Amy Seiwert’s Imagery and ODC Theater co-present SKETCH 9 : Perspective Choreography by Amy Seiwert, Stephanie Martinez, Ben Needham-Wood July 17-20, 2019 ODC Theater

Contents WELCOME LETTER ...... 1 PROGRAM INFORMATION ...... 2 DANCERS /SEKTCH COLLABORATORS: ...... 5 CHOREOGRAPHERS ...... 7 VIDEO ARTISTS ...... 9 COLLABORATORS ...... 10 ABOUT AMY SEIWERT’S IMAGERY ...... 11 THANK YOU & DONORS ...... 13

WELCOME LETTER Thank you All Supporters,

Through your contributions and your attendance at our performances, you are making a commitment to growth and innovation in classical - Amy Seiwert’s mission is Contemporary Ballet with risk. Why is it so important that the new Artistic Director of Sacramento Ballet, Amy Seiwert, would like to continue Imagery’s mission in San Francisco?

When a choreographer works for a company, she (or he) is often constrained by the Artistic Director of the Company as to the number of dancers, type of music, sets, costumes, length of the piece, and sometimes even the mood of the ballet. The SKETCH series allows Amy and two other choreographers to explore ideas they haven’t

1 had the opportunity to develop for an audience. They give the choreographers a chance to experiment with input from their peers. Afterward, these works are often presented on their own in other venues, they grow into a full-length ballet for another company or have gone on to be performed internationally. Even though these pieces are experiments, they often win awards like the Isadora Duncan Dance Awards.

SKETCH is like a playground for the choreographer’s mind. And what better place to experiment? Lucky us. Here in San Francisco. Enjoy tonight and next year with SKETCH 10.

Niko Mayer, Chairman of the Board

PROGRAM INFORMATION

SKETCH 9 : Perspective

Ballet 1: Verses Choreography: Amy Seiwert Music: Excerpts from The Chopin Project by Ólafur Arnalds and Alice Sara Lighting: Brian Jones Costumes: Christine Darch Video artist: Olivia Ting Dancers: Full company

Years ago, I was studying Terry Riley’s string quartet, Sunrise of the Planetary Dream Collector. I sat down with the score and hit play on iTunes, but the music coming through my headphones did not match what was on the page in front of me. In

2 confusion, I reached out to my musician then boyfriend/now husband. His comment, “Did you read the instructions?” “Instructions?” There they are, page 2: “There are 24 repeatable modules lettered A to X. All but E, G, T, and X are 14 beats long. However, all modules are some multiple of 7 beats. The quartet players then devise the order for A to X in advance.”

Mind blown: what I thought was a thru-composed string quartet was created in a way I had never imaged.

In developing Verses, I experimented with creating modular sections of choreography without music that deal with textures, concepts, and varying dynamics. I actively chose spacious music that to me evokes the feel of a walking meditation. This helps in resisting the urge to fill every space, which in turn leaves room for me to treat the projection as another dancer in the process. My hope is that anyone viewing the work sees the whole, that the modules sync together seamlessly, and that the underlying themes construct a narrative open to the viewer’s interpretation.

 Pause -

Ballet 2: Otra vez, Otra vez, Otra vez Choreography: Stephanie Martinez Assistant to the choreographer: Robert Mulvey Music: Capricho Arabe- Francisco Tarrega/ Andrea Vettoretti Castanets Solo - Flamenco Classics/ A-P-M Productions Prelude No. 4 in E minor- Francisco Tarrega/Zane Merritt La Noche de Mi Amor- Chavela Vargas Dos Gardenias-Angel Canales Mi Segundo Amor- Chavela Vargas

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Lang Lang- Six Pieces for Piano Lighting: Brian Jones Costumes: Christine Darch Video artist: Ben Estabrook Dancers: Full company

This work is loosely based off on The Old Guitarist by Picasso. Some think its autobiographical painting of himself... What if he came out of the picture? The realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own. Populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries, and inherited craziness... A story about lives we never knew existed in which we might appear only once.

