The Rite of Spring and Common ground[s] - A Reflection by M. Crawford

Every person in Los Angeles, dancers and non-dancers alike, has rushed to The Music Center to witness the moving bill split between “The Rite of Spring” and “common ground[s]”. Pina Bausch has a legacy throughout the dance world and beyond, and it was clear that this performance drew the best of all the people, in all walks of life, that admire her work.

The split bill began with a co-choreographed duet and performance by Germaine Acogny and Malou Airaudo, both dancers with established careers, Acogny being known as the mother of African contemporary dance and Airaudo having worked closely and extensively with Bausch herself. Their performance was profound; it was simple, yet charged with a depth that made me treasure the relationship that was unfolding before me. Objects were laid purposefully throughout the stage before the women began - two wooden seats, two buckets of water, wooden sticks, and rocks - each with its own spotlight. The piece begins with Acogny and Airaudo sitting on their respective wooden seats sharing a wooden stick; as the piece goes on, they find their way to each other and back away. The pair navigated themselves through the stage in a way that felt as if they were gliding; it was a journey of play and of friendship between women who continue to find humanity. They share weight in embraces but, more importantly, they share sensitivity through a relationship that sees multiple versions of each other. With care, Airaudo traces Acogny’s body with the stone and proceeds to wash her back with it as well; it was a breathtaking moment of simplicity that absorbed the entire theater. It was deeply touching to witness dance artists Germaine Acogny, at 70, and Malou Airaudo, at 74, present this piece on stage, not only because they were inspired by Bausch’s legacy but also due to the age and grace with which they held the proscenium stage. We are often told that dance careers are short due to the demands made on our bodies but clearly “common ground[s]” has demonstrated that movement belongs to no particular age, and virtuosity may not be as important as we think it is or a piece of art to be felt profoundly.

Photo Credit Maarten Vanden-Abeele

Photo Credit Maarten Vanden-Abeele

The final piece of the night was Pina Bausch’s “The Rite of Spring” performed by 38 dancers from countries across Africa, with a large majority hailing from Senegal. This performance was transformative to say the least. It was communal; even though the group of women and men separated themselves respectively, they shared a collective body, mind, and soul.

These dancers added a layer to the iconic repertory that brought it to another level. The dancers, all hailing from different regions across Africa, brought together a melting pot of cultures and movements from their particular regions reflected through the dancers’ bodies - we are all a product of our environment, both in the movement of life and in our bodies. So much of traditional African dance is deeply grounded and communal; as is so much of the idea behind “The Rite of Spring”. It culminated in a performance that showcases the intensity of humanity, the longing, the chaos, the community - all embedded into the human experience.

This evening of dance, inspired by the legacy of Pina Bausch’s work, was unforgettable. I am appreciative of their choice to bring these pieces to Los Angeles; all those who witnessed it will be inspired for weeks and years to come. And hopefully, we will be committed to living our lives with the same attention to sensitivity and humanity that the performers shared with us.

How Have Los Angeles Dance Companies Pivoted During the Pandemic? In conversation with L.A. Dance Project, Contra-Tiempo and The Los Angeles Ballet

When the pandemic hit, the whole world of performance art suffered. Without live performances and audiences, how were these organizations going to survive? We decided to talk to three Los Angeles-based dance companies to hear their stories and find out how they pivoted to new business models during these turbulent times.

In March 2020, L.A Dance Project, a boundary-expanding dance company led by Benjamin Millepied, was on tour in Europe. As the whole world was shutting down and travel was going to be restricted, they had to quickly get their dancers back to the United States. Luckily they got their dancers back, but as with other dance companies, their whole touring schedule for the year was wiped off the calendar. “We were lucky in that we had started work on a digital dance platform, an app that had been on the backburner. So as soon as we realized we were not going to be performing – we put all our energy into that and we were actually able to keep our dancers on full time and use them as teachers on the app,” says Alice Mathis, L.A. Dance Project’s Director of Communication. Their comprehensive app launched in May 2020 and it includes lessons by Benjamin Millepied as well as dancers from New York City ballet. It had a great reception, and they are still growing and adding classes to it on a weekly basis. Check it out here.

