing DirectorJes DeVille is an Afro-Latinx choreographer and conceptualartist from NYC. Using dance-theater as a means ofcommunity building for sixteen years, their work explores therelationships we have with ourselves, the environment, andeach other through modern day myth. Jes joined EDT in 2019after working as a corporate team building facilitator withurban adventure group The Go Game, a production lead for SFCity Hall's Centennial Gala, and MPI's World EducationCongress among others.Kayla May Paz Suarez - Company CoordinatorKayla May Paz Suarez is a Bay Area based 1st generationPilipinx American. An actor and youth educator, she ispassionate about igniting the imaginations of audienceseverywhere through theatre, dance, and song. Joining EDT in2019, her previous arts-admin experience includes Red LadderTheater, Berkeley Playhouse, and New ConservatoryTheater. Kayla May currently spearheads Epiphany's Kids onTrack coordination, digital archiving, and social mediamarketing.7

James Hunter - Board President, CEO James has served on Epiphany’s Board since the organizationwas founded in 1997, and is currently the President of theBoard and CEO. James is a Design Principal with TheWiseman Group in San Francisco. James received a Mastersof Science in Art Education (magna cum laude) from the StateUniversity College of Buffalo, New York.Arleen Santos - Board Treasurer Arleen joined Epiphany’s Board in 2017. Arlene is a WealthManagement Client Associate at US Bank and holds severallicenses and professional memberships. Arlene graduatedfrom San Francisco State University with a BS in BusinessAdministration, with a concentration in Finance.Richard Kittle - Board MemberRichard is an aerial design artist and rigger, who has workedin the Bay Area Dance world for 25 years, with manyoutstanding choreographers including Kim Epifano, AmeliaRudolph, Suzanne Gallow, Jo Krieter, Jody Lomask andcompanies like Bandaloop and UpSwing. Richard has 45years of experience in the building trades—from bridges toboats, cars, homes and art pieces.Todd Laby - Board MemberTodd joined Epiphany’s Board in 2016. He is a visual artistand has a background in art direction, product, set, furnitureand digital design. He holds a BS in Business Economics, BAin Advertising Design and a BFA in Furniture, Sculpture andProduct Design.8

Salesforce Main TowerSeptember 14th, 20199

Telluride, ColoradoSince 1987, Epiphany DanceTheater’s Art Director has co-directed Mudd Butt MysteryTheatre Troupe — a uniquesummer program for thetheater arts — in Telluride,Colorado.T E L L U R I D E A C A D E M Y10

In April 2019, Telluride Academy embarked on another Mudd ButtsInternational trip, a program co-directed by Kim Epifano.Imouzzer Kandar, MoroccoT E L L U R I D E A C A D E M Y11

An annual international artist exchange.This year’s trip took place in Imouzzer Kandar,Morocco, where they spent two weeks withMoroccan students crafting a theatrical productionof adapted play,“The Drum”12

Kim Epifano rehearseswith the students inTelluride, Co Photo taken by Kim Epifano13

Since 2007, Epiphany has offered Bay Area schools a freeeducational component of SF Trolley Dances known as Kids onTrack, which features in-school workshops and site-specificperformances.“DANCE AND ART HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE. IF YOU’REWILLING TO KEEP AN OPEN MIND, ART CAN SHOW YOU THINGS YOU’VE NEVER SEENBEFORE [AND HOW TO] APPRECIATE EVERYTHING, BIG AND SMALL.”—PARTICIPANT,KIDS ON TRACK PROGRAM14

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A two-day, free (with Muni fare) public performance curated byEpiphany Dance Theater artistic director Kim Epifano, pairs artists andensembles with specific sites along San Francisco’s MUNI route, wherethey are invited to create an 8- to 15-minute piece in response to thephysical environment, architecture and history of the area. In 2019 EDT we celebrated 16 years of SFTD.Performances By:Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company Gerald Casel DanceandGuillermoGalindo Soulforce dawsondancesf MoToR/danceJuliano WadeEpiphany Dance TheaterOctober 17 & 18, 2019Mid Market & Noe Valley16

"Loved thediversity andtone/storylineof differentdance groupsand differentsites. Great ideaconnectingdifferentneighborhoods"17