-Intermission -

Ballet 3: All I Ever Knew Choreography: Ben Needham-Wood Music: Kishi Bashi "151a" (album) Lighting: Brian Jones Costumes: Christine Darch Video artist: Chris Correa Dancers: Full company

Sometimes the most challenging thing is to understand someone else's perspective. This work was inspired by a moment where two people experienced something life- changing and worked to understand one another. This creative process has been uniquely challenging, compelling me to fuse a narrative approach I'm familiar with in concert dance with that of a film-making perspective. I've learned a lot and am so grateful for Amy Seiwert and the Imagery family for supporting me in this process.

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DANCERS /SEKTCH COLLABORATORS:

Isaac Bates-Vinueza was born in New York City and educated in Boulder, CO. He studied at Boulder Ballet School and at School, where he was a 2016 recipient of the Flemming Halby Exchange with the School. His teachers include Ana Claire, Becky Jancosko, Katie Elliot, Peter Boal, Le Yin, and Eva Stone. Now in his fourth season with Sacramento Ballet, he has performed leading roles in works by Ron Cunningham, Septime Webre, , and Amy Seiwert, and originated leading roles in works by Penny Saunders and Darrell Grand Moultrie. Isaac has also enjoyed choreographing for Sacramento Ballet’s annual Beer and Ballet program since 2017. This is his first SKETCH.

Alysia Chang, born in Berkeley, CA, is a freelance dancer in the San Francisco Bay Area. She graduated from SUNY Purchase with a BFA in Dance and a Minor in Arts Management (magna cum laude). She has danced with Sacramento Ballet, The Metropolitan Opera Ballet and The Radio City Christmas Spectacular in New York and toured through China with Ziru Dance. Locally she has danced for Smuin Contemporary Ballet, The San Francisco Opera Ballet, Oakland Ballet, DawsonDanceSF, SFDanceworks, and Red Brick Company. Alysia has originated featured roles in new works by Amy Seiwert Helen Pickett, Gabrielle Lamb, Val Caniparoli, Jennifer Archibald, Yannis Adoniou, Melissa Barak, Graham Lustig, and Janice Garrett/Charles Moulton to name a few. Her repertoire includes works by Ron Cunningham, , Paul Taylor, Mark Morris, and George Balanchine. Alysia is excited to rejoin the SKETCH family this Summer!

Joseph A. Hernandez, a Chicago native, studied at Western Michigan University, where he graduated magna cum laude with a BFA in Dance. Professionally, Joseph has

5 danced with The Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Lyric Opera of Chicago, ODC/Dance, LED Boise, Kate Weare Company, and River North Dance Chicago among others. He was most recently seen in the Broadway production of West Side Story at Lyric Opera of Chicago. In addition to performing, Joseph is also a passionate educator and choreographer, with recent creations for Hot Crowd Dance and DanceWorks Chicago. Joseph is thrilled to be joining SKETCH again this year. www.josephahernandez.com

Peter Kurta is from Syracuse, NY. Over his career, he has had the opportunity of working for , , BalletMet and is currently working with Smuin Ballet. Peter has had the pleasure of performing repertoire by George Balanchine, Edwaard Liang, James Kudelka, Amy Seiwert, Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, and Jessica Lang, amongst many others. Outside of dance, Peter is an Onboarding coordinator at CorePower Yoga, as well as a dog walker for "Wag!". This will be his first season with Sketch, and he is ecstatic about the opportunity.

Austin Meiteen, originally from Austin, Texas, began his training at Interlochen Arts Academy and continued at Academy in the Professional Division. After graduating in 2017, Austin joined II, where he had many opportunities to perform with KCB. In 2018, Austin participated in “SKETCH 8: Origin Stories” and performed in Jacob’s Pillow’s Inside/Out Festival. In 2019, Austin joined the Sacramento Ballet as a company dancer. He has been fortunate to perform works by Amy Seiwert, Septime Webre, George Balanchine, Stanton Welch, Jennifer Archibald, Stephen Mills, Gabrielle Lamb, Devon Carney, and Didy Veldman. In August, Austin will begin dancing for Nederlands Dans Theater 2. This is Austin’s second summer with Imagery, and he is beyond excited to be dancing with his SKETCH family again.