They also commissioned two new pieces for which the rehearsals started in August 2020– Solo At Dusk choreographed by Bobbi Jene Smith in collaboration with Or Schraiber and The Betweens choreographed by Jermaine Spivey & Spenser Theberge. The dancers and the choreographers were quarantined together during the rehearsals and the shows were performed outside as a drive-in. “We also adapted our Annual Gala which is our largest fundraising event of the year and we created a series of small galas using a drive-in model [ …] with a catered dinner brought to your car,” says Mathis. L.A. Dance Project found a number of ways to adapt - they were really lucky to get a PPP loan the first time round and again just recently they received The Simpson Fund which helped them keep their virtual summer program.

“We are looking forward to things opening up hopefully […] as the vaccinations continue to lower the numbers […] so, knock on wood, we are looking to start live performances in our space starting in May. I don’t think we are planning any European tours this year. There is still a lot of uncertainty, going forward, and we are really looking to use virtual space as well as outdoor spaces to create site-specific work so that we can still keep dance accessible to people in Los Angeles and around the world in a digital format. It’s a learning process,” adds Mathis.

As important as the arts are, they do unnecessarily take the back seat to some of the more pressing issues. It’s been a difficult year for dance companies in terms of fundraising and Jessica Amaya, Contra-Tiempo’s Managing Director claims that their team worked 10-12 hour days in the first 3 months of the pandemic just trying to take care of the funding for their organization, which is heavily focused on social justice and equity. On top of having all their performances canceled, their main concern was how to take care of their community and their dancers.

One good thing that happened at the beginning of the year for the activist dance theater company is that they converted their artists from independent contractors to employees and that helped them get unemployment benefits because they were on the payroll. “Many of our artists were waiting for months to get unemployment so what we decided as a company was to give all our artists some funding through donations from the board to help them,” adds Amaya. As the pandemic continued, many of their dancers moved back to their home state and it’s been challenging to get them back. “Because of the pandemic, we’ve lost over 50% of our revenue for 2020 and when I was comparing our financial statements from 2019 and 2020, it was very heartbreaking,” says Amaya.

Still from This Is Our Protest by Contra-Tiempo

The pandemic affected Contra-Tiempo’s Arts Education Programming as well since they had to go virtual but through a grant from the Department of Cultural Affairs from the City of Los Angeles – “Dancing Familias was born – a popular weekly program for everyday people (not professional dancers) and a space to support and practice what we call our radical joy muscle. Through this grant, we were going to keep the program on through June but because it was so successful, we decided to keep it going up until now,” says Amaya.

Still from Contra-Tiempo’s live instagram series, A Place at the Table

Everything that surfaced around racial injustices at the beginning of the pandemic was really hard, especially for their dance community, and as a result, they created videos This Is Our Protest and Until We Win to bring awareness to these issues “ JoyUS justUS (2018) was created between 2015 and 2017 and it speaks so much to what is happening now with racial and social injustice,” adds Amaya. They also created a weekly conversation on Instagram live called A Place at the Table where the company’s Artistic Director, activist, and mother, Ana Maria Alvarez talks to like-minded individuals. It’s her hour of healing in order to connect with other mothers, activists, entrepreneurs and artists, and people from all walks of life who are making a difference in the community. They are excited to tour this summer and are looking forward to an all outdoor format of Jacob’s Pillow.

At Los Angeles Ballet all dancers and staff have been partially or entirely furloughed since April 2020. Workweeks and the final number of dancers for the upcoming season are to be determined. “Unfortunately, our performance of The Sleeping Beauty, scheduled for June 2020, had to be canceled, but we hope to be able to announce a full 2021-22 season in the coming months. We follow Los Angeles County and California State guidelines and guidance closely, as do the venues we work with. In general, individual supporters want to see Los Angeles Ballet return to the stage and have continued to be supportive,” says their media representative Shari Mesulam from The Mesulam Group. On Saturday, May 1, 2021, Los Angeles Ballet (LAB) celebrated Fifteen Years of Outstanding Performances at its Season 15 Gala. “We know that the arts bring people together in both happy and hard times, and we look forward to when our dancers are able to share their talents with the Los Angeles audiences that have embraced and supported us for fifteen years but most notably this past year,” says Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary, artistic directors of Los Angeles Ballet.

