Garth Fagan Dance

Garth Fagan Dance
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Joyce Theater
All photos by Yi-Chun Wu

Garth Fagan Dance - Thanks Forty - Photo by Yi-Chun Wu

Program A of the Garth Fagan Dance Company’s Joyce season began with Prelude, which pays tribute to the rituals of the dance class. It opens with one dancer working alone. His legs and arms unfurl in different positions. It seems as if his body is reawakening to the movement at the start of a new day. He appears to be testing his balance and the physical mechanics which will deliver the expression of the heart and spirit. The music starts and the dancers enter the stage. We watch the warm ups and deep stretches, the square movement of ballet class floor work, and the isolations of the head and ribs from jazz class. The dancers are all dressed in black and they tend to stay in their own territory on the floor. A girl in green tights travels, which seems to give us a glimpse of the reward that all this disciplined ritual will bring. Different dance styles blend together seamlessly and beautifully as the dancers begin to take off and travel on the diagonal. The men perform spectacular leaps and jumps. I especially loved seeing the sweep of ages of the dancers, and the evidence that the body does not have to be 21 years old in order to move beautifully.

Garth Fagan Dance - Thanks Forty - Photo by Yi-Chun Wu Garth Fagan Dance - Thanks Forty - Photo by Yi-Chun Wu - Vitolio Jeune
Senku is a solo, danced by Vitolio Jeune, whom we all got to see on Season 5 of So You Think You Can Dance. Jeune is such a gorgeous dancer and in this piece we can see the sweep of his skills from the most subtle and touching gesture to the bravura of his spectacular jumps. The choreography seems to be describing the experience of listening to music, describing the way that music effects the brain, the soul, and the body. At first, Jeune’s hand is to his ear. He hears the music, then executes a flying jump. He puts his ear to the floor, I’m assuming to feel the vibrations. He is staring intensely, as if possessed. Alternately, he is the listener, and then he becomes part of the music itself.

Madiba, a tribute to Nelson Mandela, was given its World Premiere this week. In the program notes, Fagan included this beautiful quote: “For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” Fagan said that he didn’t want to do a straight autobiographical piece about Mandela’s life. Instead, he chose to use this quote as his inspiration and his springboard.

The first section opens with a group of dancers traveling forward together at close quarters. This is followed by an absolutely stunning pas de deux, illustrating the courtship of Nelson and Winnie Mandela. The woman is dressed in white and the two of them can not stop smiling. The movement is joyful and exuberant. There is a series of euphoric lifts in which the man turns rapidly, often while holding the girl, who is in a front split, on his neck and shoulders.

Mandela (danced by Norwood Pennewell) later comes out on stage wearing a tiny video camera above his ear. We only notice it because the little red power light can be seen. The video that he’s recording is projected on to the back of the stage in real time. Now we can see the dancers from our own perspective and from his. As the dance goes on, we see the dancers emerge from the wings, come toward him and back away from him. When he executes turns, we see how the lights swirl as the camera passes rapidly by them. Then, from the side of the stage, he watches as the dancers form a circle. Their bodies become the bars of his jail cell, and he can only passively watch the action that is happening on the other side.

There is another very powerful pas de deux in this piece, the most memorable of the evening for me. It is danced by two women. One is black and one is white. They are getting to know each other, through looks and touches, moving closer toward each other in increments until they are sliding caresses along each other’s arms. Their movement isn’t necessarily romantic, although it could be seen that way too. Fagan said that they can also be seen as two sisters, a mother and daughter, or two female friends getting to know each other, or even two nations or two races, reaching out beyond perceived barriers, becoming familiar with what was unfamiliar, and finding truth and beauty. They can also be seen as discovering a new way to be.

Garth Fagan Dance - Thanks Forty - Photo by Yi-Chun Wu

The evening closed with Thanks Forty, which premiered a year ago and is a celebration of the forty years of Garth Fagan Dance. The piece is divided into four sections; MUSE – Work, JUMP – Earn, HEAL – Pray, FETE – Joys, which is a lovely way to look at the phases of a long career. Each phase has it’s own mood and music, including classical music from Shostakovich and traditional African music.

