Sandra Speaks at Transforming Culture Symposium

Sandra Organ-Solis traveled to Austin at the beginning of April to participate, as a guest speaker, in the Transforming Culture: A Vision for the Church and the Arts. In her presentation she discussed how our physical bodies have the need to express themselves in our worship of God, going from the simple gestures of bowing and hand-clasping to the more elaborate circle and festival dances. In this session she explored five ways in which churches can make use of dance as an aid to our adoration and celebration before God.

Following the presentation, she was interviewed for the WorshipPodcast. You can download the interview or visit WorshipPodcast.com

Sandra Organ interviewed by Pacifica Radio on the Si Se Puede performance

On Tuesday, March 25, 2008, Sandra Organ, artistic director and choreographer for the Sandra Organ Dance Company, was interviewed by Alfonso Rivera on the Son Pacifica radio show. Sandra spoke about the performance of the Si Se Puede piece at Talento Bilingue de Houston. During the interview, which also featured Carlos Solis as a translator into Spanish, Sandra presented a brief history of Cesar Chavez. She also talked about the parallels she sees in the fight for equality by migrant farm workers and by African Americans.
You can listen to the interview here or download it.

Si Se Puede by Sandra Organ Dance Company

Thursday, March 27, 2008 9:30am and 11:15am student matinees

Friday, March 28, 2008 9:30am and 11:15am student matinees

Friday, March 28, 2008 8:00pm evening performance

Tickets for the student matinees are $5
Tickets for the evening performance are
$10 general admission $8 students $5 senior.

In collaboration with Talento Bilingüe de Houston, Sandra Organ Dance Company will present a full-length dance inspired by the legacy of Cesar Chavez and the history of the migrant farm worker movement. Si Se Puede opens with A Prayer for the Farm Worker, written by Cesar Chavez, and also includes Tata Dios, a dance about a couple and their struggles as migrant farmers. Si Se Puede offers students of all ages a creative and unique perspective on this important issue.

To book a group, please contact Fernando Perez at fernando@tbhcenter.org.

10th Black History Month Performance featured on The Front Row

The following report and interview with Sandra was broadcast on KUHF's The Front Row on February 12th.

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The Front Row, 2/21/2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
By: Chris Johnson

Musicians from the Aperio: Chamber Music of the Americas chamber series share some of the "African American Spirituals, Popular Songs and Art Music" that they will present in honor of Black History Month. We also hear from Sandra Organ as she prepares to celebrate her 10th anniversary . . .

Choreographer Sandra Organ Solis talks with KUHF's Catherine Lu about her upcoming retrospective program. It celebrates both Black History Month and her company's 10th Anniversary. Performances are thsi weekend at the Barnevelder Movement/Arts Complex. Listen Download

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Link to original article

Black History Month Restrospective Featured in the Houston Press

The Houston Press published the following announcement about the 10th SODC Black History Month performance

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Black History Month Retrospective
Celebrate the contributions of African-Americans with the Sandra Organ Dance Company
By Julia Ramey

Published: February 21, 2008

Sandra Organ Dance Company has two reasons to celebrate this month: First, this season, which they’ve dubbed “A Season to Remember,” marks the contemporary ballet company’s tenth anniversary. Second, February is Black History Month (and a good time for them to present their many African-American-themed works). Today’s Black History Month Retrospective features Suite Louis, set to two songs by Louis Armstrong, and Sojourner, based on Sojourner Truth’s writings about the Civil War’s black regiments. Organ has added her personal history to the mix with Dogan, an autobiographical account of her quest for information about her great uncle. The program also includes dances inspired by the poetry of Maya Angelou and Lucille Clifton, the scientific work of George Washington Carver, and the life of Frederick Douglass. In addition, the company will premiere There Is a Time, by noted choreographer José Limón, based on biblical passages. 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2:30 p.m. Sundays. Through February 29. Barnevelder Movement/Arts Complex, 2201 Preston. For information, call 713-225-0677 or visit www.organdance.org. $10 to $15.
Feb. 22-24, 7:30 p.m.; Fri., Feb. 29, 7:30 p.m., 2008

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Link to online story

SODC: "Dance of biblical proportions" in the Chronicle

SODC was featured today in the Houston Chronicle. See the article partially cited below, and follow the link at the bottom for the complete story.

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Feb. 20, 2008, 6:21PM
Dance of biblical proportions
Limón classic is centerpiece of anniversary performance

By NANCY WOZNY
For the Chronicle

Choreographer Sandra Organ agrees with Ecclesiastes 3: There is a time to dance.

That's why she selected the late José Limón's 1956 masterwork based on these famous Bible passages as the centerpiece of her upcoming 10th anniversary performance.

There Is a Time begins and ends with the performers holding hands in a circle — a perfect metaphor for a decade of dance for this small but dedicated company.

Organ founded the Sandra Organ Dance Company in 1998 shortly after leaving her post as a soloist with Houston Ballet, where she was the first African-American in the company. Since then, she has created work around themes of black history, and this concert also will feature a retrospective of selected works.

Read the complete artice in the Houston Chronicle

SODC Presents Black History Month Retrospective in Conjunction with 10th Anniversary

Press Contact:
Sandra Organ Solis
713.225.0677

Houston, January 31, 2008 – Sandra Organ Dance Company (SODC) is pleased to present a retrospective of a decade’s dance programming to mark Black History Month and the company’s 10th anniversary. Performances will be held at the Barnevelder Movement Arts Complex during the week of February 22 through 29.

The dance repertoire will include excerpts from the following works:
• Carver – based on the contributions of renowned scientist George Washington Carver
• Sojourner – based on Sojourner Truth’s Battle Hymn, a tribute to the black regiments of the Civil War
• Dogan - the autobiographical account of Sandra Organ’s search for information about her great uncle, and a tribute to the black newspapers that helped her uncover his story
• Suite Louis – featuring Louis Armstrong’s Mack the Knife and Dream a Little Dream of Me
• Song of Mary – incorporating seven poems by Lucille Clifton, professor of humanities at St. Mary’s College and former Maryland Poet Laureate
• Phenomenal Women – based on Maya Angelou’s Phenomenal Woman
• Douglass – a newly choreographed collaboration between Sandra Organ and InterActive Theatre based on Frederick Douglass
• There is a Time – Jose Limon’s 1956 work based on Ecclesiastes 3 set to the music of Norman Dello Joio

“We’ve titled our 10th Anniversary as the ‘Season to Remember,’” said Sandra Organ Solis, SODC Founding Artistic
Director. “These excerpts reflect a broad spectrum of black history, and it seemed appropriate to add Limon’s There is a Time as a classic work in a season of retrospectives.”

Performance details are:
• Friday, February 22 7:30 pm
• Saturday, February 23 7:30 pm
• Sunday, February 24 2:30 pm
• Friday, February 29 7:30 pm

• The Barnevelder Movement Arts Complex is located at 2201 Preston at Hutchins [directions]
• Advanced prepaid ticket sales by phone to 713-529-1819 or online at www.barnevelder.org
• Ticket prices are $10 for children and seniors and $15 for general admission
• For more performance information, call 713-225-0677 or visit www.organdance.org

SODC’s performances of There is a Time have been underwritten by the City of Houston's City's Initiative Program through the Houston Arts Alliance, Houston Endowment, and the Texas Commission on the Arts.