Andie is the most beautiful shopper Zac has ever seen. He would watch her when she headed to aisle seven to grab a bag of salt and vinegar chips, a memorable vision he wanted to keep.<\/p>\n
In choreographer Ching Ching Wong\u2019s \u201cThe Shelf Life, Ep. 03,\u201d Zac and Andie are characters in a dance set in a futuristic grocery store, where memories can be \u201ccollected, stored and itemized for immediate access.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wong\u2019s touring episodic work, (parts one and two debuted in Utah and Idaho) is one of three contemporary dances in The Rosin Box Project\u2019s presentation of \u201cDEBUTS,\u201d being presented next weekend at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido.<\/p>\n
The show also includes provocative choreography by guest artist Garrett Smith and a dance by The Rosin Box Project\u2019s artistic director, Carly Topazio.<\/p>\n
Topazio met Wong last year when Wong was working as the rehearsal director for Ballets Jazz Montr\u00e9al, the Canadian company that made a San Diego tour stop for its \u201cDance Me\u201d show at the San Diego Civic Theatre.<\/p>\n
\u201cChing Ching is so animated and creative and energetic,\u201d Topazio said excitedly.<\/p>\n
![\"Rosin](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/sut-l-dance-rosinbox1.jpg\")
Rosin Box Project dancer Danielle Archuleta performs in Ching Ching Wong\u2019s \u201cThe Shelf Life, Ep. 03.\u201d It\u2019s one of three new works being presented in the company\u2019s \u201cDebuts\u201d concerts Aug. 22-24 in Escondido. (Carly Topazio)<\/p>\n
\u201cWe talked a lot about where the dance industry is going and we aligned in a lot of areas. She shared such a passion for creating new worlds through dance, which I think is what she\u2019s doing with this piece she created on the company.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Shelf Life, Ep. 03\u201d uses LED-lit grocery carts and soup cans for props and a soundtrack that includes sound effects and a narrated script.<\/p>\n
Jeremy Zapanta, a TRBP company dancer who knew Wong from when they both attended UC Irvine, is the voice of Zac, who, during the dance, explains: \u201cOur tin-can system is 100% insured. Here, prized memories become repeatable realities, undesirable memories become systematically organized and shelved. Our search-and-enjoy system is easy to use. Search by memory number, category or title.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wong, a Princess Grace Award-winner, said that when she began her choreographic career, taking on commissions in different states, with different companies, she became obsessed with memories as a theme.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found that I was scattering my energies and thoughts into 100 different worlds and memories became this unlimited well of inspiration,\u201d Wong said by phone from her home in Portland, Oregon.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach company is taking on its own trajectory and I\u2019m unlocking a different door or journey for each group. For the first episode, I was really inspired by memories we want to hold onto and memories we want to destroy.\u00a0\u00a0In episode 03, with The Rosin Box Project, it\u2019s about what lengths and faults we go through to preserve a memory. You will find out the backstory \u2014 why Zac wanted to create this world. Ultimately, it\u2019s because he wants to control memory, which is an uncontrolled fire.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Rosin](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/sut-l-dance-rosinbox2.jpg\")
Rosin Box Project dancer Bethany Green performs in Ching Ching Wong\u2019s \u201cThe Shelf Life, Ep. 03.\u201d It\u2019s one of three new works being presented in the company\u2019s \u201cDebuts\u201d concerts Aug. 22-24 in Escondido. (Carly Topazio)<\/p>\n
Garrett Smith, Topazio said, was one of\u00a0TRBP\u2019s\u00a0\u201cdream choreographers\u201d and she commissioned him to create a dance for \u201cDEBUTS.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith has choreographed for ballet and contemporary companies, ice skating professionals and for the Netflix series, \u201cTiny Pretty Things.\u201d<\/p>\n
For \u201cDEBUTS\u201d his graceful and athletic work is performed in trench coats.<\/p>\n
In a move Smith calls \u201cthe helicopter,\u201d for example, TRBP artists Reka Gyulai and Sona Jaeger each wrap one arm around dancer Brian Bennett\u2019s neck, extend the other arm, lift their knees and become airborne as Bennett spins full circle.<\/p>\n
Topazio\u2019s\u00a0dance, titled \u201cThe Construct That Holds Us\u201d was inspired by the habits and traditions that continue in our lives, impacting our choices, until we stop to question their significance.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of rehearsal today, we were working on the piece and we were talking a lot about how constructs shape us,\u201d Topazio explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething that started taking place in the work is who we are and how we are in relationships. There\u2019s comfort in a construct, but it can also be confining and I think that resonated with everyone. It\u2019s about not subscribing to the way things are supposed to be, but questioning it and finding your own truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
The theme of the dance is accompanied by urgent, repetitive violin melodies and demonstrated with graceful balletic movement. A sense of freedom and then constriction is suggested with the company performing synchronized arm extensions, swirling turns, then, a doubling over, as if protecting one\u2019s core.<\/p>\n
Though The Rosin Box Project dancers are classically trained ballet artists, Topazio stressed that investing in the creation of new work is \u201cvital for the evolution of dance and essential to keeping the art form responsive, relevant and human.\u201d<\/p>\n
She and Wong discussed presenting a mini tour of \u201cThe Shelf Life\u201d in its entirety, but the disappearing grants from National Endowment of the Arts, a major sponsor, could prevent that possibility.<\/p>\n
Despite the fiscal challenges in San Diego\u2019s artistic community, Topazio remains undaunted.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the face of these funding issues, they are not wavering in their steps to continue and be curious,\u201d Wong added. \u201cThey are finding ways of making things happen because of their grit and determination.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Rosin Box Project presents \u2018DEBUTS\u2019<\/p>\n
When:<\/strong> 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 22-23; 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24<\/p>\n