Illuminating the modern trappings of the human animal through research, performance and education in the arts.

 
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Fog Beast is a dance based live art organization directed by Melecio Estrella and Andrew Ward. Since 2010 Estrella and Ward have collaborated to make works for the theaters, universities, and non traditional performance venues. Driven by the lived experiences of convening and creativity, Fog Beast weaves social, physical and aural curiosities with brilliant collaborators. Their work has been commissioned by Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Headlands Center for the Arts, and Dancers’ Group. Fog Beast Education Programs work with youth at the intersection of performing arts, ecology and community practice - with a mission to help young artists connect with each other and their local environments. With full bodied dance, original live music and a strong dose of humor, Fog Beast affirms interconnectedness, environmental stewardship and embodied listening.

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melecio Estrella

Melecio Estrella has been a Bay Area performing artist, director, and teacher for the past 18 years. He is co-artistic director of Fog Beast, associate artistic director of BANDALOOP, and a member of the Joe Goode Performance Group since 2004. Recent engagements include making dances on the cliffs of Tienmen Mountain in the Hunan province of China, Art and About in Sydney Australia, The Africa Cup in Gabon, The Barents Spektacle in Kirkenes Norway, and the JFK Centennial Celebration at The Kennedy Center. His choreographies have been commissioned by Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the San Francisco Opera Center, and numerous universities around the US. As a performer, Melecio has also appeared with the San Francisco Opera, Faye Driscoll, Rachael Lincoln, Scott Wells, Erika Shuch and Damara Ganley among others. Melecio is a graduate of the Moving On Center School of Participatory Arts and Research and a 2016-18 Leadership Fellow with the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP).

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andrew ward

Andrew Ward is co-artistic Director of Fog Beast. He was first introduced to dance and performance through the vibrant and supportive modern dance program at Berkeley High School in California. He attended UC Berkeley, where he continued studying and performing modern dance under the training of Bay Area luminaries. He earned his degree in Peace and Conflict Studies, with a minor in Dance and Performance Studies. After graduating in 2007, Ward went on to perform and teach in the Bay Area and internationally. He became a company member with the Joe Goode Performance Group, Bandaloop, and Scott Wells and Dancers. Ward co-founded Fog Beast with Melecio Estrella in 2010 and has been choreographing, performing, and teaching with the company since.