DISCO RIOT Presents...

S P A C E Rising Showcase

with the DISCO RIOT (R)evolution Mentees

September 27 & 28 at 7pm 

at City Heights Performance Annex

S P A C E Rising Showcase is the final presentation of a 10-week artist residency process with (R)evolution Mentees Briele Melahn & Giovanna Francisco, Emily Sutherland & Jenna Wu-Cardona, and Karina Wilson & Patrick Li. In residence at DISCO RIOT’s community partner studios Malashock Dance, BalletCenter Studios, and Culture Shock San Diego, the artists delved into research and development of new works! 

S P A C E Rising is a new iteration of our S P A C E residency, designed specifically to support our (R)evolution Mentorship Mentees and this Showcase is the book end to their 10-month mentorship program. The residency offers organized and mindful cohort-driven experience for creative inquiry, artistic development, networking, creative and cultural exchange, as well as a platform to share work. We are pleased to be able to facilitate this new residency program geared towards supporting emerging dance-makers in their pursuit to deepen their practice, and explore/develop new ideas and projects in collaboration with their (R)evolution cohort! Join us for the culminating event of the (R)evolution Mentorship Program and S P A C E Rising Process to celebrate what their creative research, exploration, and mentorship has yielded.

Tickets are by donation with a $20 suggestion and no minimum donation amount. 

City Heights Performance Annex is ADA accessible.

About the Artists & Their Projects

Karina Wilson (she/her) is a San Diego-based mover with roots in LA. Trained in Balanchine and drawn to contemporary movement, she has explored her artistic style studying at Complexions Contemporary Ballet and Alonzo King LINES Ballet. Karina aspires to engage in diverse capacities, collaborating with others to play and innovate.

Patrick Li envisions uniting people from diverse backgrounds through the universal language of dance. Growing up and training abroad, Patrick embraces dance as a potent art form for expressing individuality while exploring common ground. His current movement practice integrates digital innovation with movement to transcend traditional performance boundaries.

Karina Wilson & Patrick Li aim to explore how individuals, partnerships, and communities navigate their diverse states of existence. Our focus is on unraveling the dynamics of personal presence, partnership interactions, and collective experience. Technology will subtly underpin these interactions, shaping our lens of interconnected human experiences.

Briele Melahn is a newly relocated San Diego artist. After receiving her BFA through the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College she has performed and presented original works in NYC. Melahn works with dance, improvisation, and collaboration to explore the intersection of original movement and intuitive humanness.

Giovanna Francisco (she/her) is a San Diego-based movement artist. She graduated from UCSD with her BA in both dance and sociology with a minor in education studies. Giovanna has performed and created work in San Diego as both an independent artist and community dancer. Her movement practice centers dance as a tool for exploration and connection.

Briele Melahn & Giovanna Francisco feel inclined to investigate pedestrian and performer boundaries within a live show context. We are questioning what it means to be authentic while simultaneously being on display in front of an audience. How can we merge performance and process?

Jenna Wu-Cardona (they/them/she) is a queer and multiracial dancer and artist with roots in Los Angeles and San Diego. They studied education and dance at Scripps College and have since worked with Blue 13 Dance Company, DISCO RIOT’s 2024 Queer Mvmnt Fest, and Dance the Yard.

Emily Jane Sutherland is a queer San Diego based artist who recently graduated from San Diego State with their Bachelors in Dance. Emily is a visual artist/ choreographer who uses various art mediums to transform spaces and elevate dance performance.

Through the crossover of site-specific dance film with stagework and projection, Emily Jane Sutherland & Jenna Wu-Cardona’s piece will expand on common definitions and understandings of bodies. We question both how we can get more fully into and out of our queer, intersectional bodies in order to experience and bring about the most collective freedom.


About the (R)evolution Mentorship Program

The 2024 (R)evolution Mentorship Program was designed to offer San Diego-based young artists (ages 20-26) a cohort-style educational, immersive mentorship program focused on offering substantial and sustained support in transitional learning into the San Diego professional dance ecosystem. The program includes free dance classes, monthly professional development workshops and cohort meetings, check-ins with a uniquely designated DISCO RIOT mentors, opportunities to immerse in performance and event production, and a 10-week S P A C E Rising Residency as part of a culminating artistic project. Together we build critical skills for a healthy, autonomous, successful career in the field of dance. We believe the next phase of building a truly sustainable dance ecosystem in San Diego hinges on the integration of young artist voices.

Our (R)evolution Artist Program 2025 applications open on September 30th! In the new iteration of the (R)evolution Artist Program, young artists will have the opportunity to engage in a paid internship! Follow @disco_riot on instagram, or subscribe to our newsletter for updates.