Performers twirl, jump, spin, bringing San Diego’s Trolley Dances to life

by Times of San Diego Staff Reports

Two people stand at the top of an outdoor plaza, with four people lined up behind them and five more in the back. Spectators line two sides of the plaza, watching.

Two dancers look to each other as they perform at Trolley Dances. (Photo by Adrian Childress/Times of San Diego)
A group of performers line up for Trolley Dances. (Photo by Adrian Childress/Times of San Diego)
A Trolley Dances sign. (Photo by Adrian Childress/Times of San Diego)
Spectators head to the next performance, with helpful guides to direct them. (Photo by Adrian Childress/Times of San Diego)
Dancers express themselves before Trolley Dances participants. (Photo by Adrian Childress/Times of San Diego)
A group waits for the next dance to begin. (Photo by Adrian Childress/Times of San Diego)
One of the Trolley Dances performers stands out against the natural backdrop. (Photo by Adrian Childress/Times of San Diego)
Dancers perform to a rapt audience. (Photo by Adrian Childress/Times of San Diego)
One dancer has a view of the whole scene at Horton Plaza, with other performers and the crowd assembled below. (Photo by Adrian Childress/Times of San Diego)

When you think of public art, you might think of murals or a sculpture in a downtown plaza.

Trolley Dances is a unique take on the concept, with 45 local dancers bringing custom choreographed performances to Metropolitan Transit System stations.

Audiences follow along from station to station. The tour, which began Saturday, made stops at Fashion Valley Transit Center, Hazard Center and the Fenton Parkway Trolley Station. Performances start at 10 a.m. Sunday and continue until 3 p.m.; tickets remain for the afternoon slots.

In addition to San Diego Dance Theater, this year’s collaborators – the event began 27 years ago –include the Town & Country Resort, Hazard Center, Ultra Star Cinemas, SDSU Mission Valley River Park and Mission Valley branch library.

The featured dances include “Tela y Tierra” by Megan Curet, “Embers Imprint” by Blythe Barton, “Return” by Lavina Rich, “Slip Slidin Away” by Jean Issacs, “What of Water?” by Bernard Brown and “Tethered”by Odessa Mae Uno.

Here’s a little bit about the 2025 Trolley Dances choreographers:

Uno – She received her BFA in Dance from California Institute of the Arts where she studied performance and choreography. She has most recently performed with DISCO RIOT, Fresh Congress Dance and Maraya Performing Arts.
Brown – the artistic director of Bernard Brown/bbmoves choreographs for stage, specific sites, film and opera at various events, including The Getty, On The Boards, REDCAT, Dance Camera West and American Dance Festival’s ADF Movies by Movers.
Curet – Curet’s trans-disciplinary practice weaves together contemporary dance, social practice, healing modalities and fieldwork, centering themes of migration, memory, collective care and “diasporic resilience.”
Barton – earned her BFA in Dance from Chapman University, where she was honored with an Excellence in Choreography Award. She continued her education at Florida State University on scholarship, receiving an MFA in Dance.
Rich – focuses on exploring the human experience through movement. She studied dance at Grossmont College and then UCSD and has performed with many local companies and international artists. Rich also danced as an original member of bkSoul.
Isaacs – is the former artistic director of San Diego Dance Theater, the originator of the annual site-specific project Trolley Dances and co-founder of the San Diego Dance Alliance, Three’s Company and Dancers and Isaacs/McCaleb & Dancers.