The piece opened with a woman running backwards along the perimeter of the stage. It made me wonder if she was “rewinding” to go back to the birth of the company. The JUMP-Earn section was great fun in which the men got to showcase their spectacular leaps and jumps. I especially loved the HEAL-Pray section, danced by five women in black dresses with ruffles. The women are smiling, there are sounds of waterfalls and birdcalls, and we are taken back to what is primal and natural. FETE – Joys brings us to the climax of the celebration, and it brought the house down. I loved it that it showcased a beautiful young girl dressed in pink, alongside the company’s two veteran dancers, Norwood Pennewell and Steve Humphrey.

I adored this program. Later in the evening, when Garth Fagan came out on stage for a Dancer Chat, hosted by the Joyce’s Laura Diffenderfer, it became clear why this company is such a joy to see. Fagan spoke honestly off the cuff for about fifteen minutes. He seemed to personify a life well lived. He comes across as the liveliest, most enthusiastic, happiest man. You can not be anything other than uplifted when you listen to him speak. Or when you see his company dance.

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Daniela Hoff Dance Company – Shadowlands

Shadowlands
Daniela Hoff Dance Company

2011 Wave Rising Series
John Ryan White Wave Theater
Friday, October 28, 2011
All photos by Steven Schreiber

Daniela Hoff Dance Company  - Shadowlands - Steven Schreiber

Daniela Hoff’s Shadowlands is a somber work that explores the subject of fear, “from simple worries to deep rooted primal fear”.  Her dancers are dressed in gray and black and there is a starkness to the entire performance that seems to strip away any and all pretenses.

As the piece opens, four women appear to be focused on four different things.  Two face forward, one faces back, one is curled up on the floor.

They each begin to exhibit different symptoms of fear.  One is writhing.  One can’t seem to stand still.  She steps tentatively, as if testing her mettle to move forward.  She retreats, hesitates, then attempts to move forward again.  Others twitch and tremble.  There is tightness in their shoulders.  Their arms are held close to their bodies.

From the earliest moments of the dance, it seemed to me that not only was Hoff addressing the sensation of fear, but more than that she was demonstrating its viral effects.  She succeeded in highlighting the thread of humanity that unites living things, and the way that it can serve as a conduit when fear begins to spread throughout a community.  And though she was addressing a serious and sometimes debilitating experience, the piece also reminded me, in an almost Shakespearean way, of the folly of humans and how easily they surrender to the experience of the group, maybe without even questioning what the group is doing.

Daniela Hoff Dance Company  - Shadowlands - Steven Schreiber

As the dance progresses, we see how fear can hamper movement and independence.  The dancers march together, as if they haven’t got the courage to break ranks, as if their unity will assuage their fear, or maybe in unity they can attack the cause of the fear.  In this theme, I saw echoes of  how folks in this country behaved in the wake of the 9-11 attacks, when “terrorism” first became a household word.  But among the dancers, individuality emerges once again when, one at a time, they choose against locking step with the others.

They’ll return to the crowd formation, again taking their cues from one another.  They seem to be testing the barometer of fear within the group.  The dancers also attempt to affect the movement of one another.  One will pose the arms and torso of another and I wonder if this is to say that their fear gives them the power to manipulate others.  Within the crowd, we see that they have the capacity to drive one another crazy.  As the dancers constantly measure one another, it leads me to believe that the group has to agree on what’s fearful in order for the fearful experience to thrive.

Throughout the piece, we will see a dancer stiffen or shake in fear until she reaches the point where her movement is almost completely impaired.  She will seek out a calmer one, maybe with the hope that she will be helped to release her fear.  In one passage, one dancer reaches out again and again to another who remains calm.  She is repeatedly pushed away.  Does fear become a burden on those who wish to remain calm?

Daniela Hoff Dance Company  - Shadowlands - Steven Schreiber

It seems as if feelings of calm and peacefulness begin to descend upon the group when the movement becomes more expansive.  Those who are tense seek out the presence of those who are calm.   Arms and torsos begin reaching in less frantic, more lyrical ways.  The dancers appear to be lighter and more buoyant as one works to keep all the others from losing their balance.

