Dana Lawton Dance Brings Carmina Burana to Grace Cathedral For Two Performances Only

With the cathedral’s storied stained glass windows filtering the west coast afternoon sun for a “lighting-by-god” dramatic effect, nine dancers will take to the labyrinth floor to explore the work’s themes of fate, love and the human condition—including courtship, romantic love, drinking and debauchery—that thread through Orff’s score and the text  
 
Saturday April 26 at 3pm and 5pm at Grace Cathedral
Tickets range from $20 for youth and students to $50 and can be purchased at https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/danalawtondances/carmina-burana#

San Francisco, CA February X, 2025 – Dana Lawton Dance returns to San Francisco for their first performances since they presented a sold out series of evenings of The Farallonites in September of 2022 at the Cowell Theater in Fort Mason. This go round sees the East Bay-based company coming to Grace Cathedral for two performances on Saturday the 26th of April. “The score has so much dramatic and emotional range,” says Lawton, “and Orff originally imagined the piece to be performed live with dancers, so it’s a very exciting opportunity, as a choreographer, because of its iconic opening and closing of ‘O Fortuna, the orchestral range and emotional complexity.”
 
Carmina Burana will be performed twice in the afternoon, once at 3pm and again at 5pm in order to use the light streaming through the cathedral windows as a means of enhancing the experience, just as the acoustics of the space will bring the pre-recorded selections of the score to vivid life.

These performances follow the SF Symphony’s concerts in mid-January, but it promises to be a very distinct experience. “I’m interested in work that explores human resilience, the forces of nature and fate, and Carmina Burana has all of that and more,” notes Lawton. “And as we know, fate is often dealing us cards we would rather not play, but have little choice. So, as a choreographer I have a lot to work with, especially in that particular space, which is so remarkable.”

While The Farallonites examined the lives of lighthouse keepers and their families on the isolated Farallon Islands, in Carmina Burana, the ever-changing fate of man is central. “Both works grapple with humanity’s attempts to navigate unpredictable, and often harsh, forces whether it’s the unrelenting challenges of life on the Farallon Islands or the random fates issued by the Wheel of Fortune in Carmina Burana”

Originally conceived by Lawton to be part of a choral performance scheduled to debut at Lincoln Center in New York in the spring of 2024, the company started working on the piece in 2023. When the Lincoln Center series was cancelled, she and the company were so in love with the ideas in the work and the process of creating new material, that she decided to bring it to San Francisco. “I mean how many opportunities does one get to work with medieval texts and a score like this and then actually perform in such a gorgeous space like Grace Cathedral?”

Some of the subjects addressed in Carmina Burana include but are not limited to: courtship and romantic love, drinking, debauchery, the feeling of being young and alive, and the random nature of fate. More information on its origins and meanings can be found HERE

What: Dana Lawton Dance Presents Carmina Burana
When: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Time: 3pm & 5pm
Where: Grace Cathedral, San Francisco
Tickets: https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/danalawtondances/carmina-burana#
Press Tickets: contact: Liam@shaveandahaircut.biz
 
Social Media Links:
Instagram: @dana_lawton_dances
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanaLawtonDances
 
Link to Hi-Res Photos can be found HERE (Credit: Dianne Jones)

Press Tickets: contact: Liam@shaveandahaircut.biz
 
About Dana Lawton Dances 
Dana Lawton Dances (DLD) was founded in 2008 by Bay Area choreographer Dana Lawton in order to make dance that celebrates social diversity through meaningful collaborations with other artists. DLD is committed to providing access to the art of dance to all members of the general public, creating a wide range of accessible works that resonate with people’s personal experiences, touch their hearts, and inspire them to tap into their own creative spirit at any age or phase of life. The company is currently made up of nine dancers ranging in age from 21-63.

Since its founding, DLD has produced and toured two evening length works and created a repertory that includes over 25 individual dances - all made in collaboration with musicians and visual artists. Home seasons have included: DLD’s 10th  Anniversary(2018), HOME(2015), Silence Of (2014) and Beyond This Moment(2013). DLD presents performance excerpts multiple times per year at venues throughout the Bay Area, has performed as part of SF International Arts Festival, toured to Southern California and internationally to France, Northern Ireland and Thailand. DLD was an Artist in Residence at the Flight Deck (Oakland) in 2014-2015 and in 2018 is one of the two permanent companies in residence at Shawl-Anderson Dance Center, a distinction coveted by many local companies given the center’s well-earned reputation.

Dana Lawton Dances is committed to dance education and providing access to the art of dance to the general public and students. In addition to ticketed performances open to the general public, DLD frequently offers open rehearsals and participates in salons - offering a deeper insight into the choreographic process and art form. This not only cultivates deeper audience engagement but sparks dialogue between the artists and the patrons. 

Lawton is a tenured Professor of Dance at Saint Mary’s College and serves the Bay Area dance community with open classes for adult beginners through advanced dancers through Shawl-Anderson Dance Center. DLD Company members also teach throughout the Bay Area and offer Master Classes when on tour. 

Dana is a founding member of Janice Garrett & Dancers and was awarded Outstanding Performer in the 2000 Vision Series, for her solo choreographic performance, and nominated for an Izzy Award for her performance in Garrett’s Wayfarers in 2002.​ Lawton holds an MFA in Choreography from Mills College and a BFA in Dance from California Institute of the Arts. More information at danalawtondances.org
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Liam Passmore
liam_passmore@yahoo.com