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Rock & Mortar was animmersive, multidisciplinaryperformance featuring an all-woman cast and their stories ofgender, ancestry, religion andpolitics. In thisdance/theatre/song adventure,audiences were invited toexplore the venue’s physicallandmarks amidst anextraordinary collection ofintimate vignettes and sensoryinstallations. December 4 - 8, 2019Z Space, SF Rock & Mortar’s ensemble includes: Heather Arnett, Allegra Bautista,Nuria Bowart, Nehara Kalev,Shaghayegh Cyrous, Jhia Jackson,Jenny McAllister, Lucrezia Palandri,and Kayla May Paz Suarez19

“There is something orgiastic in this work, and thethrough-line transmitted is the presence through the eonsof female bodies as sites of labor, of healing, and ofmadness. The stories sung and told often featuregrandmothers – their remedies, their physicality, theirenduring offering.” – Elizabeth CostelloPhotos by Robbie Sweeny.20

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I am proud to continue to serve as President of the Board of EpiphanyDance Theater. Completing our 22nd season in 2019 was a majorachievement for a San Francisco Bay Area Dance Company facing thechallenges of remaining viable and relevant in an environment of socialchange and financial uncertainty for all Arts Organizations.EpiphanyDance Theater continued to meet and exceed the basic tenets of ourcore mission statement. We produced thought provoking workthroughout 2019 that was accessible to all bay area audiences, weexpanded our educational outreach with younger and older populations,we moved ahead with cross cultural programming for all ages, webrought our unique performances to the stage and into the streets. Weremain interested in social issues which inform our work and motivateus to provide art to enhance insight and to inspire change. Our 22nd season allowed us to reach our diverse community of over9,000 audience members while collaborating with 44 different Bay Areaarts companies and the many artists that comprise them. We completedour 16th year of the wildly successful San Francisco Trolley Dances andlaunched our ambitions and well received full scale production of Rock &Mortar at Z Space. Completing 2019 left us with renewed appreciation forthe number of grants received from Bay Area Arts Funders and gratitudefor our many generous individual donors, both new and old.This essential support provided necessary funding for our organizationand for the programs we bring to the community. Our financial health isstrong as we have achieved our budget goals and have seen year overyear increases in our income. We remain conscientious with ourexpenses and creatively produce work that is rich in substance andreflects the quality and caliber the best of San Francisco has to offer. Ourdynamic work was accessible to Bay Area audiences throughout 2019.We look forward to 2020 with the same enthusiasm that allowed our22nd Season to be a resounding success. James HunterPresident of the BoardEpiphany Dance Theater22

As Epiphany Dance Theater’s Treasurer for the past three years, I havewitnessed their enduring commitment and perseverance to fulfill the mission ofproducing high-quality, accessible, and culturally sensitive programming andperformances to the Bay Area community. For the past 22 years, Epiphany hasforged partnerships and collaborations with not only local and national artists,but with local businesses and nonprofits, marginalized populations, andeducational institutions to build engaging works and workshops rooted in theessence of their communities. This dedication has enabled us to flourishalongside the rapidly changing arts landscape.In 2019, Epiphany experienced stable and successful financial standings throughsteady growth of: 1) income, 12% via project funding, 2) donor base andprogrammatic activity, 3) board development and engagement, 4) sustained andlarger grants assistance. Through new projects such as Rock & Mortar, Epiphanysecured a 12% consistent year over year (YOY) growth to support its expandingvision and maintain pace with economic shifts directly impacting the artsnonprofits in the Bay Area. At the close of each calendar year, we have boostedour donor appeal and outreach, a reflection of our abilities to connect to newconstituents and our diligence in strategizing ways to invest in current donors,preparing for a new year of programming and performances. A notable strategy that has directly affected potential and current donors isEpiphany’s prolonged development of brand awareness. Following a completere-branding in 2017, the company continues to solidify its presence year afteryear as its projects come full circle.Also contributing Epiphany’s 2019 financialsuccess was the board’s continued development and engagement to provideresources in avenues that best support the company: [list out specific boardprogramming, Board organized fundraising event raised $4500, increase of $2kfrom 2018, etc.] Finally, at the foundation of Epiphany is its grants assistancebase; throughout its Bay Area tenure, Epiphany has established and preservedrelationships with various foundations to sustain long-term and wide-reachingprogramming that align with the company’s vision and mission of art-making.Arleen Vatuvei Treasurer of the BoardEpiphany Dance Theate23