I really enjoyed the closing moments in which the dancers stand at close quarters again, in the spotlight.  As the spotlight fades and returns, they strike poses to create different tableaus.  The composition of these images was just gorgeous – great tension and beautiful counterpoint.

I’d seen Hoff’s work before, at the In Sight Suite Festival last summer.  For me, her artistic voice and the important subjects that she chooses to address really stand out and make compelling statements.

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Dancer Chat with New York City Ballet’s Emily Kikta

New York City Ballet
Dancer Chat with Emily Kikta
School of American Ballet
September 30, 2011
Photo by Paul Kolnik

Emily Kikta - Photo by Paul Kolnik

I can’t say enough good things about the Dancer Chat events that New York City Ballet hosts on selected Friday evenings before performances.  They are small scale informal conversations which take place among the artists, management, teachers and audiences of New York City Ballet.  Typically, a dancer is interviewed and a Q&A session follows.  I have been around the dance world for more than three decades, but every time that I attend one of these events, I always come away with a greater appreciation for the dancers and the company, and I always learn something new.  Joan Quatrano has moderated the sessions that I’ve seen.  She is welcoming, she raises great questions and she knows how to keep the conversation moving.

Those who attended last Friday’s Chat were introduced to Emily Kikta, who has recently joined the corps de ballet.  Though this is her first season in the corps, she’s already had the opportunity to originate a featured role in Paul McCartney and Peter Martins’ Ocean’s Kingdom.

Early on during the chat, it struck me that Ms. Kikta is not your average eighteen year old.  She appears to be sharply intelligent, poised, easygoing, confident and obviously very happy to be dancing with NYCB.  Again and again, she talked about how much fun she was having.  Suki Schorer, her teacher at School of the American Ballet (the official school of New York City Ballet) was in attendance at the chat and when asked to speak about Ms. Kikta, she called her “mature and steady, not emotionally fragile”, as some young dancers can become if they start their intense training too early.  I haven’t yet had the opportunity to see Ms. Kikta dance, but knowing that she will bring all these qualities to the stage, I’m really looking forward to seeing her.  She is tall and as Ms. Schorer said, “She’s gorgeous to look at.”

She gave us a little behind-the-scenes peek into the process of creating Ocean’s Kingdom, for which she originated the role of an Amazon.  She told a wonderful story about Paul McCartney working with the dancers in the studio, suggesting movement and expression, and even demonstrating steps and having the dancers lift him.  Her costume for the piece was starfish shaped, and she gave us insight and anecdotes about Stella McCartney’s process for perfecting their designs.  She said that when Savannah Lowery first tried on the prototype costume and kicked her leg, the entire costume ripped.  She emphasized that there were many subsequent fittings to perfect the costume and to get it to work with the movement, and that it always goes this way when a new costume is being created.

This lead to a conversation about the different aesthetics upon which different ballet companies focus.  Balanchine wanted his dancers to be “incredibly glamorous” and he labored over every detail of a costume and a ballet, down to the height of the dancer’s bun and the choice of her earrings.  They also discussed the quick and exciting attack that became the signature of a Balanchine dance.  “It’s not sleepy ballet.”

I was surprised to learn that Ms. Kikta wasn’t on a solid ballet track from a very young age.  Ms. Schorer went on to say that there isn’t necessarily an optimal age for a girl to decide that she’s going to pursue a career in ballet – it can vary from one dancer to the next.  Ms. Kikta trained at her mother’s studio in Pittsburgh, where she had a varied background which included jazz and contemporary dancing.  She was in her teens when she decided to focus on ballet.  She began by doing summer intensives with SAB.  She was in high school when she decided to stay on throughout the year.  In 2010 she became an apprentice to NYCB, dancing in Snowflakes and Flowers every night during Nutcracker season.  In 2011 she was invited to join the corps and she began to learn many ballets.

When asked how she retains all the choreography for so many different ballets, she talked about learning them in phrases, and she explained that during last week’s performance of Diamonds, she was singing the steps to herself in her head as she was dancing.  She said that the music gives her the references that she needs to remember the choreography.  Ms. Quatrano elaborated, saying that composers have remarked that SAB students and NYCB dancers are very attuned to music.  I also found it interesting that Ms. Kikta said she prepares to learn choreography by working with videos first.

