Oceánica Ballet, "Alicia in the Land of Wonders" 4/24, Free, CSM Ethnic Studies "Art as Resistance"
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In conjunction with College of San Mateo’s Ethnic Studies Film Festival, Oceánica Ballet will present a special live preview performance of Act 1 of the upcoming world premiere Alicia in the Land of Wonders. This new narrative ballet relates the tale of Alicia, the daughter of immigrants to the U.S., who reconnects with her heritage through Mexican folktales, images, and music woven together in an adventure loosely inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. Choreographed by Oceánica Ballet Artistic Co-Directors Edgar Lepe and Robert Burns Lowman, Alicia in the Land of Wonders features music by José Elizondo, Mexican composers and others. As part of CSM’s Ethnic Studies Film Festival theme “art as resistance,” this unticketed event is free and open to the public and will be followed by a brief Q&A session with the artists.
Alicia in the Land of Wonders will be presented in one performance only at 12:45pm on Thursday, April 24, 2025 at the College of San Mateo Theatre.
About Artistic Co-Director Edgar Lepe
Trained in Folklorico Ballet throughout his youth, Edgar Lepe began studying classical ballet in 2008 at the San Francisco Academy of Ballet under the direction of ballet masters Richard Gibson and Zory Karah.
Edgar has performed in Mexico and the United States with Collage West Ensemble, Compañia Mexico Danza, Ensembles Ballet Folklorico of San Francisco, as well as Peninsula Ballet Theatre, Presidio Dance Theatre, Bay Pointe Ballet, and Oakland Ballet. Edgar has choreographed for Bay Pointe Ballet, Bay Area Ballet Conservatory, Peninsula Ballet Theatre, and San Jose Dance International. Edgar currently teaches at Bay Area Ballet Conservatory.
About Artistic Co-Director Robert Burns Lowman
Robert Burns Lowman trained at Susan Hayward School of Dancing and holds B.A.s in Dance and Theater & Performance Studies from U.C. Berkeley. He is a recipient of the Mask and Dagger Memorial Prize (2012) and the Rosalyn Schneider Eisner Prize (2013).
Robert has danced in works by Gregory Amato, Marit Brook-Kothlow, Carlos Carvajal, Ron Cunningham, Katie Faulkner, and Scott Wells. At Peninsula Ballet Theatre, Robert performed principal roles in Giselle, The Nutcracker, and Carmen Suite; and was featured as a soloist in the virtual release of The Chrysalis Project. In addition to performing, Robert directed PBT’s annual Dance Makers choreography showcase from 2016-2019 and was PBT Artistic Assistant from 2018-2020. Robert has also performed with em(body) dance project and Ballet Folklórico México Danza, and currently teaches ballet at Bay Area Ballet Conservatory.
About Oceánica Ballet
Oceánica Ballet is a group of dynamic artists curated from the Bay Area’s diverse classical dance scene. Oceánica Ballet was formed in 2021 to unite people through the shared experience of dance performance as a reflection of our complex and diverse collective humanity. Our mission is to enliven the San Francisco Bay Area cultural landscape by making professional-level ballet performances accessible and relatable to Bay Area audiences. We enrich the artistic careers of locally-based, professionally trained dance artists of diverse ages, races, genders, sexual orientations, and body types. We create innovative new ballet-based dance works, and interpret classics in fresh and exciting ways.
Oceánica Ballet, Inc. has been designated a Section 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
CALENDAR LISTING
Dance, Theater, Performance
WHO/WHAT: Oceánica Ballet presents Alicia in the Land of Wonders
WHEN: Thursday, April 24th, 2025 at 12:45pm
WHERE: College of San Mateo Theatre, Music, Theater, Art Buildings, 1700 W Hillsdale Blvd, San Mateo, CA 94402 College of San Mateo website states "Parking will be open without any permit requirement" for visitors in "in all designated 'Student Parking lots' ".
TICKETS: Free (unticketed)
For more information visit https://oceanicaballet.org
*Times, dates, and prices of any activity posted to our calendars are subject to change. Please be sure to click through directly to the organization’s website to verify.