This year's "Emerge" showcased 10 contemporary choreographers at the Garfield Theatre on Saturday, and the range of their work and artistry were impressive.

The masterful pacing and imagery in the dance film "Office Furniture," by Rebecca Salzer, linger long after you've seen it. The film won a Golden Spire award in the 2000 San Francisco International Film Festival, and it's easy to see why.

Merging movement and text, the black and white film follows Salzer in her quest to find a job. Dressed in a dated white suit and pumps, she mutters "experience, energy, creativity…" as she walks. A group of pedestrians shadow her and leap on and off curbs and a bus stop as traffic roars by. Short clips of Salzer suffering through job interviews are hilarious, beautifully edited, and sickly familiar. (If you missed it, you can find the film on Youtube). Salzer is pursuing her MFA in Dance Theatre at UC San Diego and garnered much attention with her performances there in June. She is clearly an artist to watch in the future.

Rachel Winchester, a graduate of San Diego State's School of Music and Dance, presented "Louise In the Afternoon (Part I & II)," a surreal solo for Camille Sampson that tapped into film sirens of the past and Pop Culture airheads such as Paris Hilton. Set to the old song by French crooner Maurice Chevalier, Sampson skittered and twirled to make her red dress and stiff blonde wig fly. Perched on half-toe, she flicked her feet up and down like a Barbie doll on hot pavement, and in total deadpan, reached for an umbrella that poked out of the wing curtain. The silly clowning was marked by sadness, similar to the style of Inbal Pinto, and Winchester was careful to hold our attention by confining the movement to one corner of the stage.

The program closed with "Sudden Take," by another SDSU dance alumna, Heather Zornes-Almanza. Her blood-pumping dance would work well on MTV. Set to a song by The Killers, Zornes-Almanza gazed at a grainy image that filled the back wall. She was dwarfed by the image and stood mesmerized. As she exited, other dancers burst in with deep plies, kicks to the side, and slides onto the floor. Five women interacted with David Wornovitsky in daring, aggressive lifts then fell into smooth unison. The movement was non-stop and embraced the music, but also played with the rhythms so it was never predictable.

In "Intervention," by Anjanette Maraya-Ramey, four dancers bathed in soft light blew kisses and moved smoothly to music by Sigur Ros. But Maraya-Ramey smartly jarred the smoothness with odd heel walks. Clean unison sequences were punctuated with strange twisted feet. Changing levels were visually engaging, and dancer Blythe Barton was a joy to watch in lifts and a section where everyone did their own thing. When the music reached its climax in the end, the work lost some momentum. With just four dancers walking and staring, the music was just too big for the movement.

A spacey mixed score fueled "Nocturnal Episodes," by Martita Abril, a strangely satisfying ensemble work that toyed with classical ballet forms with a dark twist. Five women dressed in black tutus trimmed in red slowly dropped rose petals; the women looked almost dead. Imagine the sweet ballet dancer on your jewelry box, and then make her a Goth. Abril's choreography expanded with curious gestures and shifting lines, and she drew strong performances from the dancers, particularly Marissa Nunez. Her stretchy gestures conveyed a deep emotional message; her steely focus was cold but not vacant.

Gina Bolles Sorensen performed her duet "Paperdoll" with husband Kyle Sorensen, a charming work that has the couple chasing and hiding behind a blue dress suspended from the rafters. It is remarkable how different it looked at the Garfield compared to its showing at Sushi's bare-boned space back in June. Lighting and a proscenium stage gave it a softer magical quality and physical depth that it needed.

While I cannot comment on all 10 works, I can say that all were innovative and professional. Many of the choreographers and dancers in the production also performed at Trolley Dances on the same day, yet nobody showed fatigue or a lack of enthusiasm.

Kudos to The Patricia Rincon Dance Collective, David Atchison, and the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center for presenting this special gift to dance artists and the San Diego audience. One complaint: a program such as this deserves more than one night. Perhaps there's an angel lurking out there who'd like to fund it.

Download program1

Download program2

Download program3

Presenters1

Presenters2