Looking ahead, Ms. Kikta said she aspired to dance Emeralds or Rubies, or Wheeldon’s After the Rain.  Now that I’ve become completely charmed by her, I hope that it comes to pass.

If you are purchasing tickets to a Friday evening performance, check to see if there’s a Dancer Chat scheduled before the curtain.  They usually start at around 6:45 p.m. in the Rose Building, across the street from the Koch Theatre.  No matter how much time you’ve spent at the ballet or in the studio, you will come away from a Dancer Chat with renewed respect for the artist and the company.

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As Seen At The DUMBO Arts Festival – 01

Dancers at DUMBO Arts Festival 2011Dancers at DUMBO Arts Festival 2011Dancers at DUMBO Arts Festival 2011

I wish that I could credit this dance company, but I couldn’t find them listed anywhere in the guide to the festival.  Judging by the apparatus, which was a gigantic seesaw that moved according to how the dancers distributed their weight as they struck a pose, I want to say that it’s Streb.  But I can’t say for sure.  If you know who it is, please tell me.

It’s always such a treat to see dance performed outdoors.  I really liked the way that the apparatus and the dancers looked against these big gray buildings.  They attracted quite a crowd.

Dancers at DUMBO Arts Festival

Dancers waiting in the wings.

Update:  A reader has solved the mystery and told me about this work.  It’s created by artist Eve Bailey along with dancers from several local companies.

 

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An Evening With New Chamber Ballet

In A Simple Black Dress by Kristen Lodoen Linder

An Evening With New Chamber Ballet
City Center Studios
Friday, September 9, 2011
Photos by Kristen Lodoen Linder

For years, I’d seen the beautiful postcards distributed by New Chamber Ballet in the dance studios of Manhattan.  I really liked the concept of a chamber ballet, performing works on an intimate salon type of scale.  Last weekend, I finally got the opportunity to see them dance.

Miro Magloire not only choreographs, arranges and performs music, and serves as the company’s Artistic Director, but he also hosts the evening.  He is very gracious and charming as he chats easily with the audience about the things that inspire his dances and what the company will be up to in the near future.  I consider it a great treat when a choreographer takes the time to do this.  It breaks the ice and it always enhances my own enjoyment of the dance.

The first piece, Love Song Solos, choreographed by Magloire, is set to the romantic music of Schubert, Brahms and Wagner.  However the music is not in any form that the audience can recognize.  Magloire has arranged the songs for percussion only and he plays them on maracas as the ballerina dances the melody.

Katie Gibson dances a passage of lovely lyrical movement that rarely rests ­ one phrase flows seamlessly into the next.  At moments, her back is to the audience as her hands float together in front of her face and I wonder if she is weeping.  Sarah Atkins seems to be reaching and yearning in her section of the dance.  When she takes up a slim black baton in the palms of her flexed hands, the prop lengthens and enhances her lines, especially the line of her spine, and it’s a beautiful effect.  Victoria North flies a fluttering blue scarf overhead.  She tosses the scarf away, lights upon different chairs but doesn’t stay put, finally kicking the last one away with a loud thud.  Her hands and arms are rippling overhead or right in front of her.  I loved the moody green gray costumes designed by Candice Thompson for this piece.

Leise, Leise (German for Softly, Softly), another work by Magloire, was given its world premiere.  The floor is set with three chairs and the grand piano along the studio’s diagonal.  (I was thrilled that Melody Fader was playing the piano.  I’ve taken many ballet classes where she was the accompanist and she’s always been one of my favorites.)  The one dancer seated in front of the piano is dressed in pink and the two seated up stage of the piano are dressed in pale blue.  The girl in pink seems to be the central figure and she moves to the quiet and sometimes stark accompaniment of music by Luciano Berio.  One of the most compelling sections of the dance came when the girl in pink stayed in place while one of the girls in blue boureed around her, forward and then backward.  It conjured images that reminded me of the pull of the tide.  When the girl in pink begins to travel again, the girl in blue shadows her, rolling behind her like a wave gathering momentum as she moves around the floor.