The dance world is far from being back to normal. Companies had to adapt to support their employees and create educational programs and performances virtually. Dancers had to quarantine together, and new modes of viewership emerged with site-specific performances and drive-in models. Without national and local grants, however, as well as individual beneficiaries, pivoting during this critical time would have been near impossible.

Wayne McGregor’s Autobiography

Everyone has had that one series or book that captivates their attention so much that the clock turns 2am before you know it. “Just one more episode… Just one more page…” That feeling of wanting more and being devastated when it ends is exactly my end result for Wayne McGregor’s tantalizing Autobiography.

PC: Andrej Uspenski

Autobiography was a fusion of science and the human form, examining life through the body’s experience. McGregor created 23 sequences based on his own genome, and entailed personal memories, old writings, art and music in his choreography to translate his story. With collaborations involving award winning set design artist Ben Cullen Williams and avant-garde electronic musician Jlin, McGregor’s Autobiography came alive and enigmatic on stage, never having a moment taken for granted. One of the most titillating aspects of Autobiography is that McGregor uses a computer algorithm before each performance to determine the order of the 23 sequences, ensuring each show is unique and never repeated. Knowing this show would never be repeated to anyone else outside the Ahmanson Theatre had me sitting on the edge of my seat and grasped my attention every second. 

The opening featured a misty stage with a male soloist. The music and his movement came from a deep guttural place setting an organic and mysterious atmosphere for the evening. With extreme virtuosity, the soloist remained grounded while his body moved as if something was bubbling up to the surface. 

McGregor took us in and out of different worlds derived from his DNA, complimented with a constant moving geometric set by Williams. Pops of worlds that were playful with consistent swinging of weight weaved in and out of the sequence algorithm as performers moved through different levels with precise angles and rebound. Certain environments felt intangible because the dancers pushed the boundaries of the human body in unanticipated, fixating ways. Each sequence was heightened by the dynamic lighting design that unapologetically forced you to blink with blackouts and whiteouts.

Jlin’s composition throughout the whole performance was all-encompassing and voluminous with each sequence melding through classical excerpts, sounds of nature, high energy electronica, and deep pulsating beats. McGregor’s choreography and Jlin’s composition were a synergistic addition to the fusion of science and art that is Autobiography. 

PC: Andrej Uspenski

McGregor’s choreography was versatile in each sequence while maintaining his fluid, expansive physicality. Both male and female performers abilities were paralleled in technique and strength making Autobiography feel genderless to emphasize a community of living organisms without a distinct story. Each male duet was stunning and controlled as they paused in positions that seemed unreal and unpredictable. The performers also displayed an astounding power to fly across the floor while being grounded yet weightless. In groups, solos, or duets the performers morphed between a battle for individuality and symbiosis, all while taking moments to smile at each other adding another level of ingenuity. 

McGregor highly succeeded with blending science and art through his own lens. It was mesmerizing, enrapturing, and addicting, so when the curtain finally closed my heart dropped. It was like the end of an enthralling series. Just one more page. Just one more episode. Just one more sequence.  

Joffrey Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet

Photo provided by The Music Center

If I could summarize Joffrey Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet it would be: simplicity speaks volumes. Through Krzysztof Pastor’s choreography and Tatyana Van Walsum’s set and costume design, Romeo and Juliet came alive in a different century that was dynamic, simplistic, and highly entertaining. 

Pastor’s choreography was full-bodied with a high demand for physicality. His movement seemed aspired by Balanchine technique with early 1900s’ Jazz Age nuances. Tatyana Van Walsum’s set and costume design were done extremely well as it brought focus on the performance instead of embellishing it.

The most intriguing part of Pastor’s version of Romeo and Juliet was how he highlighted social issues just as much as the classic forbidden romance.

Pastor’s Romeo and Juliet did two time-hops starting in the 1930s’ jumping to the 1950s’ and ending in the 1990s’. These time hops were to used to show the endless cycle of violence and hostilities in society as iterated by projections on the backdrop from wars during these eras.

All the partnering in the fight scenes were magnetic to watch as the movement and transitions were simple yet intricate. Throughout the partner-work, the performers seamlessly shared and transferred weight using each others momentum portraying the violence as a continuous, spinning cycle.

