A San Luis Obispo dance company is taking a financial leap of faith in staging its next pair of performances.
Normally, and particularly in this post-COVID era, local performing arts groups dream of sold out shows to help defray ever-increasing production expenses. At the same time, presenters are constantly challenged to keep ticket prices affordable, making the whole process a delicate balancing act.
But Lisa Deyo, founder of Deyo Dances, has decided to literally go for broke by offering her next two dance performances to the public.
For free.
“It feels a little bit like I threw myself off a cliff,” Deyo admits about her admittedly unusual decision. Asked why she’s doing this, the veteran dancer points to the numbers. After many years of performances at the 490-seat Spanos Theater at Cal Poly, the largest audience she’s been able to attract was 235.
“I thought, why not see if I can just give my tickets away?” she says. “The bottom line is that I want more people to experience this, and more people in the audience for the dancers to share that experience with. I decided to flip it on its head and see what happens.”
The family-friendly program features a mix of ballet, jazz, modern, and musical theater. The three scheduled pieces include the world premiere of “Julie Moments,” inspired by Deyo’s sister, along with “As It Seems” and “If.” A dance film short, “How I Spent My Summer Vacation,” also will be screened.
A Q&A with Deyo and her company, a mixture of local and imported professionals, follows each show.
Performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday, September 14 and 2 p.m. on Sunday, September 15 at the Spanos Theatre. Though the shows are free, the public is asked to reserve their seats online.
Deyo has a wide-ranging background as a dancer and performer, dating back to her early days at the Academy of Dance with Lori Silvaggio. She has appeared with professional dance companies in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, while also drawing international attention in Barcelona, Paris, and St. Petersburg.
Her ballet “Out of Water” was chosen one of six finalists in the International Competition of Classical Choreography as part of the Nouveau Festival International de Danse de Paris in 1999.
The San Luis Obispo native is financing all the production costs for the upcoming shows herself—no small endeavor—drawing on an inheritance left by her late parents. She’s hopeful that the lure of free tickets will be enough to fill the house for both performances.
And equally hopeful that audiences will donate to help cover expenses.
“If people donate, that would be lovely,” Deyo says. “That would mean I could keep doing this. If not, well, this might be the last one.”