Lizz Roman’s Sunset Dances is back. This dance performance, which unfolds in the choreographer’s home in the Outer Sunset neighborhood of San Francisco, has thrilled those lucky enough to score a ticket since its first iteration in 2017. This is Sunset Dances IV, running from Sept. 5–21 on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 8 p.m in the Outer Sunset.
The beloved teacher at ODC Dance School designs dance pieces with an architectural eye. Roman’s aesthetic is bold and athletic, with dancers flying across rooms, tossing themselves onto furniture, and climbing vertically in doorways, hallways, and stairwells. Counters, cabinets, and windowsills all help to construct a playground for exploration — the site itself becoming a central part of the artwork.
Choosing one’s home as a site, especially at intermittent times across an eight-year history, inevitably means the work reflects the creator’s own domestic life. This is especially true for Sunset Dances, because Roman’s house has undergone a major transformation. Staged before the remodel, Sunset Dances III took place across the house and garage. The dancers could inhabit the spaces with a bit of abandon and serve as poetic wrecking balls — breaking old furniture or punching an occasional hole in the wall wasn’t a problem as the old gave way to the new.
At first, Roman did not intend to create Sunset Dances IV. But as she stood looking at the space with her husband last December, she felt the house calling to her again. The freshly designed space, Roman notes, mirrors her own personal transition as she looks to the future while processing the recent loss of her sister to cancer.
For Sunset Dances IV, Roman hired dancers who were willing to make a piece that could honor and investigate her itinerant self-reflection. “Can you come and process your life with me? Can you let me know who you are and where you are at?” she asked of them.
The resulting piece is softer and more intricate than her previous Sunset Dances, but I’d bet no less dazzling. Roman will serve as host and guide, creating a warm, welcoming atmosphere. Audience members will be ushered through the house to witness different dances happening in various rooms. The dancers will be accompanied by a dance film created by Pete Litwinowicz, original live music created by Roman’s son, Jerome Lindner, and live percussion from Malcolm Lee Halcrombe.