EDT 2019 Annual Report

Epiphany

Dance

Theater

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA

Epiphany Dance Theater creates thought-provoking,

accessible dance performances and educational

programs, building understanding across cultures and

ages. On the stage and in the street, we illuminate

the ordinary and the extraordinary, inspiring social

change using art as a vehicle.

OUR MISSION

02-03

04-05

06-08

Company Profile

About Us

15-18

19-21

Table of Contents

Action Spread

Rock & Mortar

Ohana Floor Fundraiser

San Francisco Trolley Dances

Performance Programming:

Rock & Mortar

President Report

Treasurer Report

24-25

Exec. Artistic Report

10-14

Educational & Outreach:

Mudd Butt Mystery

Theatre Troupe, MBI, KOT

2019 Sponsors

28-29

Credits

Rock & Mortar 2019

Board Treasurer Report

Community Engagement

Epiphany Dance Theater extends a

heartfelt thanks to the passion,

dedication and hard work of the

individuals who make up our staff

and board. We couldn’t do it

without you.

Column1: Company Coordinator Kaylamay Paz Suarez, Board President James

Hunter Board Member Todd Laby

Column 2: Executive Artistic Director Kim Epifano, Managing Director Jes DeVille,

Board Treasurer Arleen Vatuvei, Board Member Richard Kittle

Kim Epifano - Executive Artistic Director

Kim Epifano is a long-time award winning choreographer,

director, performer, vocalist, educator and collaborator.

Erasing the boundaries between dance, theater and music, she

is acclaimed for her interdisciplinary, site-specific works that

welcome new and diverse audiences to the world of dance,

creating bridges of cross-cultural understanding. Kim's

curation of SF Trolley Dances and seven year teaching artist

residency at Bessie Carmichael Elementary through Yerba

Buena Center for the Arts continues to thrive.

Jes DeVille - Managing Director

Jes DeVille is an Afro-Latinx choreographer and conceptual

artist from NYC. Using dance-theater as a means of

community building for sixteen years, their work explores the

relationships we have with ourselves, the environment, and

each other through modern day myth. Jes joined EDT in 2019

after working as a corporate team building facilitator with

urban adventure group The Go Game, a production lead for SF

City Hall's Centennial Gala, and MPI's World Education

Congress among others.

Kayla May Paz Suarez - Company Coordinator

Kayla May Paz Suarez is a Bay Area based 1st generation

Pilipinx American. An actor and youth educator, she is

passionate about igniting the imaginations of audiences

everywhere through theatre, dance, and song. Joining EDT in

2019, her previous arts-admin experience includes Red Ladder

Theater, Berkeley Playhouse, and New Conservatory

Theater. Kayla May currently spearheads Epiphany's Kids on

Track coordination, digital archiving, and social media

marketing.

James Hunter - Board President, CEO

James has served on Epiphany’s Board since the organization

was founded in 1997, and is currently the President of the

Board and CEO. James is a Design Principal with The

Wiseman Group in San Francisco. James received a Masters

of Science in Art Education (magna cum laude) from the State

University College of Buffalo, New York.

Arleen Santos - Board Treasurer

Arleen joined Epiphany’s Board in 2017. Arlene is a Wealth

Management Client Associate at US Bank and holds several

licenses and professional memberships. Arlene graduated

from San Francisco State University with a BS in Business

Administration, with a concentration in Finance.

Richard Kittle - Board Member

Richard is an aerial design artist and rigger, who has worked

in the Bay Area Dance world for 25 years, with many

outstanding choreographers including Kim Epifano, Amelia

Rudolph, Suzanne Gallow, Jo Krieter, Jody Lomask and

companies like Bandaloop and UpSwing. Richard has 45

years of experience in the building trades—from bridges to

boats, cars, homes and art pieces.

Todd Laby - Board Member

Todd joined Epiphany’s Board in 2016. He is a visual artist

and has a background in art direction, product, set, furniture

and digital design. He holds a BS in Business Economics, BA

in Advertising Design and a BFA in Furniture, Sculpture and

Product Design.

Salesforce Main Tower

September 14th, 2019

Telluride, Colorado

Since 1987, Epiphany Dance

Theater’s Art Director has co-

directed Mudd Butt Mystery

Theatre Troupe — a unique

summer program for the

theater arts — in Telluride,

Colorado.

T E L L U R I D E A C A D E M Y

In April 2019, Telluride Academy embarked on another Mudd Butts

International trip, a program co-directed by Kim Epifano.

Imouzzer Kandar, Morocco

T E L L U R I D E A C A D E M Y

An annual international artist exchange.

