They are part bird and part woman -- the dancers in the all-female dance company Dance Brigade, in a current program entitled "Manifest!val for Social Change: Like Oil and Water, from Gaza to the Gulf," moved between flight and rest.

Their dance tells the story of women in the Middle East, their movements hinting to a tragic ballet and the music being a version of the classic score from The Dying Swan. The dancers ability to combine pure grace and total frenzy was incredible, creating both an image of beauty and struggle in the same instant. Through Nov. 20, Dance Mission Theater will host fifteen different dance groups, as part of Dance Brigade's Manifest!val for Social Change, which is a great opportunity for anyone to see some amazing local dancers, but also a chance to promote social awareness and community.

For more information about this weekend's program, click here.

PS -- and check out this preview video for Dance Brigade's next program, "The Great Liberation Upon Hearing" coming in July 2011