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For those who haven't visited San Francisco, Fort Mason is an old embarkation point to the Far East for the U.S. Army, seeing departures of men and material Spanish-American War through the Korean conflict. When the U.S. National Recreational Area (USGGNRA) was formed, Fort Mason became part of this first national Park Service operated spot of land.

Fort Mason has three piers and perhaps five three story buildings with parking space. Since its inception, it has come to house a noted vegetarian restaurant, Greens, inspired by the Tassajara Zen Center, a conference center, several specialized museums (folk and craft, Italian, Mexican, African American), a host of non profit organizations, the adult outreach program of the Art Department of San Francisco City College, two exhibition areas in the old piers and at the end of one of them a 400-seat theatre, called Cowell to honor the major funding foundation.

"New Shoes, Old Souls" was started by Linda Rawlings, a dancer from Maine a string of degrees and a successful food corporation, about four years ago. She wanted to dance with old friends again. Stipulating the dancers had to be over forty, she rapidly gathered around her several of the old pros in the vicinity - from Frank Shawl of the Shawl-Anderson studio in Berkeley and a veteran of early network television and Broadway musicals - to Emily Keeler who has choreographed for Oakland Ballet and is artistic director of the San Francisco Arts Education Project and Kelly Johnson, a former hoofer and executive director of Kent Nagano's Berkeley Symphony now turned professional concert pianist.

The over forties stipulation embraced the technical crew, including lighting designer Sara Linnie Slocum, photographer Marty Sohl, production manager Clyde Sheets and producer's assistant M. Samela Dingus.

Choreographic fare has steadily improved from yoga-inspired slow movements and generalized inclusiveness to dancers and choreographers with lengthy experience and formidable credit lines. This year's program had five such choreographers, also qualifying in the over forty category: Carlos Carvajal; Cecilia Marta; Mark Morris; Michael Smuin; Priscilla Regalado.

The final impression was that Rawlings managed to provide two numbers of minted style, one individual expression and two topical pieces, providing overall a wonderful energetic and satisfying evening watching spirited friends still performing AND entertaining full out.

1) Carlos Carvajal whose background with the Marquis de Cuevas, the Bordeaux , Caracas and Bremen Opera as well as San Francisco Ballet and his own Dance Spectrum informed his choice of Ravel's "Valses Nobles et Sentimentales" under the title "Entre Deux Mondes," for three couples. Two couples had worked with Dance Spectrum: Katherine Warner, Carolyn Carvajal; Suspicion Mariano; Dudley Brooks. Sarah Oppenheimer and Michael Lowe of Oakland Ballet completed the pas de six. It proved an excellent opener, stylistic consistent and highly musical in its phrasing, if low key in contrast.

2) Cecilia Marta's "Transcendence" was hers all the way: music, costume design and performance. Having choreographed for Roberta Flack television specials and associated with Alvin Ailey's and Steps in New York, Marta is theatrically savvy. Slender and supple, Marta danced in front of a white cloth circle with a fretwork center, her three-piece costume enabling her to display her skill in working costume changes with ease. The jersey nature of the fabric enhanced such capacity. She rippled, swayed and undulated with great style though I felt at a loss to connect the words with movement meaning.

3) Mark Morris used Gustav Holst's arrangements of "Morris Dance Tunes," but confined himself to cohering ideas provided by the dancers themselves, and using Alex Nichols for his lighting designer. Props included stilts (Dudley Brooks); antlers (Katherine Warner); chair (Arturo Fernandez); snakes (Carolyn Carvajal) and acrobatics (Michael Lowe) Chinese fans (Frank Shawl). The variety provided the mild surprise one gets with Morris' use of early or folk music, if lacking some of the heavy guffaws in his own company.

Carolyn Carvajal, who featured so prominently in three of the five numbers, was perhaps the most anomalous with snakes coiled around her head and arm, standing Dietrich like lower stage left, while the other dancers were rushing around in formation.

Dudley Brooks' stilt talent provided a sketch where he more or less directed the number. In keeping with Morris Dance spirit, much of the movement concentrated on formations, entrances, exits and sudden changes of groupings.

The fine number, "Bean Setting", choreographed and danced by Arturo Fernandez, was an excellent study of man with chair - up, down, with grand ronds de jambes executed through the chair back and on the seat.

After Intermission, Michael Smuin's contribution was inspired by several popular classics and the theme of a woman's first sexual experience, hence its title "My First Time.' Smuin, whose early nightclub, television successes and later Broadway experience have played a heavy influence in his current Smuin Ballets/SF repertoire, had the great good fortune in his women: Jo Ellen Arntz (former S.F. Ballet/now Smuin's Company Manager); Emily Keeler and Sharonjean Leeds (Wuppertal; UCLA, University of San Francisco dance faculty). The male for all three women was danced by Robert Sund (S.F. Ballet, teacher and choreogapher).

'Old Blue Eyes' rendition of "All The Way" opened and closed the program. "Begiin the Beguine" was given to Emily Keeler; "Moonglow" to Jo Ellen Arntz; and "Moonlight Serenade." The plot hung around a call Arntz had received from "Jim", and with the late arrival of Leeds, a projected card game at a round table became a women's "tell all" session, partly told at the table and the rest as a voice over while each woman danced with Sund who assumed the character of the man who introduced her to sex.

Smuin based the plot on taped conversations with the dancers which were not credited. The veracity of their accounts and the maturity of their performances lifted the piece above voyeurism, but the choreography was not particularly Smuin's best. Theatrically, of course, it worked and pleased the audience.

The program closer "Encuentros Entre El Aliento y El Sol" - Meeting Between Breath and The Sun - by Priscilla Regalado was a rousing closer of Latin style, with the dancers mambo-ing and salsa-ing up a cheerful storm. Regalado, a dance enthnologist who teaches at The American Conservatory Theatre (A.C.T.) and choreographs for the Adler Fellows at San Francisco Opera, encapsulated the impulse behind Rawlings inspiration to start the January series. Frank Shawl was partnering with the joy de vivre of Astaire and Sulpicio Mariano executed multiple turns like a twenty-year old totally immersed in the rhythm of the infectious music.

It was absolutely the best possible "never say die" note to end a program which is constantly involving and commands capacity audiences of individuals who don't forget their favorites.