This year’s trip took place in Imouzzer Kandar,

Morocco, where they spent two weeks with

Moroccan students crafting a theatrical production

of adapted play,

“The Drum”

Kim Epifano rehearses

with the students in

Telluride, Co

Photo taken by Kim Epifano

Since 2007, Epiphany has offered Bay Area schools a free

educational component of SF Trolley Dances known as Kids on

Track, which features in-school workshops and site-specific

performances.

“DANCE AND ART HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE. IF YOU’RE

WILLING TO KEEP AN OPEN MIND, ART CAN SHOW YOU THINGS YOU’VE NEVER SEEN

BEFORE [AND HOW TO] APPRECIATE EVERYTHING, BIG AND SMALL.”—PARTICIPANT,

KIDS ON TRACK PROGRAM

A two-day, free (with Muni fare) public performance curated by

Epiphany Dance Theater artistic director Kim Epifano, pairs artists and

ensembles with specific sites along San Francisco’s MUNI route, where

they are invited to create an 8- to 15-minute piece in response to the

physical 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Guillermo

Galindo

Soulforce

dawsondancesf

MoToR/dance

Juliano Wade

Epiphany Dance Theater

October 17 & 18, 2019

Mid Market & Noe Valley

"Loved the

diversity and

tone/storyline

of different

dance groups

and different

sites.

Great idea

connecting

different

neighborhoods"

Rock & Mortar was an

immersive, multidisciplinary

performance featuring an all-

woman cast and their stories of

gender, ancestry, religion and

politics. In this

dance/theatre/song adventure,

audiences were invited to

explore the venue’s physical

landmarks amidst an

extraordinary collection of

intimate vignettes and sensory

installations.

December 4 - 8, 2019

Z 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 Suarez

“There is something orgiastic in this work, and the

through-line transmitted is the presence through the eons

of female bodies as sites of labor, of healing, and of

madness. The stories sung and told often feature

grandmothers – their remedies, their physicality, their

enduring offering.”

– Elizabeth Costello

Photos by Robbie Sweeny.

I am proud to continue to serve as President of the Board of Epiphany

Dance Theater. Completing our 22nd season in 2019 was a major

achievement for a San Francisco Bay Area Dance Company facing the

challenges of remaining viable and relevant in an environment of social

change and financial uncertainty for all Arts Organizations.Epiphany

Dance Theater continued to meet and exceed the basic tenets of our

core mission statement. We produced thought provoking work

throughout 2019 that was accessible to all bay area audiences, we

expanded our educational outreach with younger and older populations,

we moved ahead with cross cultural programming for all ages, we

brought our unique performances to the stage and into the streets. We

remain interested in social issues which inform our work and motivate

us to provide art to enhance insight and to inspire change.

Our 22nd season allowed us to reach our diverse community of over

9,000 audience members while collaborating with 44 different Bay Area

arts companies and the many artists that comprise them. We completed

our 16th year of the wildly successful San Francisco Trolley Dances and

launched our ambitions and well received full scale production of Rock &

Mortar at Z Space. Completing 2019 left us with renewed appreciation for

the number of grants received from Bay Area Arts Funders and gratitude

for our many generous individual donors, both new and old.

This essential support provided necessary funding for our organization

and for the programs we bring to the community. Our financial health is

strong as we have achieved our budget goals and have seen year over

year increases in our income. We remain conscientious with our

expenses and creatively produce work that is rich in substance and

reflects the quality and caliber the best of San Francisco has to offer. Our

dynamic work was accessible to Bay Area audiences throughout 2019.

We look forward to 2020 with the same enthusiasm that allowed our

22nd Season to be a resounding success.

James Hunter

President of the Board

Epiphany Dance Theater

As Epiphany Dance Theater’s Treasurer for the past three years, I have

witnessed their enduring commitment and perseverance to fulfill the mission of

producing high-quality, accessible, and culturally sensitive programming and

performances to the Bay Area community. For the past 22 years, Epiphany has

forged partnerships and collaborations with not only local and national artists,

but with local businesses and nonprofits, marginalized populations, and

educational institutions to build engaging works and workshops rooted in the

essence of their communities. This dedication has enabled us to flourish

alongside the rapidly changing arts landscape.

