Summer 2023 Residency

Tickets Available Now:
Summer Residency Performance July 28 & 29

Join us in-person at Studio 210 or via livestream for an evening of performance and discussion as the Summer Residents present their projects.

In-Person Tickets
Livestream Tickets

About the Resident Artists

Ky Frances
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Ky Frances is a white, queer, able-bodied artist who was born and raised in the East Bay. They studied dance at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts and at La Universidad de Chile in Santiago de Chile. They were the Co-Artistic Director of Kickbal, a dance company based in San Francisco. They have presented their work at Fresh Festival, ODC Pilot71, LevySalon, Works in the Works, SAFEhouse, SPF12, BAMPFA and YBCA. They choreograph for the UC Berkeley Chamber Chorus annually. Ky Frances is a choreographer in residence at RoundAntennae under the mentorship of KT Nelson.

Through the Studio 210 Residency, Ky Frances will work on their project Visual Poetry Album.

From Ky Frances: Visual Poetry Album is a book of five poems/"shorts", portrayed in spoken text and movement, and it is primarily an exploration of queer love and heartbreak. Once, I fell madly in love and, many years later, we gave up on it. The pain of change was relentless, as I assume it often is. So I wrote and wrote-- poems and stories and all sorts of rambling bits. When strung together and set to movement I hope they explain something crucial about being human and enduring the loss of the thing you love most. Like songs on an album or a collection of short stories, the five individual works stand alone, while also feeling innately related to their siblings.

Photo of Ky Frances by Sarah Cotton


Jesse Escalante

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Born and raised in Santa Ana, CA, Jesse Escalante never showed an interest in dance specifically but was always a creative and imaginative child. It was not until Jesse joined his Color Guard team in his freshman year of high school that he found a passion for movement. He remained on the team all throughout high school and wanted to explore dance further after graduating. Jesse moved to San Francisco in 2014 to study Dance and Sociology at San Francisco State University, where he trained in Ballet, Modern, Jazz, and Pilates. Upon graduating in 2018, Jesse explored contemporary dance and worked with numerous Bay Area choreographers, such as David Herrera Dance Performance, Reyes Dance, Post:Ballet, KineTech Arts, and the Sandbox Series at ODC. Jesse was also part of the inaugural class of LatinXtenstions with David Herrera and the Queer BIPOC Residency with ODC. Jesse graduated from UC Berkeley in 2022 with his MSW and currently works as a social worker for people with opioid use disorder. Jesse believes in using his art to tell a story about human interactions and connections, especially as it relates to socio-cultural-bio identifies and social issues.

During the Studio 210 Residency, Jesse will develop his project (Un)balanced. (Un)balanced is a personal exploration of Bipolar Disorder that examines depression and mania, while ultimately asking “is there an in between?” Emotional, personal, and visceral, this work hopes to create empathy and compassion towards the battles we do not know people are facing.

Photo of Jesse Escalante by PhotosByDot


Live conversation with Deborah Slater & Summer Residents
Check out the conversation with Jesse Escalante and Ky Frances as they discuss the topics they're exploring and the process of making their pieces.
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The Studio 210 Residency is supported in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency.  Learn more at www.arts.ca.gov.