In A Simple Black Dress by Kristen Lodoen Linder

My favorite piece of the evening was a solo titled In A Simple Black Dress, also choreographed by Magloire, accompanied by Miranda Cuckson on violin.  To me, it seems as if the black dress is the blank canvas.  Depending upon how the dancer wears the dress or moves within the dress, that’s what the dress and the dancer become.  Dancer Emily SoRelle Adams shows herself and the dress in several different incarnations, changing with the look that she gives the audience as she moves along the perimeter of the floor, to the way that her shoulder leads as she turns to face the audience, to the attitude in her regal female walk.  She’s clearly in control, even when she’s deep in a second position plie, her face dreamy, her flexed hands crossed overhead as she sways back and forth as if she’s riding the breeze.  Her hands almost remind me of a plumage, a lovely accessory for the simple black dress.

In A Simple Black Dress by Kristen Lodoen Linder

The evening closed with Emery LeCrone’s Chamber Dances, with music by John Adams, performed deliciously by Miranda Cuckson on violin and Melody Fader on piano.  The piece opens with a jazzy burst of energy.  The three dancers, Madeline Deavenport, Victoria North and Lauren Toole move briskly through this section, their lines long and their arms unfurled, alternating between unison steps and attractive counterpoint movement.  The music gives way to an adagio section in which, again and again, the trio alternately travels together and then unfolds into a new and beautiful tableau.  The pace picks up again with the quick footwork of a petite allegro and culminates with the dancers spinning a spirited series of chaine turns across the stage.

For me, this was a wonderful introduction to the New Chamber Ballet.  I appreciate how much they are capable of creating without relying on an astronomical budget and an enormous cast.  I also really enjoyed seeing ballet performed in this intimate studio setting.

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Corn Fields of Bay Ridge

Corn Field in Bay Ridge

One thing that I love about summer time in Bay Ridge is watching this little corn field come to life.  It’s just someone’s front yard and the light isn’t exactly spectacular, but every year they grow beautiful corn.

Since I started growing my own fruit and vegetables, I’ve begun to take notice of how many of my neighbors are doing the same.  But as far as I know, no one is planting corn, except for the family that lives here.

 Corn Growing in Bay Ridge

It’s been one kooky week.  I felt my first earthquake on Tuesday (and did NOT enjoy it), saw a 4.5 hour Yankee game on Thursday that included 3 grand slams, and now, for the first time in my very long life in NYC, the mayor is shutting down the transit system in advance of the arrival of Hurricane Irene.

Erev Hurricane Irene

And while all this hurricane hysteria is going on, we’re enjoying a very pretty summer day here in the wilds of Bay Ridge.

Every hour I receive a newsletter from another dance studio announcing that they’re closing for the weekend.   Twitter is full of dancers lamenting that they’re going to have to miss class.

I know how they feel.

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Latin Choreographer’s Festival

Latin Choreographers Festival
Founded and Directed by Ursula Verduzco
Baruch Performing Arts Center
Friday, August 5, 2011
All photos by Rachel Neville

This year’s Latin Choreographers Festival in New York City delivered some of the most imaginative choreography and heartfelt dancing that I’ve seen all year.  The Festival featured the work of thirteen different choreographers in styles ranging from modern and contemporary to pointe.  Many of the dances had strong narratives while others were more abstract.  Each choreographer brought a unique perspective to the festival and it was pure pleasure to watch each group perform in its own artistic voice.

Roberto Lara in La Danza Del Fernando - photo by Rachel Neville

In La Danza Del Fernando, based on a true story, the protagonist (danced by Roberto Lara) is a laborer.  To the accompaniment of traditional Mexican music, he drags himself across the stage and pauses to tend to his sore muscles.  We can feel the burden he endures.  When his work is finally done, he learns that his employer has shortchanged him.  Against the wishes of his woman (danced by Ursula Verduzco), he chooses to hunt him down and attempt to settle the score. Before he leaves, he is on his knees, and in a dramatic moment his woman performs the sign of the cross over him before the stage goes dark.  The blackout seems to be an omen that things will not go well for him.  When he finds the man, a struggle ensues, the laborer’s humanity is disregarded and he is treated as if he were disposable.  The result is even more heartbreaking when you consider that the same scenario will probably be played out with another worker on another day.

