"A ticking clock, heavy breathing, the squeak of sneakers on the dance floor, and the voices of runners who came to the sport from unconventional backgrounds. These are the sounds that score choreographer Alyssa Mitchel's cast of dancers as they reinterpret what it means to push your body to its limits in Mitchel's new multimedia dance production, "Endure," at Dance Mission Theater, which has its first performance on Oct. 3."
"Through the Anti-Racist Run Club, Mitchel met Justin Williams, who also founded the Unseen Run Club. Through Unseen, Mitchel met neurodivergent marathoner Tommy Zhonghuang, and Melisa Camano. At a 5K in Golden Gate Park, Mitchel met Markelle Taylor, the main subject of Christine Yoo's documentary, "26.2 to Life," a film about a marathon in San Quentin prison. A fellow choreographer introduced her to ultramarathoner Victor Ballesteros."
A multimedia dance production titled "Endure" translates sounds of running and recorded marathoner narratives into choreographed solos to examine physical and emotional endurance. The piece originated during pandemic isolation when the choreographer turned to running and found a sustaining community. Six marathoners from diverse backgrounds—including neurodivergent and ultramarathon runners, a marathoner featured in a documentary about San Quentin, and a young runner managing epilepsy—were interviewed. Each dancer performs a solo set to one runner's three- to six-minute audio narrative. The production integrates ambient running sounds, personal testimony, and movement to probe resilience and self-discovery.
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