Tapestry Dance Company weaves creative stage with premier of ‘The Precious Present – In Love & Light’

In a celebration of movement and a variety of artists, Austin’s Tapestry Dance Company returns to the stage with the premiere of “The Precious Present – In Love & Light” on Dec. 9 - 12.

Featuring some of Austin’s most acclaimed dance, vocal and music artists, “The Precious Present” includes Texas State graduate student and contemporary dancer Sharon Marroquin as well as San Marcos and Austin’s own flow artist, Kelly Bach.

In addition to being a choreographer, dancer and teacher, Sharon Marroquin is in the Texas State University Master’s program for educational leadership. Born in Mexico City, Marroquin’s work is inspired by her personal experiences as a woman, a Latina artist, a cancer survivor and a mother.

“I am a believer in the healing power of the arts,” Marroquin said. “As a dance artist, I have experienced that through movement, whether it’s cancer or other kinds of trauma. By coming together purposefully, it’s a healing of the trauma of the pandemic.”

Marroquin explained that “The Precious Present” is a show that weaves together a variety of artistic styles to create the show together.

“There will be a variety of dancers with live musicians on stage,” Marroquin said. “We will be working together as a tapestry, pun intended, where all of our threads come together to create a picture. I feel that it’s especially significant now because of the times in which we’ve been living. We’re coming out of two years of seclusion, so it’s a reaching out toward community, as opposed to what we’ve had to do, to seclude and isolate ourselves.”

Flow artist and selfproclaimed rainbow kitten Kelly Bach also believes in the profound healing qualities of movement. Bach explained that flow arts are a movement practice in which an artist works with a prop such as a hula hoop, a staff or spinning poi, which is two balls at the end of a rope.

“You create patterns and begin to manipulate the prop around your body,” Bach said. There’s lots of different styles, and you can fall into a flow state.”

A flow state is the point at which a person becomes so involved within the activity, that time and the sense of self disappears.

“It can happen to anyone when they’re doing anything,” Bach said. “It happens to gardeners, athletes. It involves finding yourself in the space where enough skill is required to find it challenging but enough practice has been done to enter a flow state.”

Bach, who grew up in Dallas, has lived in and loved the San Marcos area since coming here for college. “Dallas is special in its own way,” she said. “I went to school in San Marcos and I was like, oh my gosh, look at all these people and things. There are people here who care about the environment,” Bach said. “I fell in love with the Hill Country and the river. It opened my eyes, and I haven’t left since.”

Bach teaches beginner, intermediate and advanced hula hooping in private or group sessions. “I love dance in all of its forms,” she said. “Free form wiggle dance. Everyone can wiggle their body and throw themselves around.”

Both performers will add their unique artistic threads to the tapestry of “The Precious Present I – In Love & Light,” which will also feature spoken word poet Zell Miller III; vocalists Nagavalli and Mohammed Firoozi; contemporary dancers Jun Shen, Andrea Ariel and Austin newcomer Francisco Graciano; Bharatanatyam master Anuradha Naimpally; local Flamenco legend Olivia Chacon; long-time local African dancer China Smith; and Jeremy Arnold and director Acia Gray bringing Tapestry’s jazz tap dance legacy back to the stage.

“It is in the dance of life that we collaborate with our individuality to create the beautiful orchestra of community,” said Tapestry Dance Company Director Acia Gray. “‘Who Am I?’ is the question for the family of Austin artists and the answers are thread throughout this collaborative performance in the magic of movement and sound.”

“The Precious Present” opens with an inner voice narrative presented by recently retired “Austin Chronicle” arts writer Robert Faires. Production designer Stephen Pruitt will lead the audience with a soundscape of musicians including the global fusion of ATASH and America’s indigenous jazz from The Souls of Our Feet Trio.

“This new work celebrates a musical and physical collaboration of diverse voices within our Austin arts ecosystem,” Gray said. “All unique yet traveling together and not alone — an artistic human tapestry of life that holds itself together as one.”

Performances will take place at the Long Center’s Rollins Theatre Dec. 9 - 12, at 8 p.m.; Thursday to Saturday; and at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets start at $39 and are available at TheLongCenter. org.