One of Pastor’s choreographic decisions that won my heart for this ballet was his use of dramatic pauses as the orchestra continued performing Prokofiev’s score, allowing the audience to take in everything that happened. The pauses were long and increased the drama of the story, which I appreciated as this allowed Prokofiev’s score to tell the story as well. One repeated transition of Pastor’s involved the ensemble flawlessly coming to stillness, followed by either a quick drop or slow melt to the ground to reveal Juliet in a spotlight. Once the music took over telling the story, she would slowly walk around the stage as a symbol hope amidst the conflict.

Performer, Fabrice Calmels, as Capulet was terrifyingly intimidating as he commanded the stage every time he appeared.  Mercutio, performed by Derrick Agnoletti, stole the show with his amusing spunky, flamboyant, ruff-scallion antics. Agnoletti’s performance of Mercutio was vibrant, provocative, and alive as he displayed high technical skills with power. 

The chemistry between performers Dylan Gutierrez as Romeo and Jeraldine Mendoza as Juliet was not to be missed either. Both nailed the infatuated head-over-heels love story between Romeo and Juliet. During each duet, there was a loud level of trust that only strengthened the playful, awe-provoking moments. These two characters had several motifs throughout their duets that caught my attention and warmed my heart. Several times when Romeo lifted Juliet into a stag jump, she did a quick kick of her legs that blushed “oh stop it, you.” One of the most endearing motifs was the use of them putting their hands on the sides of each others faces. That gentle, compassionate touch spoke volumes to how absent tender, human understanding is in society.

There is always an expectation of acting when going to see a ballet, however, the acting of Joffrey Ballet’s performers was truly impressive. The performers came from an authentic emotional place and I felt I was genuinely watching the characters in the story, and not watching performers be the characters.

Less is always more like Joffrey Ballet's Romeo and Juliet showed. The genius simplicity within Pastor’s choreography and transitions, Van Walsum’s costume and set design, and the performer’s genuine acting spoke volumes and allowed for the story to captivatingly play out the intricacies and complexities of violence that ring through every generation.

SHOCK. BEWILDERMENT OR IMPACT. - BETROFFENHEIT

Photo Credit Wendy D. Photography.  Tiffany Tregarthen and Jonathon Young

Sheesh.  Twas a busy holiday season.  Some may ask, "where ya been"?  Well, to answer that question; we've been at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica most recently and we saw Kidd Pivot and Electric Company Theatre's presentation of BETROFFENHEIT AKA "Shock, Bewilderment or Impact".  The work presented Feb 14 -16 was dark and humorous and classic Crystal Pike - creative sets, puppetry paired with screeching sharp music, dark lighting and dazzling dance.  The piece incorporated tap and it was quite refreshing to see tap dance done in a work these days.  The feeling of the set was similar to Crystal's Spooky 2009 work - Dark Matters. CHECK THE LINK!!

BETROFFENHEIT focuses on an individual experiencing or suffering from addiction and/or mental health issues. Early in the work the audience gets to see the main performer coping with health problems in a state of paranoia.   Then in several scenes later, or in essentially Act II; the audience gets to see how certain life events have caused the performer to respond in a certain way. As noted in the program relating to mental health conditions "What a daunting task transforming a troubled mind is, when what you're looking for is what you're looking with." - From "In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts - Close Encounters with Addiction by Gabor Mate.

Photo Credit Wendy D. Photography.  

Jonathon Young, Cindy Salgado, Jermaine Spivey, David Raymond, Tiffany Tregarthen,

Bryan Arias

Artistically, the work was executed extremely well and the dancers were AMAZING.  The only criticism we could offer is that Crystal could have done some editing of the movement phrases between Act II and Act III.  The clown-like dancer (or Pixie?)  performed by Tiffany Tregarthen was definitely our favorite part of the work as she portrayed that annoying dark little voice that everyone hears in the back of their mind at some point in life. 

We hope you get a chance to see this thought-proving work!  Its DEF worth the time.