Kelsey McFalls is from Syracuse, NY. She has been fortunate to have worked with the Sacramento Ballet, DTSF, Milissa Payne Project, Company C, Peninsula Ballet Theater, Kambara + Dancers, San Francisco Symphony, American Contemporary Ballet in LA and American Repertory Ballet in Princeton, NJ. Kelsey's repertoire

6 includes works by George Balanchine, Gerald Arpino, Stephen Mills, Amy Seiwert, Ron Cunningham, Robert Moses, and Liza Gennaro, among many others. Beyond dancing, Kelsey was a co-founder of Berkeley-based independent think tank, Socos Labs. Kelsey first participated in Sketch in 2016 and has been counting down the days until SKETCH 9.

Constanza Murphy trained at North Star Ballet in Fairbanks, Alaska before getting her BFA in Ballet from the University of Utah. She has worked with a range of classical, contemporary, opera, and modern companies throughout the country. Since discovering her love for the Bay Area and its dance scene, she has enjoyed working with Oakland Ballet, , and Sacramento Ballet. Her career has been highlighted by roles such Tinkerbell, Lucy, and Swanhilda. Constanza is very excited to take on everything that SKETCH has to offer.

Shania Rasmussen originally from Denver, Colorado, received her dance training at the Academy of and the School of . She is in her fifth season with the Sacramento Ballet, where she has had the privilege to perform in works of choreographers such as George Balanchine, Gerald Arpino, Gina Patterson, Amy Seiwert, Penny Saunders Darrell Moultrie, Septime Webre, and Ma Cong, among others. She also enjoys exploring her talents in choreography: a founding choreographer for the summer company Capital Dance Project, she has presented 4 original works for the company since 2015, as well as creating 4 choreographic works for Sacramento Ballet’s Beer and Ballet program. Beyond the stage, she enjoys pursuing other artistic endeavors such as creating original music compositions, graphic design, and painting. Shania is very excited to be rejoining the Sketch family again this summer!

CHOREOGRAPHERS

AMY SEIWERT (Choreographer and Artistic Directors) enjoyed a nineteen-year performing career dancing with the Smuin, Los Angeles Chamber, and Sacramento

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Ballets. As a dancer with Smuin Ballet, she became involved with the “Protégé Program” where her choreography was mentored by the late Michael Smuin. She was Choreographer in Residence with the company from 2008-2018. Named one of “25 to Watch” by Dance Magazine, her first full evening of choreography was named one of the “Top 10” dance events of 2007 by the SF Chronicle. Twice she has worked with dancers from , participating in the New York Choreography Institute. Other awards include a Bay Area IZZIE award for Outstanding Choreography and a “Goldie” from the San Francisco Bay Guardian. She is honored to be a former Artist in Residence at ODC Theater and to have works in the repertory of , BalletMet, Smuin, Washington, Atlanta, Oakland, Sacramento, Colorado, Louisville, Cincinnati, Carolina, Oklahoma City, Dayton, Milwaukee and American Repertory as well as Imagery, Robert Moses KIN and AXIS Dance. In 2017, she received the first National Choreographic Residency from the Joyce Theater in New York City. In 2018, Seiwert returned to Sacramento as the Artistic Director of the Sacramento Ballet.

STEPHANIE MARTINEZ (Choreographer) Chicago-based choreographer and 3-Arts Award winner Stephanie Martinez creates environments which captivate, connect, and move her audiences along a journey guided by the kinetic momentum of her work. With original creations for , Luna Negra Dance Theater, Sacramento Ballet, , The Big Muddy Dance Company, Dance Kaleidoscope, , Visceral Dance Chicago, Kansas City Ballet, Nashville Ballet., Kansas City Dance Festival, Moving Arts Cincinnati, she expands the boundaries of contemporary movement. She assisted Broadway legend Ann Reinking in setting the Fosse Trilogy, as well as Daniel Ezralow, choreographer of Broadway’s Spiderman: Turn off the Dark, in remounting his celebrated work, Pulse, for Company C Contemporary Ballet in San Francisco. She has also created for The National Choreographers Initiative and was awarded The ’s "Winning Works: Choreographers of Color” commission, which was subsequently performed at The Joffrey Ballet's 2017 Annual Gala. Upcoming commissions include , , , Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Missouri Contemporary Ballet and World Premieres with The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago 2019 & 2020 seasons.

