Deven P. Brawley: November’s Artist of the Month

Male dancers are a peculiar breed.  Since American culture hasn’t
quite embraced the idea of men dancing, guys who feel the urge to
dance often don’t have a chance to discover that passion until they
stumble into it by accident.

Such was the case with Deven P. Brawley.

Although dance and movement were part of his adolescence, it wasn’t
until 1997 when a Physical Education requirement in college brought
him to a modern dance class.

“It was an instant love affair,” he says.

The intended path to architecture was discarded and a new direction
began to take shape.

Brawley continued to train throughout college and became involved in
several professional dance companies, namely the Mojalet Dance
Collective, led by veteran San Diego dancer Faith Jensen-Ismay, and
the Patricia Rincon Dance Collective, directed by long-time San Diego
dance-maker Patricia Rincon, both of whom he calls important mentors.

During this time, Brawley learned what San Diego had to offer an
aspiring dancer, and it also gave him a chance to make connections,
work with other local artists, and observe what it takes to operate a
dance company.

“I watched first hand how they continued to keep their
companies thriving,” he recalls.

Related posts

October’s Artist of the Month: Conductor Jahja Ling

September’s Artist of the Month: Christopher Ashley

Jensen-Ismay witnessed his growth during the years he worked with her.
“As a dancer,” she says, “I was able to watch him develop from a raw
and talented kid, to a trained artistic adult.”

That he has also emerged as an active force in the dance community, as an
artistic director and producer, doesn’t surprise her.

“Deven has always been confident,” she says, describing him as go-getter, and
explains that this determination and drive have “helped him develop
his company, and his own voice as an artist.”

Starting a dance company is a daunting task, to say the least, akin to
starting ones own business. It requires a strong vision that is
ambitious yet realistic, a marketing plan to brand your product and
sell it to marketplace (i.e., arts patrons and presenters) and a
financial plan to account for the dancer fees, space rentals,
production fees, administrative duties, and more that come along with the
enterprise.

Brawley took the plunge into starting his own company in 2007.  The
decision came, he explains, after some personal exploration into the
type of dance he wanted to create and be a part of.

He made a date with commercial dance, which is where dance,
entertainment, and pop culture meet in music videos, on concert tours,
and on the tube with such shows like “So You Think You Can Dance”
(SYTYCD).  After auditioning for the show, Brawley realized that he
and commercial dance didn’t have much in common.

“It was during that time [that] I saw the difference between a
cultivating arts company and commercial work,” he says. “I realized
then that what I wanted to be a part of was my own vision.”

It was upon his return from the SYTYCD audition, that the d’shire dance
collective began.

A model for modern dance

Brawley describes d’shire dance collective as Southern California’s
first all-male dance company.  The ensemble, made up of five men, has
quickly built a strong presence in San Diego through extensive
collaborations with veteran San Diego choreographers (such as Rincon)
as well as local theater companies and other arts organizations.

Brawley credits Michael Mizerany, Associate Artistic Director of
Malashock Dance and Director of his own MizeranyDance! with providing
a model for modern dance that is created by, about, and with men.  ”I
felt for the first time I had a male figure I could see as
inspiration,” he says of working with Mizerany.

He also points to Peter Chu, whose work was recently seen by San Diego
audiences in this year’s Trolley Dances (see article here), Diavolo
Dance Theater in Los Angeles, and London’s DV8 Physical Theatre as
artists and companies whose style and themes motivate and excite him.

Traditionally, choreographers who start their own companies
(especially ones named after themselves) tend to use the company to
explore and present a personal aesthetic vision.

Yet from the start, Brawley has welcomed a wide-range of artistic
voices to set work with the company, from talented emerging
choreographers like Rebecca Bruno (LA) to renowned established artists
such as Yolande Snaith (London) and Eric Geiger (former dancer with
Bill T. Jones), both on the faculty at UC San Diego.

D’shire’s repertory ranges from an extravagant, theatrical circus that
takes a hard look at California’s political climate post-Prop 8 to a
poignant interpretation of the acclaimed play “Bent,” commissioned by
the Diversionary Theater, to abstract pas de deux and ensemble works
that explore the beauty and complexity of male relationships.

At the center of each work is the search for a new brand of
masculinity that embraces both strength and vulnerability.  With his
all-embracing artistic development model, Brawley has made that search
a communal experience.

Naturally, the logistics of maintaining a company have been
challenging.

