Ascending Grace

sjDANCEco Presents Ascending Grace

sjDANCEco, San Jose’s premier classical and contemporary modern dance company, presents Ascending Grace, an evocative evening of six distinctive choreographic works brought together on one stage. Featuring live orchestration by the San Jose Chamber Orchestra, the program invites audiences into six fully embodied experiences exploring connection, resilience, memory, trust, joy, and the enduring power of the human spirit.

Ascending Grace is an invitation to renew our sense of being and aliveness. Through compelling choreographic stories, sjDANCEco’s dancers deliver emotionally charged performances marked by grace, raw physicality, vulnerability, and risk-taking movement. Each work draws audiences into a carefully crafted world shaped by the choreographer’s imagination, ultimately asking us to reconnect—with ourselves, with one another, and with the world around us.

The six works could not be more different in their movement languages, yet together they create a powerful portrait of what it means to be human.

The Program

Vivace — Re-envisioned for 2026

Choreographer: Gary Masters, Co-Founder

Music: Double Violin Concerto by Johann Sebastian Bach

Originally created in 2006 and inspired by the music of J.S. Bach, Vivace was originally dedicated to Warren Leroy Masters. This re-envisioned 2026 production is performed in honor of Nadine Ravine, an extraordinary dance artist, mentor, teacher, and friend.

Across three distinct movements, Vivace embraces the vibrancy and celebratory nature suggested by its title. The dancers embark on an exhilarating journey that magnifies the spirit of inner joy, translating Bach’s intricate musical architecture into movement that is dynamic, joyful, and deeply alive.

Glimmers Intertwined

Choreographer: Hsiang Hsiu, Company Choreographer

Music: “Sovente il sole” from Andromeda Liberata, Anh. 117 by Antonio Vivaldi

Glimmers Intertwined explores the subtle intersection of body, light, and impulse. Like faint threads of light weaving through shadow, two distinct bodies in motion cross paths—negotiating space, sharing breath, and generating momentum.

The work invites audiences to witness the tactile quality of fate, where fleeting moments of contact can leave lasting impressions on the body’s memory. Through intimacy, movement, and shifting physical relationships, Glimmers Intertwined considers how seemingly brief encounters can shape us long after they are gone.

Aspirations — Re-envisioned for 2026

Choreographer: Fred Mathews, Choreographic Advisor Originally created in 1995 as a solo for Dance Kaleidoscope, Indianapolis

Music: Concerto for Flute and Orchestra by Antonio Vivaldi

Humorous, compelling, and unexpectedly poetic, Aspirations explores the human experience of confronting and overcoming fear.

Using animalistic props to amplify the physical and emotional dimensions of the work, Mathews transforms vulnerability into an engaging theatrical experience. The result is a riveting solo in which humor becomes a doorway to a deeper understanding of courage, fear, and the desire to move beyond our limitations.

Playing Venice

Choreographer: Andrew Merrill, Guest Artist

Music: Concerto for Violin and Cello in B-flat Major, RV 547 by Antonio Vivaldi

PERFORMANCES

October 9, 2026 @ 8 pm

October 10, 2026 @ 8 pm