Artist Bio

Khambatta Dance Company

Mixed Repertory (Bay Area Debut)
Presented by Khambatta Dance Company and Scott Wells & Dancers

The San Francisco debut of the five-member Seattle based company, led by Artistic Director Cyrus Khambatta, contrasts rigorous partnering and athletic movement with authentic human content to create an emotionally moving dance, which is both visually beautiful and physically demanding. The company will perform three pieces: Kim, Interview with the American Dream and Pendulum. Since arriving in Seattle from points East (New York and France) in 2001, its programs have been viewed on the West Coast and abroad by 20,000 people, ranging from undercover sitespecific pieces that spring to life around unsuspecting audiences to staged full-length interdisciplinary productions.

Khambatta Dance Company will present four works, created over a couple years where Artistic Director, Cyrus Khambatta was fascinated by scrutinizing the inner lives of Americans. The first two works: Ashutosh and Kim, named for the people that inspired them, were created by interviewing a serial entrepreneur/millionaire and the other, a divorcee who had recently taken her children and left her husband. The works include actual video interviews taken with the two subjects as a humorous and dramatic backdrop. Ashutosh incorporates the entire company of five dancers, including Eric Eugene Aguilar, Jennifer Elder, Chris McCallister, Rachel Randall and Meredith Sallee, and featuring Indian pop music and local Pacific Northwest artist Tai Rei from Portland, Oregon. Kim is an arresting solo for dancer between Jennifer Elder and a chair, depicting the alienation of "being alone inside a relationship" as Kim admits in the accompanying video interview. It is a technically challenging dance that uses prop as theatrical muse.

The third piece, Interview with the American Dream, takes a look at the underbelly of American idealism during the heart of the recent recession, featuring a soundtrack of anonymous interviews taken from one American randomly called in each U.S. state. The question posed to those who answered the phone? "What is the current state of the American Dream?" The resulting interviews provide a riveting real-world feeling to this on-going American crisis. This epic work contrasts muscular dancing and the company's split-second timing with a strong emotional undercurrent, featuring fiery and taunting duets, a powerful female solo by Rachel Randall--calling to mind "Rosie the Riveter"-- and a heart-wrenching male solo by Chris McCallister, whose dancing is described by the Seattle Times as "…a knockout." Dancers also include Eric Eugene Aguilar, Jennifer Elder and Meredith Sallee.

The fourth work, Pendulum turns a couple’s bed politics into a humorous blanket- wrestling match. The piece goes on to depict the ways a relationship gradually shifts over time and uses a technically challenging swinging/undulating movement for the dancers that never stops once it starts. The piece is named after the signature 52’ Foucault pendulum installed at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. until 1998. Named after the renowned French physicist Jean Foucault, the pendulum, once started in a direction soon began swinging in quite a different direction, thus proving the rotation of the earth. The Seattle Times called the piece "…glorious…a tour-de- force…" and it features two of the company’s most acclaimed dancers Chris McCallister and Rachel Randall.

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Cyrus Khambatta (Artistic Director) was born in Syracuse, NY to parents of Persian and European decent. He founded Khambatta Dance Company (formerly The Phffft! Company) after graduating from New York University. His choreographic works have been presented in twelve US states, Russia, Latin America, Canada and throughout Europe commissioned by companies such as Ririe Woodbury Dance (Salt Lake City), Pisorrojo (Caracas, Venezuela), Donald Byrd's Spectrum Dance Theatre (Seattle, WA) Evergreen Ballet under Wade Whitall as well as KDC and others. He received California's Damen New Choreography award in 2003 and was a selected artist to participate in the 2004 National Dance Project/New England Foundation for the Arts Regional Dance Development Initiative.

Eric Eugene Aguilar (Dancer) loves to perform. He also loves producing images in many forms that represent his family, emotions, and environment. Sometimes he will play trumpet too, but usually late at night while attempting to cover Lady Gaga. Recently, Eric has added costume making to his list of artistic endeavors.

Jennifer Elder (Dancer) discovered dance at twelve. A proud native of the Pacific Northwest, Jennifer received her dance training at the Southwest Washington Dance Center in Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Hula, and African. After several seasons with the Southwest Washington Ballet Ensemble and Blacken Tan Dance Company, she earned her BFA in Modern Dance, graduating Cum Laude from the University of Utah. She danced in the department's Performing Dance Company. Since moving to Seattle, she has made her own work as well as danced for Marlo Martin, Michele Miller, DASSdance, Whibey Island Dance Theater, Jerboa Dance Company, Redd Legg Dance, and Northwest Dance Syndrome.

Chris McCallister (Dancer) was born in Sacramento, California. There, at age seven, he began his training in tap dance with a desire to "dance like the man in the rain." After teaching children at local dance studios and church organizations, Chris moved to Seattle to attend Cornish College of the Arts in 2003, where he studied for two years. During his stay at CCA, he danced for choreographers Deborah Wolf and KT Niehoff. Since coming to Seattle, he has performed with several choreographers in various festivals and shows. Chris has been performing and traveling with the Phffft! Company since February of 2006. His choreography has been performed through CCA, and he is planning to produce more of his own work in the future.

Rachel Randall (Dancer) was born in London and graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in dance and anthropology. She danced with the Chamber Dance Company and choreographed Living Shadows, receiving the 2007 award for outstanding achievement in choreography. She holds a Professional Diploma in Dance Studies from Laban in London. Before that, she spent many years as a competitive gymnast, figure skater, and quite a few summers doing circus training and performing with Professor Bud’s Mini Circus. Rachel has danced professionally in Seattle and as a guest artist with NOYAM and the National Theatre of Ghana Dance Ensemble in Ghana, West Africa.

Meredith Sallee (Dancer) recently arrived in Seattle after a series of cross-country moves with her husband. She graduated from Bates College (Lewiston, Maine) in 2007 where she received her B.A. in Art History and a secondary concentration in dance. At Bates, Meredith worked with choreographers such as Jodi Melnick, Louis Gervais, and Carol Dilley. She was a member of Fuzion Dance Artists in Sarasota, Florida and has recently performed with The Barefoot Collective of Tacoma and Josephine's Echopraxia of Seattle. Meredith is grateful for her South Georgia roots and the constant support of her family and friends.

Andrea Larreta (Apprentice) is from Southern California, where she received her training from dancers formerly with Ballet West and American Ballet Theater. She graduated with honors from the Idyllwild Arts Academy in 2002. She attended SMU on scholarship where she received her BFA in Dance Performance, Cum Laude, in May 2006. Andrea has attended workshops at the Martha Graham School, with Pilobolus, the Paul Taylor Company, Donald Byrd, and studied on scholarship with Gelsey Kirkland, Bill Iha, and Tinka Dailey. In Seattle, Andrea has appeared in works by Deb Wolf and Kristen Legg. While a company member of DASS dance, she also designed costumes for "Poor Man’s Boogie" and "The Opera Café.