In 2019, Epiphany experienced stable and successful financial standings through

steady growth of: 1) income, 12% via project funding, 2) donor base and

programmatic activity, 3) board development and engagement, 4) sustained and

larger grants assistance. Through new projects such as Rock & Mortar, Epiphany

secured a 12% consistent year over year (YOY) growth to support its expanding

vision and maintain pace with economic shifts directly impacting the arts

nonprofits in the Bay Area. At the close of each calendar year, we have boosted

our donor appeal and outreach, a reflection of our abilities to connect to new

constituents 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 is

Epiphany’s prolonged development of brand awareness. Following a complete

re-branding in 2017, the company continues to solidify its presence year after

year as its projects come full circle.Also contributing Epiphany’s 2019 financial

success was the board’s continued development and engagement to provide

resources in avenues that best support the company: [list out specific board

programming, Board organized fundraising event raised $4500, increase of $2k

from 2018, etc.] Finally, at the foundation of Epiphany is its grants assistance

base; throughout its Bay Area tenure, Epiphany has established and preserved

relationships with various foundations to sustain long-term and wide-reaching

programming that align with the company’s vision and mission of art-making.

Arleen Vatuvei

Treasurer of the Board

Epiphany Dance Theate

2019 proved to be a full and rewarding year for Epiphany Dance Theater, as we

focused efforts on making the subtle changes necessary for beautiful growth. This

year, Epiphany hired a new Managing Director (Jes DeVille) and Company Coordinator

(Kaylamay Paz Suarez) to steer our administrative efforts. Also full time artists, we

found our team operating at our maximum. 2019 was full of lessons including the

importance of taking care of ourselves in the work, learning what is too much, and

calling it when what we’ve done is enough. We found success in our annual

programming and non-profit development while still remaining true to the core of

the company; creating thought-provoking, accessible dance performances and

educational programs, building understanding across cultures and ages.

I started the year as Artist in Residence at Bessie Carmichael Elementary School

through Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, teaching storytelling/dance theater and

visual arts classes to four 2nd grade classes. I look forward to working with the young

people in the SoMa District each year. In doing this work, I get to witness the

progress of the students with the teachers as they strengthen their language skills

and gain confidence through the performance, design, and creatively expressing

themselves. It’s a joy to see the value of these universal art forms helping with all

modes of learning - including enhancing cognitive and building collaborative skill

sets.

2019 was also the 33rd year of co-directing the Mudd Butt Mystery Theatre Troupe in

Telluride, Colorado through the Telluride Academy. In April, Mudd Butt International

traveled to Imouzzer Kandar, Morocco to facilitate a foreign exchange program with

our American students. It concluded in collaborative performances of The Drum. I

have been so informed by these cross-cultural adventures and always come away

with a deeper understanding of how wonderful and creative people are all over the

world. Epiphany hosted its first Ohana Floor fundraiser in September; A full moon

celebration on the top floor of Salesforce Tower. With guidance and excitement from

Board President, James Hunter, our event featured local live music (Kitten on the

Keys) 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 San

Francisco Trolley Dances in October, exploring the Tenderloin/Mid-Market and Noe

Valley neighborhoods with at-capacity tours visiting 7 site-specific commissioned

dance works each day. We are thankful for the communities that welcome our art

each year, as well as the artists and volunteers who help make the magic that keeps

this popular SF Civic event going!

Executive

While our annual programs experienced great success, in the office and studio spaces were a

group of dedicated performers engaged in “Rock & Mortar” rehearsals. The conception of Rock

began 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 an

evening length, anthropological performance piece in collaboration with an international web of

female artists. Mixing dance, song/vocalized narrative, and sensory installations involving light,

video installations by artist Shaghayegh Cyrous, smells and sounds - Epiphany Dance Theater

investigated our immigrant ancestries, religion’s ability to create walls, and the ruin/rebirth that

comes from the collision of old and new. “Rock & Mortar” premiered at Z Space in December, a

venue deliberately chosen for two key reasons: its multifaceted nature as a performance space

and my long history there.

Z Space’s precursor, Theater Artaud, was my “artistic village” for many years, where I personally

grew as both artist and collaborator. We investigated every inch of the theater’s interior during

our Technical Residencies in 2018 and 2019 through ZSpace, considering its physical layout for

potential 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 working

together. As we look forward to 2020, Epiphany aims to continue fostering projects that will make

an impact on society, prioritizing working with all ages and diverse communities.

Kim Epifano

Executive Artistic Director

Epiphany Dance Theate

FromFebruary 2018 -

December 2019 Epiphany's

social media engagement

has increased on Instagram

and Facebook.

Our audience is growing

daily!

SFTD 2019 Demographics

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

C R E D I T S

2019 Annual Report made possible on

Canva Design by EDT Board & Staff

Designed and Cultivated by:

Kaylamay P. Suarez & Jes DeVille