“Escapement” is the title of the new, evening-length piece by University of California, Berkeley dance department alums Tatianna Steiner and Teo Lin-Bianco, co-founders with Ella Wright of Tether Dance Project.
“Coming from a university with a lot of structure, when we entered the real world there’s a lot of unraveling of that structure. We wanted to explore our personal experiences with that in more of a narrative setting and how a brief passing moment between two individuals can influence one another without even knowing,” says Steiner.
The trio and nine more emerging dance artists present the world premiere of “Escapement” on July 10-12 in San Francisco’s Joe Goode Annex. It follows “Flux & Form,” TDP’s 2025 inaugural production, which included dances by various choreographers in one presentation.
“We learned a lot about the logistics of putting on a production and also where to put our energy and time,” Steiner says. “It is also a different challenge because this is our first evening-length work and with that, we have rehearsals with our dancers rather than coordinating with pieces that are being created independently.”
“Escapement” features dancers Ash Abe, Ava Shannon, Corinne Dummel, Elizabeth Wiehe, Emma Lowe, Bella Soo-Hoo, monique jonath, Tai Lum and Talia Sheinkopf joining Steiner, Wright and Lin-Bianco. All enjoyed working collaboratively.
“…. We will oftentimes use improvisation … to help generate choreography, and we do that in tandem with our dancers,” Lin-Bianco says. “The first few rehearsals we are doing a lot of improvisational scores and figuring out what type of styles could fit actual bodies. A lot of those particular moves or general ideas that our dancers create end up onstage, and we are the facilitators, directors or arrangers of those bodies. It feels like a very communal, community-oriented process in which everyone has an artistic voice.”
Because the dancers come from different backgrounds — modern, contemporary, jazz or commercial styles — “Escapement” doesn’t neatly fit into any category.
“There are influences from all across the board, but I would say that if we were marketing this as a single style it would be considered modern,” Lin-Bianco says.
The dance’s two acts tell the same story, but from soloists with different perspectives.
“I think the audience is going to have a great insight into a story because they are able to see it from two different sides,” Lin-Bianco says. “… Playing around with that overarching structure is something that interested us, and the actual way that we engage with that just came together as the piece progressed.”
“Escapement” is set to jazzy tunes by Duke Ellington as well as house and techno beats by DJ Rum and Rival Consoles, sometimes repeating. Lin-Bianco says. “That helps create some sort of audio continuity that allows audiences to recall what scenes happened in Act 1 and see how those have changed from the second perspective of Act 2.”
Costumes from the performers’ personal wardrobes also help tell the piece’s story. Lin-Bianco says. “For scenes in which the person is feeling more enamored by the life they’ve chosen, they have opted for more colorful, brighter garments, and when they’re feeling a little bit more disillusioned about the world around them, they’ve gone for more muted and pastel tones.”
Describing the set of “Escapement,” Steiner says, “We wanted to create a world around structure and unraveling, and we’ve interpreted that as tech and technology. So structure appears through props, … chairs and keyboards, which remain onstage the entire time and kind of inform and set little scenes within the show. They are molding the world as we move through the narrative.”
With “Escapement,” the choreographers are exploring how small interactions can lead to big changes.
“Especially in a city like San Francisco, there’s a lot of briefness in how we spend time with each other, and I think particularly through art, you can create actually quite a lot of impact in very little time,” Lin-Bianco says. “My hope is that audiences come away with not necessarily an answer to the question of how we can influence each other’s lives, but more questions about how we can meaningfully make that impact.”
Steiner adds that the three curators hope audiences will see themselves in “Escapement.” She says, “This work is built off our personal experience with the city. I hope they can relate to that and feel seen throughout work.”
Tether Dance Project presents “Escapement” at 7 p.m. July 10-11 and 3 p.m. July 12 at the Joe Goode Annex, 401 Alabama St., San Francisco, Tickets are $25-$50 at tether.eventbrite.com.
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