Up Close at The Dance Hub

After 2015, the Carrillo Rec Center was no longer able to host the performances, and AD&M looked for a new, suitable venue. Now, AD&M has found that venue at its home, The Dance Hub on 22 East Victoria Street. The performance, now called “Up Close at The Dance Hub”, was first held on April 28, 2019.
The program was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, conditions improved enough to restart the program in April, 2022 and it is now held annually once again.

Today, Up Close at the Dance Hub remains AD&M’s community-based program that provides access to diverse dance showcasing local choreographers and dancers, as well as guest artists. This intimate and interactive event gives audience members of any age the opportunity to participate in movement activities led by the choreographers and dancers.

Up Close at the Dance Hub 2024

On Sunday, June 2, 2024, AD&M will present Up Close at the Dance Hub. This informal concert features a new work by Carrie Diamond to music by Eric Valinsky performed by The Dance Hub Performance Group with Rosalie Benitez, El Caris Camarillo, Holland Crosby, Terry Kleid, Mary Olsen, and Dara Yang. It also features Argentine Tango with Geraldine Freitag and Claudio Otero, a new solo by Aimee Lopez danced by Isabella Furillo, and music for oboe and piano by Adelle Rodkey and Eric Valinsky. Reviving the tradition of pre-pandemic Up Close, there is optional audience participation. Be prepared! As always, refreshments will be served after each performance.Read more about Up Close at the Dance Hub 2024 Here.

Up Close at the Dance Hub 2023

American Dance & Music presents Up Close at The Dance Hub 2023. The hour-long performance features the talents of The Dance Hub Community—its teachers, students, and renters—highlighting the diversity of dance styles that this event has long been known for. On this performance you will see The Dance Hub Performance Group performing a new work evocative of the character dances you would see in a full-length classical ballet reimagined by AD&M artistic director Carrie Diamond with music by AD&M music director Eric Valinsky. Baile de California, directed by Diana Replogle-Purinton, presenting a selection of historic folkloric dances dating from the early days of Santa Barbara, Geraldine Freitag and Marlon Ruckle dancing Argentine tango with all the elegance and romantic passion of the social style, and the return of E. Bonnie Lewis, this time directing a modern dance improvisation, performed by Dance Hub students.Read More about Up Close at the Dance Hub, 2023 here.

Up Close at the Dance Hub 2022

After a three-year hiatus due to COVID-19, American Dance & Music’s (AD&M) annual event, Up Close at The Dance Hub is back. The hour-long performance features new works that range from ballet to modern dance to ethnic dance and movement theater. Works include a new solo for Robin Wilson choreographed by Weslie Ching, two dances from the Silk Road by Gulistan Dance Theater, a movement theater work by E. Bonnie Lewis and Terri Lujan in tribute to their mentor Jan E. Day, and The Dance Hub’s Adult Student Performance Group premiere of Pockets Full of Posies by artistic director Carrie Diamond. Live piano accompaniment will be provided by AD&M Music Director Eric Valinsky and live percussion by Susan Rudnicki and Ron Wagner. Original electronic music by Nikolas Valinsky. Read More about Up Close at the Dance Hub, 2022 here.

April 28, 2019

On Sunday, April 28th at 2:00PM, American Dance and Music presented Up Close at The Dance Hub, an intimate afternoon of dance and live music for families as well as anyone interested in the arts. Free to the public. Fascinating new works by four local choreographers including Weslie Ching, Juli Farley, Stephanie Miracle and Krischana Thompson, were performed. Eric Valinsky (piano) and Adelle Rodkey (oboe) performed Ravel’s delightful Sonatine. Children and adults alike participated in fun movement experiences. Q and A and refreshments followed. Read more about Up Close at the Dance Hub 2019 here.

October 25th, 2008

AD&M’s first free public workshop was held at the Carrillo Recreation Center in Santa Barbara. Performances included Lizabeth Skalski’s Midnight Tangle, two excerpts from Brian Carey Chung’s Ah, Love! Let Us Be True to One Another, a variation from Fokine’s Les Sylphides, an early work by Carrie Diamond, Eight Miniatures set to Stravinsky, and two Afro-Brazilian dances performed by Rachel Hernandez. Workshops included a dance demonstration by company dancers, a children’s workshop, and an Afro-Brazilian class for all ages.

March 28th, 2009

AD&M’s second free public workshop at the Carrillo Recreation Center included excerpts from Carrie Diamond’s Concerto Allegro, Diamond’s Terra Incognita, and Carlos Fittante’s Wayang Blues as well as full performances of Brian Carey Chung’s Interlude and Benjamin Harkarvy’s Premonition. Afro-Brazilian dancing by Rachel Hernandez and Balinese dancing by Carlos Fittante provided the world dance elements.

May 19th, 2013

AD&M’s third free community event was held at the Carrillo Recreation Center in Santa Barbara. Repertory danced by the AD&M Performance Group included Jumble, a new work by AD&M director Carrie Diamond, in which Carrie made her Santa Barbara dance debut coming out of retirement after 20 years! Also featured are Spanish classical and flamenco dancer, Mari Sandoval, and Afro-Brazilian dancer Rachel Hernandez.

June 8th, 2014

AD&M’s fourth free community event was held at the Carrillo Recreation Center in Santa Barbara. The event included Pastorale, Carrie Diamond’s new work danced by the AD&M Performance Group set to music of Beethoven played live by music director Eric Valinsky; Turkish by Matisse, a solo danced by Ms. Diamond choregoraphed by guest artist Mari Sandoval; and Cardinal Sin, a dance-theater collaboration with DramaDogs based on a recipe by Julia Child. Ms. Sandoval presented her company in the premiere of La Vida Breve, a classical Spanish work set to the music of Manuel De Falla.

May 17th, 2015

AD&M’s fifth free community event was held at the Carrillo Recreation Center in Santa Barbara. The event included new and repertory works by artistic director Carrie Diamond and guest artist Mari Sandoval. There was an open class with AD&M Performance Group.

March 29-31, 2016

For 2016, rather than doing one free performance at a single location, AD&M took our beautiful and inspiring works to senior and community centers throughout Santa Barbara and Goleta. These five FREE shows featuring AD&M Performance Group presented excerpts of works from their diverse and compelling repertory, some of which were them presented in full at the New Victoria Theatre in November, 2016. All performances were open to the public.