SELKIE TIDES — an evocative dance theatre to be performed at The National Steinbeck Center

Oct. 4, 2011 - PRLog -- CONTACT:    Sharon Took-Zozaya
                       1770 48th Avenue, #4, Capitola, California 95010
                       Phone: (831) 278-1155,  e-mail: shamarc@sbcglobal.net

SELKIE TIDES — an evocative dance theatre work exploring moving between two worlds slated to be performed at The National Steinbeck Center

           Santa Cruz, CA – September 20, 2011 - The National Steinbeck Center presents SELKIE TIDES, an evocative dance theatre work exploring moving between two worlds choreographed and directed by Sharon Took-Zozaya on Saturday, November 5 at 7:30 p.m. The National Steinbeck Center is located at One Main Street, Salinas, CA 93901 Tickets are available online at brownpapertickets.com (1-800-838-3006) and at the door.

           Inspired by Scottish and Irish tales and songs of shapeshifting seals, SELKIE TIDES is a unique multi-faceted piece of dance theatre that features a rich cross section of the community, including able-bodied and disabled dancers; acclaimed Irish Gaelic singer Mary Mc Laughlin and her chorus; live traditional and contemporary folk music; Mathew Schreiber’s original recorded score; recorded music by Peat Fire Flame duo Colyn Fisher and Shauna Pickett-Gordon; original spoken text; and projected paintings by Andrew Purchin. This piece premiered in April 2011 in Santa Cruz to sold-out crowds and standing ovations.

           The 24 performers include local residents Kevin Herring, Salinas Performing Arts Board Member; Rowan Touriac; Kim Kingswold; Jennifer Crowley of Creative Dance and Movement and President of Salinas Performing Arts; as well as dancers and singers based in the Santa Cruz area.
           According to Choreographer/Director Sharon Took-Zozaya, “SELKIE TIDES explores themes common to archetypal Irish folk-lore about merrows and Scottish folklore about magical seal beings, while also relating these timeless shape-shifting stories to present day challenges experienced by able-bodied and disabled people across the globe.”

           Sharon Took-Zozaya, Artistic Director of Stamping Zebra Dance Theatre, currently teaches at Cabrillo College and has extensive experience choreographing and producing contemporary dance and musical theatre in the USA, Scotland and abroad. Several of her works have been selected for Bay Area dance festivals, and she regularly choreographs for both able-bodied and disabled dancers. SELKIE TIDES was funded in part by the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County. Ms. Took-Zozaya is also a contributing author to Dancing on the Earth, released by Findhorn Press in June 2011.

           Mary Mc Laughlin was born and raised in Northern Ireland. She has been performing, teaching writing and recording original and traditional songs (in both English and Irish Gaelic) for many years and appears on over twelve recordings, as well as being the featured singer on Michael Whalen's score for the PBS special Lost Liners in 2000. Mary is the founder/director of the Californian 25 piece Gaelic choir Cór Ainglí and recently completed an MA in Ritual Chant and Song in Ireland, where she studied the music of the selkies, among other things.
           Mathew Schreiber, Composer/Sound Designer, draws on music elements from all over the world, finding inspiration in recordings of natural soundscapes to form organic, evolving, layered music. He has created sound design and original music for numerous theater productions

Background on the National Steinbeck Center :
The National Steinbeck Center is located in Salinas , California , the birthplace of John Steinbeck.  The National Steinbeck Center is a museum and cultural institution whose mission is “to tell the story of John Steinbeck’s rich legacy, and to present, create and explore stories of the human condition.”  The Center offers three visitor experiences:  the John Steinbeck Exhibition Hall, which houses seven themed theaters with film clips and interactive exhibits from the Nobel prize-winning author’s works, the Rabobank Agriculture Museum, which explores the stories of the Salinas Valley “from field to fork,” and changing art and cultural exhibits and a variety of educational and public programs.  For more information about the National Steinbeck Center , or past festivals, please visit the National Steinbeck Center ’s website at www.steinbeck.org.