-Spot LA

THE NUTCRACKER SUITE PERFORMANCE AT AMERICAN CONTEMPORARY BALLEY

 Sarah Bukowski as Marzipan, photo credit Art Lessman

The Nutcracker suite is a dazzling repertoire of chocolate covered dance, that you can actually walk through. It's is an experience and performance that fulfills all your childhood fantasies. From hot chocolate and popcorn to coffee ice cream, gingerbread cookies and marzipan, they got it all covered. Only this time you get to savor these treats with an orchestra behind you and dancers all around you! The dancers are, in fact representing these sweet, festival delights. After all, we are going through The Nutcracker Suite as imagined, choreographed and conceived by Lincoln Jones.

The experience already starts in line for the show, which takes place on the 32nd floor of the Bloc Tower in Downtown LA. We walk into what looks like a 60s office space, where we are told by a charming redhead, to wipe our feet on a door mat before walking through a  large door with a sign " The Nutcracker Suite."

From darkness into light, we enter a snow covered playground with human sized wind -up dolls, an ice skating rink, an orchestra, and beautiful people offering you hot chocolate, champagne and whatever your heart desires. The orchestra warms your heart as you feel the harmony and effortless flow in their selections from Tchaikovsky's The Nutckracker, arranged by James & Kathy McMillen. The space is so magical, you want to stay in it forever. The exposed brick walls and roughness of American Contemporary Ballet just makes it so much more alternative than any other classical ballet show you have seen before. If you like dance, dreamy sets, and the holiday season, you must go see it for yourself! Oh, and make sure to bring a child! They will love you forever.

Don't miss this Immersive Ballet Wonderland.  The performance runs through December 23.  Get your tix here.

THE CHRISTMAS SHOW YOU WON'T HATE

Put The Nutcracker, SNL, The Ed Sullivan Show, and your favorite (& least favorite) Christmas tunes in a mixer. Whip that mess up, and you’ve got yourself a janky cake.

With John C. Reilly on the top.

Photographer: George Ngo; Image provided by Creative Director Kristin Campbell-Taylor

Its satire, yet thoughtful. You won’t cry for Tiny Tim, but there’s a high possibility you will have
(drunken?) tears of hilarity streaming down your face. It is the Christmas show you’ve always
wanted. You no longer have to see your sister’s kids’ tap performance and think that is the best
this capitalistic season has to offer. It is for holiday lovers and haters alike.

It is The Janky Christmas Show.

And you’ve missed it for the PAST SIX YEARS.

You’ve missed the Shitty Nativity. You know the Nativity story, but told shitily.

Photographer: George Ngo; Image provided by Creative Director Kristin Campbell-Taylor

You've missed Pink Santa

Photographer: George Ngo; Image provided by Creative Director Kristin Campbell-Taylor

Commercials you actually want to watch.

Photographer: George Ngo; Image provided by Creative Director Kristin Campbell-Taylor

And the Ho Ho Ho Dancers.

Photographer: George Ngo; Image provided by Creative Director Kristin Campbell-Taylor

Not to mention Monologue Man, The 12 Days of Christmas, “snow,” and gentle sprinklings of classic Hanukkah and Kwanzaa traditions.

Perhaps you’re like Pinkie Clause and not really feeling the holiday spirit the year? — With wildfires raging in Southern California, sexual abuse scandals in DC, Hollywood, and NYC, death and violence in the news everyday, Pinkie isn’t going to “DO” Christmas anymore. The world doesn’t deserve Christmas according to him.

But can we have The JANKY without Pink Santa?

John C. Reilly as Janky Marley tries to (re)warm Pinkie - and you up to the idea of Christmas with visits from Janky Past, Present, & Future + some Jewish Jello Shots!? The Positivity Cheerleaders will show you how to work through your anxiety in just one evening & for the very reasonable ticket price of $25! What if all you ever needed to get in the Christmas spirit was a good ol fashioned sing along?

THE JANKY is the perfect way to get you and your loved ones in the holiday spirit. Both heartfelt and irreverent with more singing, dancing, and real time shenanigans than our President’s twitter account!

Designer: Tommy Sugimoto; Image Provided by Creative Director Kristin Campbell-Taylor.

