© 2024 KALW 91.7 FM Bay Area
KALW Public Media / 91.7 FM Bay Area
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Crosscurrents

Transcending traditional ballet with composer Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ

Jamie Lyons
Alonzo King LINES Ballet Dancers

San Francisco’s Alonzo King LINES Ballet has been transcending traditional ballet through cross-genre collaborations since 1982. Over the years, the dance company has worked with artists of various backgrounds to develop performances designed to change the way we look at modern ballet. 

For their upcoming spring season, LINES joined forces with Emmy Award-winning musician and composer Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ.

"Even when we talk about dancer music, we may think that they have the same type of language, but each type of art will have its own specific language."

Vanessa will bring traditional Vietnamese instruments and musical styles to LINES for a collaboration themed around "characteristics shared across communities, cultures and global traditions." Vanessa is joined by LINES dancer Michael Montgomery in this discussion about the upcoming performance.

You can catch Michael Montgomery and Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ in the Alonzo King LINES Ballet spring season, which opens this week at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.