"The Grim Arithmetic of Water"

Premiered at Cowell Theater, SF in January, 2004

Choreography by Jo Kreiter
Music by Jewlia Eisenberg
Set Design by David Fredrickson

"I am struck by the urgencies of water-its scarcity, its depletion, its contamination, and our inescapable need for it. Beyond militarism and occupation, I feel called to what one World Bank expert has named "The Grim Arithmetic of Water." For this evening length performance, we have researched bucket pumps, privatization, salting of the soil, poisoned rivers and evaporating streams. Within this tumultuous web, we have tried to locate the human body. We have tried to distill the complexity of water politics into a singular, recognizable human experience. We have opened ourselves to states of thirst and deprivation that are, in the end, an unnecessary result of water's misuse

"MISSION WALL DANCES
(something there is that doesn't love a wall)"

Premiered at 1849 Harrison Street at Alameda Street (between 14th and 15th Streets) September 14-22, 2002

I have been deeply fed by the artistic and social vibrancy of the Mission and cherish this opportunity to present work that embraces both the celebration and injury contained in this period of historical change. I hope "Mission Wall Dances" can serve as both a tribute to the endurance of local artists and a reminder of the harsh reality of displacement for many. I hope the mural we leave behind at the end of the shows will stand not just as a reminder of how the street was enlivened by dance and music, but also as a memorial to decades of dislocation and rebirth in the Mission.

"THE ECONOMICS OF PLACE" NOVEMBER 2001-2002

Premiered at the 418 Project, Santa Cruz, CA. November 10-11, 2001

"The Economics of Place," a quartet for four women (Jo Kreiter, Christine Chen, Rachel Shaw and Dominique Zeltzman) folds the company's upside-down virtuosity onto the walls and ceilings of the stage, and onto a suspended steel umbrella -- the centerpiece of the work. With original music composed by Pamela Z, the artists explore the displacement conflict and dislocation that have dominated the social landscape of the Bay Area, using the metaphor of an umbrella as shelter. The quartet reflects material the company is developing for an evening-length site-specific dance in San Francisco's Mission District in 2002 (see September 2002 below). "The Economics of Place" was commissioned by the 418 project in Santa Cruz, CA, where the piece was premiered in November, 2001.

"MAYBE GRIEF IS A GOOD BIRD FLYING LOW" APRIL 2001-2002

Previewed at Somarts Theater in San Francisco, April 6 - 22, 2001

Premiering at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, May 30 - June 2, 2002

Dancing on two walls and a merry-go-round, the company investigates a definition of strength that includes vulnerability and the power to transform grief into something useful. This is to be an evening length piece about women. It is not about women in relation to men. But the artists believe that much of women's grief cannot be separated from the male dominated structures in which we live. Knowing there is universal grieving, the artists are asking the question, "Is there a particularly female grief?" Collaborators include Carla Kihlstedt (music) , Lawrence LaBianca (apparatus design), and dancers, Christine Chen, Krista DeNio, Rachael Lincoln, Patricia Jiron, Rachel Shaw, and Dominique Zeltzman

"COPRA DOCK DANCES" 1999-2000

Premiered October 1999

Music by Pamela Z
Running Time: 30 Minutes

As part of an effort to save the crane as a labor landmark, Flyaway performed a site-specific work on the copra crane at Islais creek channel -- the last hand-operated crane remaining on the SF Waterfront. As Described by the SF Bay Guardian, "Flyaway performs aerial, apparatus -based, site specific work that functions as socio-poltical activism. Copra Dock Dances is perhaps the clearest and edgiest expression of that mission to date."

THE BODY PROJECT // the soul needs the body // 1999

New Work For Anchored and Flying Poles

Premiered February, 1999 at Theater Artaud, SF
Running time: 65 minutes

Within this project, Kreiter advances to a deeper level of choreographic integration with steel poles, generating ensemble movement which validates the discipline and beauty of physical effort and which draws the audience into the transformational power of the body in flight. The focus for the project arises against the backdrop of contemporary communication technologies which emulate a vision of community that excludes the body.

"SPARROW'S END" 1997

Site specific dance for rooftop, fire escape and alley
Conceived and Directed by Jo Kreiter Performed by Flyaway Productions, Charming Hostess and Pamela Z, and three girls selected from neighboring youth programs
Running time: 30 minutes

As in many parts of urban America, there is a crisis in San Francisco's Mission District derived from a lethal mix of guns, drugs, homelessness, racism and economic distress. In an effort to embrace this crisis, I folded my company's movement athleticism into a social arena-- an urban alley. Using roofs, walls, two fire escapes and the narrow street corridor, I activated the alley with music and dance, creating an urban fantasia which aimed to counter the drug-based despair and violence found in the alley on a daily basis.
"Sparrow's End" can be "re-sited" on fire escapes/roof tops/sidewalks, or in and around other urban buildings.

"HOIST" 1996

A Dance That Will Pull You Up
Conceived and Directed by Jo Kreiter
Apparatus includes horizontal and vertical poles
Running time: 60 minutes

"Hoist" is an investigation into women's physical and social identity, i.e., what is femininity and how is it shaped by physical strength. This evening length dance production incorporates an ensemble of five women dancers, an original sound score composed by Pamela Z, and a set consisting of static and swinging steel poles designed to challenge the body's physical limits.