Tickets available www.bootlegtheater.org

TESSERACT AT REDCAT - A GUEST POST BY FILMMAKER JUSTINE RACZKIEWICZ

Photo Credit: Mick Bello

Merce Cunningham was one of the greatest choreographers of the 21 st century, and I was fortunate to intern at his company over a decade ago during my college years in New York. I vividly remember browsing through various archives in the west village basement office and coming across Charles Atlas and his dance videos with Merce for the first time. They had been collaborators since the 1970’s and both were pioneers and equally interested in exploring the boundaries between technology and the body, and developed new ways of seeing.

I was fortunate to experience Charles Atlas’ work again in person at REDCAT this past week. “Tesseract”was created along with two dancers from the Cunningham troupe, Rashaun Mitchell and Silas Riener, and it not only lived on in Merce’s spirit, but broke exciting new ground.

For a Greek etymology refresher, “Tesseract” means four rays of light, and is essentially a four-
dimensional shape made up of two combined parallel cubes. The performance itself, just like the title was also a combination of two parts: a 3D film of a dance performance, followed by a 3D dance performance which was filmed. 

The 45-minute dance film was further broken down into six parts, with geometric squares represented through costumes, set pieces and movement. The play with dimensionality was inherent throughout as the performers were at moments trapped within the canvas, like particles or pixels confined to a matrix inside a frame, but at times they were liberated and operated outside as though in parallel universes. The science-fiction worlds evolved both in shape and color, beginning with simple lines in black and white, moving towards more multifaceted perspectives and angles painted in a rich kaleidoscopic spectrum. The electronic ambient soundscapes and minimal melodies were transporting. I was so fully immersed in the 3D film that I had forgotten about the plastic glasses which separated me from this new universe. One of my favorite scenes was a surreal Martian-like landscape where the dancers donned bright-orange leotards with protruding geometric growths, while also carrying large Platonic solids around. I could not help but wonder about the mathematical elegance that underlies our metaphysical
reality.

Photo Credit: Mick Bello

Atlas’ camerawork pulled us into absorbing journey. He began with more static and fixed shots in the opening of the film which framed the dancers’ movements, but then progressed to longer, fluid and continuous steadicam shots which encircled the dancers in unison. 

Photo Credit: Mick Bello

In the live performance part of the piece the camera became a full-on participant rather than just a witness. The cameraman, Ryan Thomas Jenkins, set his rig up center stage, exposing the technical process and elevating its purpose. Outfitted in a bright pink pantsuit with bedazzled silver shoes, he too became a dancer or even a ringmaster of sorts. The six dancers wore transparent conical costumes, which interacted beautifully with the light as they moved, creating optical tricks with delay. As the cameraman followed them around the stage, the dancers were projected onto a scrim in front of the audience, creating a stunning superimposition of bodies skewed in both space and time. Atlas mixed this steadicam footage live, and altered the frame rates creating a truly hypnotic experience, which played with Gestalt principles and depth perception. Tesseract took me to the inner and outer reaches of space, from the umbilical to the interstellar. Dance always reminds me that we are multi-dimensional to
the core.

Photo Credit: Mick Bello

DIAVOLO- The Veteran's Project

A PERSONAL JOURNEY

Submitted by David Mann

I was pleased when asked to blog for Diavolo’s 25th anniversary event in part when I learned that this 11am to 11pm program was to be held at my alma mater, California State University,  Northridge. And the 3pm performance “The Veterans Project 2017” was to be held in the most exquisite and perfectly scaled Soraya/Valley Performance Art Center, designed by the architect Kara Hill, then with HGA.

I came with my friend CiCi and her son. They are new to this country and recently left China to start a new life here.  So it seemed appropriate to introduce them to America on this Veteran’s Day tribute to the men and women who protect this country.  During the day there were activities for kids to play on Diavolo’s equipment, albeit scaled down.

The other reason I was eager to attend of course was to see this new work by Jacques Heim, Founder and Artistic Director for Diavolo. I’ve know Jacques for years, and was curious to see how this brilliant “architect of motion” as he refers to himself, would create a performance that would translate this nation’s Veteran’s Day celebration into a high art experience.  In my mind I wondered if the path less traveled would transcend the expected patriotic and sentimental tribute.  And for those of us who recoil at the current political climate, there is little if anything to celebrate.