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BEN NEEDHAM-WOOD (Choreographer and Artistic Fellow) is a San Francisco based dancer, choreographer, and dance educator. He currently serves as rehearsal assistant and performs with Smuin Contemporary Ballet, and has been part of Amy Seiwert’s Imagery since its inaugural SKETCH series in 2011. Ben’s choreographic career began with the under former artistic director, Bruce Simpson, and has continued with Smuin under Celia Fushille’s leadership. To date, Ben has choreographed commissioned works for the Louisville Ballet, Smuin, and Dance Theatre of San Francisco, and has had his works performed at festivals and galas across the United States and Canada. Ben was honored to be selected as a choreographer for the 2016 National Choreographers Initiative in Irvine, CA. In 2015, Ben received an EMMY Award from the National Academy of Televised Arts and Sciences for his choreography in the feature-segment “BaseBallet” which aired on CSN Bay Area. Following that success, Ben produced and choreographed a follow-up program “BaseBallet: Into the Game” with collaborators Weston Krukow and Matt McKee, earning recognition with four more regional EMMY awards. Ben is eternally grateful for his mentors who have helped guide him in his artistic endeavors, especially Val Caniparoli, Amy Seiwert, and Bruce Simpson

VIDEO ARTISTS

Chris Correa (Video Artist) Born and raised in the Bronx, Chris is a creative professional passionate about telling stories that simultaneously entertain and challenge the viewer. He brings 9 years of experience writing, directing, and producing video content to this collaboration with Ben Needham-Wood, a friend since high school. To see more of Chris’ work, visit his website: Chris Correa Creates.

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Ben Estabrook (Video Artist) specializes in translating dance to the screen. He was the director of photography for films that have screened at Cinedans, Dance on Camera, Dance Camera West, and numerous festivals across the globe. He is a lecturer at UC Berkeley and has given guest lectures and workshops on screendance for Stanford University, the Young Artist Platform of Dance in Beijing, Brigham Young University, and other universities. Ben helped to found the San Francisco Dance Film Festival, for which he serves as the technical director. His interest in screendance led him to the University of Utah, where he graduated with an MFA in Film & Media Arts and a Graduate Certificate in Screendance.

Olivia Ting (Video Artist) holds a degree in graphic design from Art Center College of Design in LA and an MFA in Art Practice from U.C. Berkeley. Much of her work focuses on visual communication as a storytelling vehicle aimed at the human condition and using digital technology to explore how memories are collected and formulated in our consciousness. Nominated three times for Isadora Duncan Awards for Visual Design, she is known for her photography and video collaborations with movement-based performers. With Lenora Lee Dance she designed projection mapped video installations for the center foyer of the de Young Museum in SF. She has done graphic and video design for SF Dance Center, SF Performances, Brooklyn Children's Museum, and others.

COLLABORATORS

BRIAN JONES (Lighting Design). A close collaborative relationship with Amy Seiwert has included SKETCH 7: Wandering (Imagery, Isadora Duncan Award for Visual Design); (Sacramento Ballet); and Renaissance, Broken Open, But Now I Must Rest, Dear Ms. Cline, Requiem, and Short Ride (Smuin Ballet). His lighting designs have premiered at the BAM Next Wave Festival, New York City Center’s Fall For Dance Festival, The Joyce Theater, and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. Brian began his career with Smuin Ballet and most recently toured with the Paul Taylor Dance Company. Additionally, Brian is the regular lighting designer for composer Mason Bates'

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KC Jukebox series at the Kennedy Center and lights a variety of dance, music, theater, and other live productions. He received his MFA from NYU/Tisch School of the Arts and is a member of United Scenic Artists.