Triangulo by Alejandro Chavez - Photo by Rachel NevilleTriangulo by Alejandro Chavez - Photo by Rachel Neville

Triangulo, choreographed by Alejandro Chavez, tells the story of a love triangle between three men (danced by Chavez, Mariano Aviles and Isaac Santana).  Dressed in black, the men swagger across  the darkened stage.  They seem like tightly wound coils.  I felt as if a confrontation was liable to erupt at any moment, and just as I was expecting the fight to start, one man drew another into a warm embrace.  The dancing in this piece was intense and electrifying.  The men move with such abandon.  I especially liked the counterpoint of the faster sections.  The movement was lightning quick and then it would be so well synchronized when it came together in unison.  The very high lifts were dazzling too.  At one point, the dancer being lifted executed a cabriole to the front as he reached the top of the lift.  These lifts were so much more than tricks – they were fearless displays of intense emotion.  The choreography of this piece was especially imaginative and the dancers carried out the intricate quick steps with clean technique, making it look effortless.

Lights On by Benjamin Briones - Photo by Rachel NevilleLights Out by Benjamin Briones - Photo by Rachel Neville

Benjamin Briones’ Lights On navigated the rocky waters of a stormy relationship.  The dance opens with a young couple (Fredrick Davis and Ursula Verduzco) holding hands but pulling apart until they lose their balance.  The woman keeps egging on her man, looking for a fight, at moments even striking out at him or throwing punches in the air in rapid succession, as if she was working with a speed bag.  Then she’d count on her fingers as she scolded him, presumably listing her many grievances against him.  At first, he does what he can to keep from rising to the bait.  He covers his ears and even kisses her.   They dance together but ultimately, she strikes out at him again.  This time she’s really hurt him and she’s consumed with remorse.  She wants to make peace and they slow dance together, but it won’t be long before their pattern is repeated again in one way or another.   The choreography was very clever.  Even as we are laughing with recognition at their troubles, the dancers break our hearts with their very emotional portrayal of these characters.

Nothing to Hide by Ursula Verduzco - Photo by Rachel Neville

Nothing to Hide by Ursula Verduzco - Photo by Rachel Neville

In Nothing To Hide, choreographed by Ursula Verduzco, dancer Nicole Correa awakens suddenly within a cage of white fabric.  Throughout the dance, she attempts to get out, but it takes some doing before she has the wherewithal to accomplish this.  At times, she makes it out, but she stays on the floor and finds her way back inside.  Again and again, she pulls her hair in front of her face. At times she clings to the fabric as if it’s part of her — maybe she is even finding comfort in hiding within it.  When she finally breaks free and moves toward the center of the stage, her movement, especially her port des bras, becomes big and expansive.  She still resorts to sometimes pulling her hair in front of her face, until near the end of the dance when she can finally open her mouth wide and extend her arm, staking her claim and reaching out.

The piece titled No Regrets drove me to tears.  A traveler meets the angel who is about to take him to heaven.  I felt as if the choreography was so quiet and reverential while delivering such a huge emotional wallop.  There was no drama or hysterics.  The portrayal of this man’s last moments was so sweet and heartwarming that it almost gave me solace about the fate of friends of mine who have recently passed away.  The dying man is reluctant to leave earth, but the angel convinces him that his time has come, and he serves as a reassuring companion as the transition begins.  This piece was so extraordinarily beautiful.  It was choreographed by Marcos Vedoveto and danced by Dante Puleio and Robert Johnston to music by Ennio Marricone.

Some Day by  Eloy Barragan - Photo by Rachel NevilleSome Day by Eloy Barragan - Photo by Rachel Neville

Some Day, choreographed by Eloy Barragan and danced by Jennifer Pray and Steven Gray, told the story of lovers who seem to be dancing at cross purposes.  They are dressed in gray which seems to demonstrate the limits on their relationship – it never manages to get going, let alone heat up.  The movement in this dance was especially original, lyrical and lovely, as the dancers approach one another but never quite meet.  It’s as if they can’t find each other.  Maybe they exist in two different dimensions.  Finally, they do come together in a kiss, and as they execute a turning lift, she is hanging on to him, but he is not holding her.  Exquisite dancing by Pray and Gray.