“As [with] most others, budgets have been our biggest
downfall,” he says.

Although his projects have been enthusiastically
received by audiences, the lack of funding in San Diego to present
fully-produced concerts and support touring has been the greatest
challenge.

Yet despite obstacles, Brawley has found plenty of personal and
artistic satisfaction in the endeavor.  The biggest reward, he says,
has been the interest and dedication of the dancers he’s worked with
since the company’s launch.

The company is a constantly changing picture of male dancers in San
Diego - some on the scene for a while, others fresh out of the
region’s universities who are given their first opportunities in
professional dance.

“The lasting impression of their time with me has
served as a catalyst to keep me on the track I started, budget or
no-budget,” says Brawley.

A kindred spirit

Though he remains dedicated to his vision of an all-male dance
company, Brawley also found an artistic kindred spirit in dancer
Keely Campbell. That led to his second project, DK Dance, in 2008.

“It just felt right,” says Campbell after Brawley approached her about
the partnership. “I knew that doing this would give me a chance to
express my own voice choreographically but [also] to collaborate with
an artist that I felt had similar ideas and passions.”

The result is work that is deeply personal to both of them. Brawley is
“not afraid to put himself out there and invite people in to share
this experience with him,” says Campbell.

“We get inspired by each others movement, emotion, thoughts, writings,
artwork, and together create work that really expresses who we are,”
she says, adding that they tend to bring out the best in each other.

Campbell describes her partner’s movement as daring, athletic, aerobic
and fun: both interesting for audiences to watch and satisfying for
the dancer to perform as well.

“Deven is a very smart choreographer who thinks about details,” she
says. And yet, “he’s very open to seeing every aspect and to trying
new ideas but [is] always very clear with his intention for the work.”

When asked about what the San Diego dance community needs to take it
to the next level, Brawley points to training and education for the
next generation of dancers.

“I would truly love to see more of our local dance schools and centers [dedicated] to preparing young
artists,” he says.

“San Diego is and continues to be a thriving community, but the lack
of proper training currently has caused a riff in the way many
companies present themselves, cast work, and grow,” he adds, referring
to the small pool of local professional dancers who are frequently
used my multiple choreographers, thus making it difficult for each to
establish his or her own identity and style.

Still, Brawley expresses deep appreciation for the San Diego dance
community that nurtured him and continues to support him.  This
community support, he says, “has been very important to me as I have
developed my company.”

And the community can expect to see much more of him and his various
projects.  DK Dance and members of d’shire are a constant presence at
monthly dance events such as PGK Project’s 4×4xFloor event and The
Movement series.  Next up, Brawley and Campbell can be seen in “San
Diego Dances” at, appropriately enough, DK Hair Salon in Hillcrest
(info below).

Brawley is grateful for the exposure and looks forward to an active
professional career in Southern California.  Some performance
opportunities are giving him visibility in Los Angeles as well but San
Diego is where he’s firmly rooted, for now.

“My personal drive to
contribute art in San Diego has simply been to continue with [my]
vision and the desire I have to create, cultivate, and learn,” he
says.

He abandoned architecture when modern dance stole his heart. But
choreographers will tell you that dance and architecture share some
similarities.  After all, both take empty space and construct forms,
albeit using different materials and for different purposes.

With two companies in as many years, and more projects in the works,
Brawley is certainly laying a strong foundation and a sturdy frame for
his own type of high-rise ahead.

Brian Schaefer is an SDNN contributor.

Event info
What: “San Diego Dances” In Hillcrest

When: November 6 - 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Where: DK Hair Salon, 3785 Sixth Avenue (near Robinson Ave.), in  Hillcrest

How much: $15 (in advance or at the door)

Contact: ThePGKProject.com

Additional info: d’shire dance collective at  http://www.dshiredance.org

DK Dance on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/DK-DANCE/89151907544

Multimedia: Watch the d’shire dance collective in action:

Tags: Bent, Bill T. Jones, Brian Schaefer, Celebrate Dance Festival, d'shire dance, dance San Diego, Deven P. Brawley, Diversionary Theatre, DK Dance, eric Geiger, Faith Jensen-Ismay, Keeley Campbell, Malashock Dance, Michael Mizerany, modern dance, Mojalet Dance Collective, Peter Chu, Rebecca Bruno, San Diego choreographers, San Diego modern dance, SDNN, So You Think You Can Dance, SYTYCD, Yolande Snaith

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