THE LEGEND OF THE PERSIAN CARPET —a co-presentation among CLASSICS 4 KIDS, MALASHOCK DANCE and THE PERSIAN CULTURAL CENTER OF SAN DIEGO—has proved to be quite the hit.  We performed our family show Sunday at the Balboa Theater, and the Malashock Dancers were very popular.  After the show, children surrounded them asking for autographs.  Katie Griffin (she played the queen) was mobbed by many little girls.  Gracious as always, Katie signed programs, posed for photos and greeted parents.   We end our ten day run in Escondido on Tuesday and then we take our fulltime focus back to SHADOW OF MERCY (The Leonard Cohen Project) .

Nicholas steals the diamond in The Legend of the Persian Carpet

On the SHADOW OF MERCY front, things are going extremely well.  John will complete the entire work in a few more rehearsals, just in time for THE STUDIO SERIES this weekend.  Though we won’t be showcasing all the pieces, you will get a wonderful preview of the full production premiering on Saturday, April 18th at the Garfield Theater in La Jolla.

THE STUDIO SERIES
(A preview of our upcoming concert SHADOW OF MERCY )

Saturday, March 28th at 7 pm
Sunday, March 29th at 5 pm

Malashock Dance Studio #200
Dance Place San Diego
2650 Truxtun Road, San Diego, CA

Tickets: $10
Reservations:  619-260-1622 or
Buy your tickets online at MalashockDance.org

Also, keep your eye on the newspaper!  Janice Steinberg from the UNION TRIBUNE will be doing a preview article on SHADOW OF MERCY .  She visits our studio on Monday, March 23rd to see some of the dance works in rehearsal and then will sit down for a one-on-one interview with John Malashock.

If you can’t make THE STUDIO SERIES and would still like a preview of SHADOW OF MERCY , we will be doing two other “appetizer” events:

SPRING FLING AT LIBERTY STATION
April 11th at the South Promenade at 1:00 pm
We will perform TAKE THIS WALTZ

4 x 4 x FLOOR
April 14th at the Bluefoot Bar and Lounge at 7 pm
3404 30th Street, San Diego, CA
We will perform the duet from THE GYPSY’S WIFE

In class with James Healey from Shen Wei Dance Arts

On a personal note, James Healey, a former dancer with MALASHOCK DANCE and current rehearsal director for SHEN WEI DANCE ARTS , returned to San Diego.  MALASHOCK DANCE , in association with THE LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY, hosted a master class with James and San Diego dancers took full advantage of this rare opportunity.    I also had the pleasure of seeing James perform in Shen Wei’s work.  He was, in a word, amazing.  It is so wonderful to see a good friend and colleague doing so well.

Michael Mizerany
Associate Artistic Director, MALASHOCK DANCE
MalashockDance.org

Being a dancer with Malashock Dance has included some bumps, bruises, as well as bleeding moments.  When I started dancing, my technique was deeply rooted in the jazz genre with all of it’s dramatic expression and accented high kicks.  I don’t think a single drop of blood was shed in those years by the fault of dancing.  Then I ventured into the realm of ballet to hone in my technique and find that phenomenon us dancers call ‘line’.  In all my years of ballet, I think the only blood I’ve shed was from a pointe shoe splitting my pinky toe nail in half.  Now that I am immersed in the modern world with Malashock Dance, I definitely have my share of floor burns, bruises, callus splits, and bleeding cuts.

After one of our run-throughs the other day, my foot was bleeding and Michael said, “Now you’re really a Malashock Dancer.”  Hearing that made me proud, not in the sense that because my blood had been shed I was ‘initiated’ into the company, but in the sense that dancing for Malashock is tough work, and that I am a part of it.  It’s tough work, but enjoyable, energetic, physical, and real as well.   A few drops of blood may or may not be shed, but being on stage with such great dancers, under the name of such a visionary choreographer, is worth it twice over.

Nicholas Strasburg
Malashock Dancer — SHADOW OF MERCY