PGK Dance Project’s Peter G. Kalivas: Breaking barriers through dance


PGK Dance Project's Peter G. Kalivas: Breaking barriers through dance

Growing up Greek was Peter G. Kalivas’ introduction to the beauty and power of dance, and he was in love.

He calls learning cultural customs and how to speak the language part of his obligation as a Greek person, and it was during the singing and dancing at the Greek nights at his local orthodox church where young Peter associated his identity with the dance and music of his culture.

“This was an intoxicating, powerful feeling. Moving your body in concert with your people, in a state of ‘oneness,’” he recalled, noting the complicated rhythms and intense athleticism required of the men and boys who perform the traditional line dancing. “Spinning and creating other acrobatic feats I had practiced in my basement became my thing, and for this I got loads of praise and attention, and that was that. I was a dancer.”

He went on to dance professionally for 25 years in New York City, places in Europe, and a number of other cities and countries before creating his own dance company, The PGK Dance Project, in 1994. With a mission to “promote and represent diversity,” he’s focused on making sure his company’s performances and programs are accessible, affordable and relevant to audiences as society continues to grow and evolve.

Kalivas, 54, is the founding director of The PGK Dance Project (or PGK DANCE!) and lives in San Diego’s Webster neighborhood with his partner of 25 years and their two dogs. He took some time to discuss his work, why diversity and inclusion are so important to him, and his preference for singing soul music.

Q: Tell us about The PGK Dance Project.

A: PGK DANCE! is a contemporary repertory company, which means we do not just perform works that I create, but also works by a range of diverse choreographers representing a variety of aesthetics, styles, and points of view. We do this to best serve the public, which also has a variety of aesthetics, styles and points of view they are interested in and respond to.

I originally started this as The PGK Project in 1994 while I was living and dancing with a ballet and contemporary company in Munich, Germany. I liked the notion of calling it a “project” versus the more traditional “company,” so that the idea of it and what it is wasn’t static, but could constantly evolve to remain relevant and effective. Our purpose is to provide a platform that creates jobs while also showcasing a diverse array of excellent dancers. The work we do must always be attempting to resolve the three main barriers the professional arts constantly face: affordability, accessibility and relevance.

When we relocated the company to San Diego in 2002, we started working a lot more “added value” angles to our art, including drink tickets with admission, audience participation and interactive moments, and performing in less traditional spaces in favor of alternative spaces.

Q: What initially appealed to you about dance as an art form?

A: In addition to dance being the mode I felt best represented me, part of this was also tied to the athletic part of dance. I loved being physically strong and flexible, and dance required both. I liked being able to do cool and unexpected things with my body. I also really liked the training and the rigor to achieve all of that. It required tremendous effort and strict, dedicated work to become good at it, and I really liked that.

Q: Part of your mission with The PGK Dance Project to “promote and represent diversity.” What are some examples of how you’ve been able to do this over the years?

A: One of my favorite stories to tell is of my first produced show in San Diego, in my friend’s hair salon instead of in a theater. This was a creative device to accomplish reducing and deconstructing those three traditional barriers to the arts. It’s a classic way of disrupting the economic, social and cultural issues in our society that promote and create division. Over time, we researched and realized that the traditional theatrical space is extremely prohibitive. It is daunting and irrelevant to so many people in America, particularly in the 21st century, and represents the opposite of our mission. Producing our first show in this unexpected space for dance made our purpose clear from the start. Since the space was donated to us for the mutual benefit for the host and for us, we didn’t have to inflate our ticket prices to compensate for the cost of the space. Also, producing professional dance in an unexpected space that is temporarily interrupted creates positive tension and intrigue for both audiences experienced in dance and audiences who are curious about it. This was an “experience” with dance, not a dance concert; and this is the model we have kept ever since.

Promoting diversity through dance is directly attached to access. It’s barriers and borders we are deconstructing at PGK DANCE. We are working hard to not just get everyone in, but to represent and present everyone through all the different kinds of dance we do, and present and all the different kinds of dancers that compose our company.

What I love about Webster …

I love that my neighborhood is diverse and becoming more so all the time. I lived and worked in New York City for 12 years before relocating to San Diego, I spent many summers in Greece as a kid, and I lived and worked in Europe, as well. I am accustomed to seeing different kinds of people and ways of being throughout my day, and hearing different languages. This is what I know the world to be, and I welcome the fact that where I live now is becoming more of that.

Q: Tell us about The Ascend Project.

A: The Ascend Project started back in 2012, and the purpose of the program was to provide free dance classes to youth who would benefit from this kind of access to these classes. In our initial announcement, we implied that the program was geared toward youth of low-income backgrounds, but we always practice the honor system and never request proof of this. In the interest of access and assistance we want to embrace, support and celebrate everyone through dance. We are ultimately using dance as a tool to promote life skills, helping participants to practice listening, demonstrating comprehension, mutual appreciation and understating of others, and learning to be responsible for themselves. The first session we ever had included not just learning contemporary/modern dance skills, but also choreography that they ultimately performed during a winter holiday concert and, later, before several thousand people at the Mission Federal Credit Union’s ArtWalk in Little Italy. We now have multiple satellite programs for The Ascend Project in various sites for 20-week sessions.

Q: What led you to create this program?

A: Access. If I did not have access to learning Greek folk dances at my church and dancing in shows at my junior high school, at no extra cost to me and my family and no other real effort for us, then I may not have become who I am today. Everyone needs and deserves access to a wide variety of things, particularly youth, so they can have an equal, fair chance to be and become the person they want to be. It’s not just exposure to the arts we are doing, it’s putting youth together who look different, act different, respond differently, and solve differently so we can begin practicing and learning how to be in the world together, respectfully. Dance, in this case through The Ascend Project, is a facilitator of a much larger purpose. If a secondary result of all of that is that someone wants to pursue dance more seriously or become a sustaining audience for dance, too, then great!

Q: What have you noticed about the kids who’ve participated in this program?

A: Self-worth and pride are the most obvious results. When the youth perform publicly, simply based on how many people they invite to come see them for their performances, it’s a clear indication of how proud they are of themselves and the confidence they have presenting and representing themselves. They also participate in the creation of much of the dances they perform and several students have created solos and duets, as well. We always have the kids introduce themselves and the dance they are about to perform. We want them to practice and maintain ownership over themselves, their work, and their performance rather than have an adult or authority figure speak for them. I can see that the kids appreciate the opportunity to speak for themselves.

Q: What has your work taught you about yourself?

A: That I am ridiculously ambitious, creative, and enjoy working really hard to develop solutions.

Q: What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

A: Never forget where and what you come from, and remain humble and grateful.

Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you?

A: I am also a professional, trained singer with my preferred style being soul.

Q: Please describe your ideal San Diego weekend.

A: Cooking and hosting friends at my house. I’m Greek, that’s what we do!




Source link