2019 proved to be a full and rewarding year for Epiphany Dance Theater, as wefocused efforts on making the subtle changes necessary for beautiful growth. Thisyear, Epiphany hired a new Managing Director (Jes DeVille) and Company Coordinator(Kaylamay Paz Suarez) to steer our administrative efforts. Also full time artists, wefound our team operating at our maximum. 2019 was full of lessons including theimportance of taking care of ourselves in the work, learning what is too much, andcalling it when what we’ve done is enough. We found success in our annualprogramming and non-profit development while still remaining true to the core ofthe company; creating thought-provoking, accessible dance performances andeducational programs, building understanding across cultures and ages. I started the year as Artist in Residence at Bessie Carmichael Elementary Schoolthrough Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, teaching storytelling/dance theater andvisual arts classes to four 2nd grade classes. I look forward to working with the youngpeople in the SoMa District each year. In doing this work, I get to witness theprogress of the students with the teachers as they strengthen their language skillsand gain confidence through the performance, design, and creatively expressingthemselves. It’s a joy to see the value of these universal art forms helping with allmodes of learning - including enhancing cognitive and building collaborative skillsets. 2019 was also the 33rd year of co-directing the Mudd Butt Mystery Theatre Troupe inTelluride, Colorado through the Telluride Academy. In April, Mudd Butt Internationaltraveled to Imouzzer Kandar, Morocco to facilitate a foreign exchange program withour American students. It concluded in collaborative performances of The Drum. Ihave been so informed by these cross-cultural adventures and always come awaywith a deeper understanding of how wonderful and creative people are all over theworld. Epiphany hosted its first Ohana Floor fundraiser in September; A full mooncelebration on the top floor of Salesforce Tower. With guidance and excitement fromBoard President, James Hunter, our event featured local live music (Kitten on theKeys) and Epiphany Dance Theater’s excerpts of new dance-theater work, Rock &Mortar.We collaborated with long-time partner SFMTA/MUNI to produce the 16th annual SanFrancisco Trolley Dances in October, exploring the Tenderloin/Mid-Market and NoeValley neighborhoods with at-capacity tours visiting 7 site-specific commissioneddance works each day. We are thankful for the communities that welcome our arteach year, as well as the artists and volunteers who help make the magic that keepsthis popular SF Civic event going!Executive24

While our annual programs experienced great success, in the office and studio spaces were agroup of dedicated performers engaged in “Rock & Mortar” rehearsals. The conception of Rockbegan with the Bogliasco Artist in Residence program where I spent 5 weeks outside of Genova,Italy. Rock e Malta was first seen at the FRESH festival as a work in progress. It grew into anevening length, anthropological performance piece in collaboration with an international web offemale artists. Mixing dance, song/vocalized narrative, and sensory installations involving light,video installations by artist Shaghayegh Cyrous, smells and sounds - Epiphany Dance Theaterinvestigated our immigrant ancestries, religion’s ability to create walls, and the ruin/rebirth thatcomes from the collision of old and new. “Rock & Mortar” premiered at Z Space in December, avenue deliberately chosen for two key reasons: its multifaceted nature as a performance spaceand my long history there. Z Space’s precursor, Theater Artaud, was my “artistic village” for many years, where I personallygrew as both artist and collaborator. We investigated every inch of the theater’s interior duringour Technical Residencies in 2018 and 2019 through ZSpace, considering its physical layout forpotential installation and performance sites. With this group of participating artists performing as“sites” themselves, literal and figurative architecture brought the piece’s essential themes to life:the urgent need to champion the voices of women artists...to inspire us to move forward together.Producing this piece was hard work and inspiring. As a performer in the piece, it showed me the value of intergenerational groups of people workingtogether. As we look forward to 2020, Epiphany aims to continue fostering projects that will makean impact on society, prioritizing working with all ages and diverse communities. Kim EpifanoExecutive Artistic DirectorEpiphany Dance Theate25

FromFebruary 2018 -December 2019 Epiphany'ssocial media engagementhas increased on Instagramand Facebook. Our audience is growingdaily! SFTD 2019 Demographics26

S P E C I A L T H A N K S T O O U R 27

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292019 Annual Report made possible onCanva Design by EDT Board & StaffDesigned and Cultivated by: Kaylamay P. Suarez & Jes DeVille