CHRISTINE DARCH (Costume Designer) designs for Julia Adam, Jorma Elo, Nicolo Fonte, Jae Man Joo, James Kudelka, Gabrielle Lamb, Edwaard Liang, Matthew Neenan, Dwight Rhoden, Amy Seiwert, and Septime Webre. She is the resident designer for Complexions Contemporary Ballet and has been commissioned by Alvin Ailey, , Ballet Hawaii, Ballet Memphis, , , Charlotte Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Houston Ballet, , Kansas City Ballet, Marin Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Le Ballet Nice Méditerranée, Oregon Ballet, , Pittsburgh Ballet, Post: Ballet, , Smuin Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, Washington Ballet and Ballet X. New projects include Julia Adam’s Quintessence, The Sleeping Beauty for Dayton Ballet and Nicolo Fonte's new work for Astana Ballet in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

KATHRYN T GRAHAM (Production Stage Manager) is currently Production Director and Stage Manager for Smuin Contemporary Ballet, and PSM for Amy Seiwert’s Imagery. In San Francisco, she has also served as Stage Manager for DanceFAR, for SFDanceworks, and PSM and a Lighting Designer for WestWave Dance Festival. She was PSM and Lighting Designer for Lewitzky Dance Company in LA, Technical & Lighting Director for Washington Ballet in DC, Production Manager for Gay Games IV Cultural Festival in NYC, and also for the NGO Forum – United Nations World Conference on Women in China.

ABOUT AMY SEIWERT’S IMAGERY Amy Seiwert’s Imagery, a San Francisco-based contemporary , believes that ballet is an expressive and vital voice relevant to our times. Imagery’s artists share the belief that through collaboration and experimentation we can break away from habitual reactions and express more vibrant and courageous ideas. Imagery’s mission

11 is to expand the definition of ballet by exploding preconceptions of what ballet is and can be.

The SKETCH series was launched in 2011 as a platform for experimentation and innovation in ballet-based choreography. The series was created specifically as a resource for choreographers to abandon their comfort zones.

SKETCH 9 Collaborators Isaac Bates-Vinueza Alysia Chang Joseph A. Hernandez Peter Kurta Kelsey McFalls Austin Meiteen Constanza Murphy Shania Rasmussen

Imagery Board of Directors Niko Kozak Mayer — President Lori Laqua — Treasurer Amy Seiwert — Secretary Pat Terman Rachel Lovett

Imagery Staff Amy Seiwert — Artistic Director Annika Presley — Managing Director Ben Needham-Wood—Artistic Fellow KT Graham — Production/Stage Manager Ben Estabrook — Video Consultant Ann-Mari Spector - Body Worker

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Kevin R. Stone, M.D. — Primary Physician Phyllis Peterson — Graphic Designer

Company Class Teachers: Kai Davis, Robert Dekkers, Julianne Kepley, Ben Needham-Wood, Kaori Rendall- Jackson, Amy Seiwert, Katherine Wells.

Accessibility: ASL interpretation on July 18 by Pilar Marsh.

Live Audio Description on July 19 by India Davis of Gravity Access Services is generously supported by the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, and The Kenneth Rainin Foundation.

Amy Seiwert’s Imagery is a 501(C)3 non-profit corporation. All donations are tax- deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

THANK YOU & DONORS

Gratitude to our Board of Directors: Niko Mayer, Lori Laqua, Pat Terman, and Rachel Lovett for believing in what we do. We would also like to acknowledge Joel Adkins, Brook Broughton and Family, Val Caniparoli, Sarah Cecilia, Alysia Chang, Clarissa Chavez David DeSilva, Ben Estabrook, Judy Flannery, Dave Frydenlund, Celia Fushille and SMUIN Contemporary Ballet, James Gilmer, Deb Glazer, Scot Goodman, KT Graham, Joanna Haigood and Zaccho Dance Theater, Chris Hardy, Barbara Hébert, Darren Johnston, Scott Marlowe, Kelsey McFalls, Marc Morozumi, Steven Morse, Pat and River Presley, Molly Segal, Ann-Mari Spector, Michael Tate, Fred Terman and Nan Borreson, Joyce Zavarro, ODC’s Staff, our volunteers, and all past artists and board members who have contributed their energies into building Imagery.

