Author Walter Meyer will join dance company for National Bullying Prevention Month
By Anthony King | SDUN Editor
To help recognize National Bullying Prevention Month, Malashock Dance will present an anti-bullying panel discussion after the Saturday, Oct. 27 performance of their current production, “Malashock/RAW3.” The discussion will feature author and anti-bullying expert Walter Meyer.
In addition to Meyer – whose novel “Rounding Third” about teen bullying led him to coordinate anti-bullying programs for the San Diego Unified School District board and the San Diego City Council – local anti-bullying experts, dancers and dance instructors will participate in the discussion, including Robert Wagner from La Jolla Country Day School’s dance program.
“Malashock/RAW3” opened Oct. 18 and includes newly choreographed contemporary dance pieces by Artistic Director John Malashock, Associate Artistic Director Michael Mizerany and guest choreographer Regina Klenjoski of Long Beach, Calif. The production ends Sunday, Oct. 28 and is staged at the Malashock Dance Studio in Liberty Station.
Mizerany’s work for the show – aptly titled ‘Bully’ – addresses bullying though dance, providing an intimate look at real-life experiences from the choreographer’s past.
“My new work for RAW3, ‘Bully,’ is my own very personal story,” Mizerany said. “RAW3 is Malashock Dance’s most edgy and provocative production, and I knew I could address this subject matter in a very real and meaningful way.”
Mizerany said he did not shy away from the “inherent violence” needed to tell his story, which he calls both “physical” and “emotional.”
“There is tremendous power in sharing our mutual stories,” he said. “It fosters meaningful solutions and allows others to understand your point of view. We can pull strength and resilience from our universal experiences.”
In the additional two pieces in “Malashock/RAW3,” themes surrounding desire, social expectations and betrayal are explored. Malashock stages “Uneasy Surrender” with seven dancers, and Klenjoski premieres “Splinter,” examining anger, power and forgiveness.
Malashock Dance is a non-profit arts and educational organization that was founded in 1988. Their mission is “to provide transformational experiences through the creation, performance and teaching of dance,” offering contemporary work both nationally and internationally.
Tickets for the remaining shows are $25, and the studio is located at 2650 Truxtun Rd. For Friday, Oct. 26 and Saturday, Oct. 27, the show starts at 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28 starts at 7 p.m., and the anti-bullying discussion will follow the Saturday show. For more information and tickets visit malashockdance.org or call 619-260-1622.