Belo Corpo by Tony Powell - Photo by Rachel NevilleBelo Corpo by Tony Powell - Photo by Rachel Neville

The dancers in Belo Corpo delivered a bravura performance of intricate choreography executed at breakneck speed.  The dance, choreographed by Tony Powell, pays tribute to the power and vitality of the female body.  The women are dressed in flesh tone bras and boy shorts, and they’re dancing to skat music.  The movement is quirky and lots of fun and the choreography is so clever.  The dancers do not stop for a moment, and it must take incredible athletic strength to get through this piece.  But they show no signs of exertion.  They all seem so happy, as if they’ve lost themselves in the music and they are enjoying themselves completely.

The festival closed with Blue Soup, choreographed by Aszure Barton (the one non-Latin choreographer in the festival) and performed by the Steps Repertory Ensemble. The dancers are dressed in business suits and they execute very quick steps to the accompaniment of Latin percussion.  There seems to be movement to every single beat and it’s great fun to watch.  Then the movement slows way down as we hear Randy Newman singing I’m Different.  The dancers, all but one, move in unison while the rugged individualist does his own thing.  The final piece was a lovely duet, ending with a little sadness when the woman looks over her shoulder to see the man, but he’s missing.  He scoots back into his place when she’s no longer looking.

I wish that time and space allowed for me to write at length about every choreographer and dance in this festival, because each dance was so beautiful, passionate, and so well done.  This is the second time that I’ve seen the Latin Choreographers Festival and I think it’s become my favorite in New York City.

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Eiko & Koma – Water

Eiko & Koma in Water
Eiko & Koma’s Water
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Paul Milstein Pool, Hearst Plaza at Lincoln Center
Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors Festival
Eiko & Koma
All photos by Sam Kanter

Something transformative happens when dance is taken out of the theater, out of the studio, and in to the open air.  Eiko and Koma’s performance of Water carried things one step further.  It was performed in the pool in front of the Vivian Beaumont Theater, after dark.

In the midst of the noise and tension of as artificial an environment as New York City, the atmosphere of the production took me back to what is natural and eternal – an element like water.  Even when outside noises and images intruded on the evening, like the sound of a motorcycle roaring up 65th Street, or the sight of red lights and flashes on the cameras of those in the audience, the undercurrent and the integrity of the performance couldn’t be violated.

Eiko appears.  Her entrance is so quiet and unobtrusive that I only notice she’s there when those around me start pointing at her.  She is being lit with white light, and she looks other-worldly.  Standing alone in the water, dressed in a white kimono, she could be a spirit or an intercessor between this world and the unseen world.  Her face is white, her hair is loose and her arms are lifted to the sky.  The water in which she stands is dark and still.  Her reflection and the ripples in the water which radiate from her body, create the most beautiful images.  She seems to be part of the water.  Her movement is so very slow and lovely, giving the viewer the opportunity to experience every tiny detail of every gesture.  Her facial expression is sometimes pained from struggle, sometimes resigned to her fate, and sometimes impassive, calm and knowing.

Koma approaches her from behind and lifts her hand.  There is no clear narrative here – I think it’s left up to the viewer to decide what he or she is seeing.  To me, it seemed that Koma was in peril and Eiko had the power to help him, even if it meant interceding on his behalf with what cannot be seen.

Slowly, he lowers himself into the water.  As he does this, I am taken by the beauty of their bodies against their reflections on the surface of the dark water, and the way that their physical presences grow gradually smaller as they slowly submerge.  The slightest rise or fall from the water seems to change the physical size of them.

Koma continues to submerge until only his face and one shoulder can still be seen.  There are passages in which only the dancers’ faces and hands break the surface of the water, and though they become very small physical presences, we still feel the presence of the entire body and its spirit, its emotion, its motivation and its movement.

Robert Mirabal in Eiko & Koma's Water

Musician Robert Mirabal (above), who provided the haunting accompaniment on drums, shakers and Native American flute, is also partially submerged in a corner of the pool.  He’s not lit and he is sitting alongside a raft made of pieces of driftwood.  His movement is as expressive and reverential as the dancers’ as he sets the raft drifting toward Koma.  The raft approaches at this same extremely slow pace, soon to be accompanied by the sound of the drum, a steady rhythm that sounds like a rapid heartbeat, and then joined by the sound of a shaker.  Tension builds, then gradually eases as the drumbeat slows, giving way to the pure and powerful call of the wood flute.

