Production Details

Location, identity and adapting are at the forefront of CALI & CO dance’s work, ADAPT, featuring original live music from long-time collaborator Matt Langlois/Matt EL. The ADAPT series is a collaboratively created dance piece, adapted to new and unconventional spaces, big and small, indoor and outdoor; changing the experience and outcome of the piece for performer and audiences at every site. The work expands ideas of survival, sustainability, embodiment and community and queries what is sustainable for the physical body as each of us are plunged into ADAPTing in this era of Covid, rapid climate change and ongoing dismissals of social injustices. ADAPT has been created through anti-racist, intentional practices and seeks to honor humans and the human experience through unity, diversity and reciprocity.

CALI & CO dance//The Welcome Matt believe that our actions, movement, language matter; and rigorously and lovingly work to align our intentions with impact. We acknowledge the responsibility that comes with making live performance, and the trust/relationship building necessary to decenter whiteness and honor diversity in our creative practices. We believe that everyone is already dancing, choreographing & improvising their daily lives, embodying and sharing their gifts, as well as their struggle. We seek to honor our performers and audiences by creating work that is collaborative, in shared-purpose/shared leadership that also challenges conditioned perspectives and constructs. We are also deeply-rooted in the interconnectedness of dance and live music, and have been collaborating to create original works for the past decade.

Artist Biographies

Christine Cali (Artistic Director)
Christine Cali is the director of the San Francisco based CALI & CO dance (2001) and Chair and Associate Professor of Theatre Arts & Dance at Sonoma State University. Cali directed a site-adaptive series, performed in 20 locations in SF in collaboration with Matt EL Music (17-19’). She performed with Brooklyn-based Urban Bush Women (UBW) in Hair & Other Stories, (2019), has been invited to curate a CSU Summer Arts program featuring UBW and Matt EL, and during covid, has offered SIP Somatic Dance & Wellness classes via ZOOM, with donations supporting SF Bay Area BIPOC artists and organizations. Cali has been described as “one of the most ferocious, spell-binding dancers I’ve seen in this city” in the SF Chronicle, and nominated as Best Dance Class in SF Magazine’s “Best of 2015”. She has been nominated for two IZZIE Awards for her performances in San Francisco. Her creative work and teaching are rooted in anti-racist practices/pedagogies, embodied story-sharing, original live music by Matt Langlois and collaborators, and community building through art-marking. Cali has taught at Alonzo King’s LINES BFA, A.C.T. MFA Acting, U of San Francisco, The Branson School, The Marin School of The Arts, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, Sacramento State University, Scottsdale Community College, Niagara County Community College, Modesto Community College, University of Nevada (Reno), University of Wyoming, University of South Florida, Mendocino College, Ohio University, Arizona State University, Hollins University, Sung Kyun Kwan University (Seoul, S Korea), The Ambrit School (Rome, Italy), ROCO Dance, SF City Dance, Lewiston Dance Center, The American Dance Festival/ADF (Duke Univeristy), workshops in Japan, China, Canada, South Korea, Germany; and her work has been performed at The Cowell Theatre/Fort Mason, ODC Theatre, Z-Space, Venue 9, The Garage, Safehouse for the Arts, Dance Mission Theatre, Little Boxes Theatre, Joe Goode Annex, The Supper Club, The Exit Theatre, Dancer’s Group/Foot Works, Brady Street, Marin Convention Center, CounterPulse, Jon Sims Center, West Wave Dance Festival, Summer Performance Festival, The SF International Arts Festival (2014, 15’, 16’), Saeng Saeng Festival (2007), Seoul International Improvisation Festival (2007, 08’), The Asian Art Museum - Divine Bodies Exhibit (2018), The American College Dance Association (ACDA), Yerba Buena Gardens Choreofest/RAW Dance (2021). www.calidances.com

Matt Langlois (Music Director)
Matt Langlois is a San Francisco singer-songwriter, video/audio artist, music for dance composer and live performer. He has created multiple long-running music projects that favor his name, The Welcome Matt and Matt EL. Over the past two decades, Langlois has amassed an extensive library of music including 9 albums, 22 singles and a compilation CD. Touring regularly, pre-covid, Langlois and his band embarked on a cross-country tour from Los Angeles to New England and back. He has songwriting credit on the top 40 hit “San Francisco” by “CASCADA” from Germany, his “Wake Me Up In San Francisco” (original version) has played on KFOG 104.5 and at SF Giants games. Langlois is the music director and plays live with CALI & CO dance nationally and internationally. His eclectic musical journey, ranging from quirky pop, alternative rock to thoughtful instrumentals have been featured in music videos, live concerts, and virtual performances. Live performance credits include concerts at landmark San Francisco Music Venues including The Fillmore, The Great American Music Hall and Yoshi’s. He is also a member of WIXEN publishing alongside the likes of Tom Petty, Missy Elliot and Rage Against the Machine. During Covid, Langlois wrote and recorded a new album, “The New Weird World” with a feature song matching its title. Post-covid, Langlois is planning for gigs in Germany in collaboration with bandmates in Europe and performing live again! You can see him play live, opening for Cracker at The Hop Monk Cookout Series in Sept. Facebook//thewelcomematt, Instagram: @welcomemattmusic