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A heartfelt thank you to all our donors and contributors. Your patronage makes the difference. The following represents donors between June 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019. Please contact us at [email protected] if you have been inadvertently listed incorrectly.

Principal Season Sponsor: $5,000 and above Anonymous Marlis S. Branaka Joe DeBellis and Pat Ronzone Harvey Lynch Steve and Niko Mayer Fred Terman and Nan Borreson

Choreographer Sponsor: $1,000-$4,999 Anonymous (3x) Judy Flannery and William Wiley Vicki and David Fleishhacker Nancy Griffiths Randall Heath and Christine Keller Peggy Heineman Guy and Tracy Jacquier Bob and Edie Kirkwood Fund Lori Laqua Dr. Richard and Sharonjean Leeds Rachel Lovett Marcy Taylor Pattinson Andrea Reid Gail Sinquefield Timothy Streb and Myra Gamble Margaret Tcheng Ware and John H. Ware

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Allie Weissman

Dancer Sponsor: $500-$999

Anonymous Jo Ellen Arntz Mark Bresnik and Madelyn Mallory George and Frances Carlson Deborah Donovan Celia Fushille and Chris Hardy Fred Girodat Philip Goward Kathryn T Graham Joel A. Piser and Jing W. Hsieh Pete Litwinowicz and Richard Robertson David Meders Dr. and Mrs. Kevin and Susan Stone Pat Terman and Dave Frydenlund

Contributor: $250–$499 Michael Bena Franklin and Anna Chang Kingsley and Antoinette Chatton Austin Forbord Deb Glazer Jean Halvorsen Mona Hatler John Haugeland Randall Heath Greg and Karin Kayne

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Deirdre Mahon Anne Meiteen Linda Membreño Marc Morozumi Farah Yasmeen Shaikh Brian Staufenbiel Christina Wong Joyce Zavarro

Sponsor: $100–$249 Joseph Adkins Shannon Atlas Daryl Babbitt Gil Berkeley Nicholas Brentley Sarah Cecilia Bukowski Regina Bustillos Cassandra Carpenter Wendy Cook June Cooperman Joseph Copley and Carlos Venturo Grant Cushing Nanishka Duthie Anna Ewins Brandon "Private" Freeman Hilary Friedman Christine Gindi Barbara Hébert Paul Heller Cecile Janicek Marilyn L. Jasoni

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Daniela Klimetschek Emily Klion Christopher Lee Andrea Lewin Valerie A. Lisiewicz Lang Liu Scott Marlowe Kelsey McFalls David Mount Linda Murphy Richard Okiuye Walter and Alice Posey Perry Reyes and Chiyo Honde Rachel Rice Cynthia Seiwert & Richard Baez Boris Shekhter Regina and Pierre Vilanoba Dennis Williams

We also have tremendous gratitude for the many individuals who participated in our Tiny Bubbles fundraiser and everyone who donated after June 30th.

SKETCH 9 : PERSPECTIVE is co-presented by ODC and supported in part by NEA Arts Work and Zaccho Studio’s Residency Program. Imagery is supported by The Kenneth Rainin Foundation, San Francisco Grants for the Arts, and the Fleishhacker Foundation.

PROGRAM DESIGN: PHYLLIS PETERSON, MAGNOLIASTUDIO.COM

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Thank you to the following organizations and people for their generous donations of items and tickets towards our fundraiser Tiny Bubbles for Big Dreams: Rainbow Groceries, Safeway, Bi-Rite Family of Businesses, Standard Deviant Brewing, Shotgun Players, SF Ballet, Smuin Contemporary Ballet, Oakland Ballet, SF Playhouse, Sf Performances, Speakeasy, SF Dance Film Festival, Al's Attire, SF Moma and Anna Ewins, Call of the Sea & Marcy Pattinson, Niko & Steven Mayer, Dr. Richard & Sharonjean Leeds, Sebastian Grub, Ritz Carlton, Rockwall Winery, Zettere, YOGAMUKUNDA, Pilates Pro-works, Michele Benza, SHN Golden Gate Theater, Lara Zena Fitness, Jing Hsieh.

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