Eiko & Koma in Water

Eiko & Koma in Water

Eiko & Koma in Water

Eiko and Koma are natives of Japan.   They are dressed in kimonos and they are wearing Butoh makeup on their faces.  So one can’t help but be reminded of  the recent devastating events in Japan and the part played by water, or by man’s manipulation of the natural world.  Though the waters are still in Water, we can sense that the characters share a story which may not be completely resolved, and perhaps the water will become a permanent part of them, if it doesn’t overwhelm them all together.

The performance and the notes from the program leave the audience with much to consider.  Water is essential to our lives.  Our bodies are made of water, water cleanses us, water fosters the growth of crops, water quenches our thirst.  Water moves around an obstacle to reach its destination.  Water is eternal.  But water can also overpower.  Water has a spirit of its own and water demands respect.

Toward the end of the piece, Koma receives a small raft full of lighted candles, and this act also conjures an atmosphere of the eternal.  The raft of candles and the two figures slowly drift into the darkness.

Eiko & Koma in Water

Eiko & Koma in Water

Just as when it began, I never really knew when Water ended.  But the mood that it created was so intense, that it seemed disorienting to find my feet and leave the plaza once it was over.  The performance was so moving, so beautiful and so special because of where it took place.

To view an exhibit of sets, costumes and videos chronicling the 40 year old collaboration between Eiko and Koma, visit Residue, an Installation by Eiko & Koma, at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.   Now through October 30, 2011.

 

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Cool Things – 11.08.05

I’m on my way out, hoping to catch the Latin Choreographers Festival tonight.  Here are a few things that caught my eye this week:

From the vegetable garden
Scenes from our backyard “farm”.  Cherry tomatoes, plum tomatoes, red cherry peppers, figs and grapes.  Last spring, the local feral kitten population mistook our young plants for toys.  They wound up destroying more than half of the crops, but we’ve figured out a way to peacefully co-exist with the kittens for the rest of the summer and for next year.

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I heard Rulan Tangen, Artistic Director of  Dancing Earth, interviewed on the radio earlier this week.  I was so drawn to the things she was saying and I wish that I could see her company’s upcoming performances.  But their concert is in Santa Fe and I am here in Brooklyn, so instead of seeing the concert I spent some time viewing the galleries and videos on the company’s web site.  They’re really beautiful.

If you’re lucky enough to find yourself in Santa Fe this month, you can see Dancing Earth’s  acclaimed eco-production Bodies of Elements – Friday, August 19, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. at the James A. Little Theater campus of  NM School for the Deaf on Cerrillos Road

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Another reason why I would love to visit Santa Fe this summer would be to see Robert Mirabal perform Po’Pay Speaks.  I saw Mirabal playing drums, shakers and Native flute for Eiko and Koma‘s Water last weekend (I’m still finishing up an article about this performance) and I really loved his music.  His web site and blogs are well worth the visit — they’re full of good words, images, video and sound.

I’d never heard the name Po’Pay before visiting Mirabal’s blog, but the more that I read about him, the more I wanted to know.  He was a visionary and mystic who in 1680 organized a unified revolt against the Spanish, and saved the people of the New Mexico Pueblos from extinction.   Mirabal will be telling the story in songs, dances and words, throughout August and early September.  Details about the performances can be found here.

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So did you hear a word about this on your cable news channel?

Israelis Chant, “Mubarak, Assad, Bibi Netanyahu!”

Didn’t think so.  Me either.

Tens of thousands of Israelis in nine cities have poured out on to the streets, demanding that Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu resign.  70,000 came out in Tel Aviv alone.

I know that there is a resistance within Israel and I know that their government clamps down hard on it and that our media won’t bring it in to the conversation.  But the video below,  courtesy of TheRealNews.com, is a real eye opener.  These are my people.

“They only talk about security.  Terrorism, terrorism, terrorism.  ( . . . )  They have to stop telling us fairy tales that because of security, we must tolerate everything.”

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