I was not disappointed, nor were the other 1,700 audience members in this filled to capacity theatre. Dressed in black Japanese warrior inspired costumes, each of the 16 performers stepped forward into the light to introduce themselves. To my surprise, it was “name, rank and serial number.” These were not Diavolo company members, but men and women who had served in the army, navy, marines, air force and coast guard, sharing where they served, when they served, and included the injuries they had sustained, both mental and physical. This performance event suddenly became very personal.

After these introductions, the lights dimmed and opened to reveal the stage with a large circular movable platform with round openings for long aluminum and acrylic poles. This platform served as an arena for action, acting as either a home base or memorial, the poles were used as structural elements. Then at other times the performers moved the platform as if it were a battlewagon with the poles held by each performer and used as long weapons fending off intruders.  This was architecture in motion as a visual metaphor for a homeland under attack played out. Dusty Alvarado, Institute Director, describes the set piece design as IBUKI, a Japanese word which means inner-strength, renewal, resilient enough to endure and emerge beautiful.

Quoting from the program notes: “Conceived by DIAVOLO’s Executive Director Jennifer Cheng, The Veterans Project is a pure and profound reflection of the values and purpose that drive DIAVOLO: trust, teamwork and perseverance. Inspired by Sebastian Junger’s novel Tribe and the vital stories of the veterans in our own community, this four-month workshop uses movement as medicine to help heal and connect our American heros.  The program culminates in a presentation that reflects on themes such as inner strength, renewal, resilience and the meaning of Home.”

So these vets endured a four month intensive workshop. These 16 people, none of whom had ever danced before, let alone performed on a stage, did indeed rise to the occasion. One veteran was later to say when asked during the O&A “how was it being up there” said, “it has its own kind of anxiety.”  As a non-dancer taking dance classes since the 1970’s, I can relate!

These are tough people, and they entered with bravery to encounter, share and reveal the best of who they are on the Diavolo stage. It was a tribute to the healing power of performance and the power of collective movement in a choreographic context. Perhaps a way to rewrite their own  inner narratives.  Indeed, several members said that this 16 week workshop was a major healing experience for them, with a few individuals reporting that it literally saved their lives.

There was a second performance called D2R. From the program notes, “Inspired by military culture and combat landscapes, D2R is an abstract representation of the determined yet agonized warrior in us all..” This second performance however, was performed by Diavolo’s company members.  I honestly can say I didn’t know which group of people I was watching. The lines became blurred between the veterans and the company members. This was especially played out in the first piece in which 7 Diavolo performers joined the 16 veteran performers. And it didn’t seem to matter who was who. The level of performance was professional, robust and emotional.

During the Q&A another remarkable thing happened.  The veterans took questions, and to my surprise audience members stood up to say they were in the military also and shared their experiences. The gravity expressed from the stage found it’s way to audience as well.  This experience unified the entire theatre that day.

So this was not just my personal journey, but a collective performer to audience shared experience. It was elevating, uncomfortable and inspiring. A personal journey for all of us.

Australia’s leading choreographers and dance companies, Lucy Guerin and Gideon Obarzanek from Dancenorth bring a great work to UCLA - A guest post by Filmmaker Justine Raczkiewicz

On November 3rd , two of Australia’s leading choreographers and dance companies, Lucy Guerin and Gideon Obarazenk from Dancenorth joined forces with Indonesian music duo Senyawa to bring “Attractor” to UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA).

Upon entering the venue, my eyes were immediately drawn to a vertical mast of equipment
cables on stage, which extended up high as though drawing on an energetic source beyond our
perceptible senses. The musicians Rully Shabara and Wukir Suryadi sat at the base. Dressed in
black, they were encircled by plain-clothed dancers on chairs who resembled nomads or hippies
gathered for a drum circle, or some kind of primordial gathering – with sound at the center of
their universe.

Senyawa’s sound was unlike anything I have ever heard, it was both primal and elevated,
rhythmic and chaotic, foreign and familiar. The Javanese duo comprises Suryadi’s electrified,
self-made string instruments punctuated by Shabara’s guttural singing. Together they meld
traditional Indonesian folk influences with bold experimental tactics to create high-velocity
sound.

Shabara’s homemade bamboo instrument is unusual given that it serves multiple functions: as
a percussive element it sets a rhythm and beat; when its strings are plucked and layered, the
amplified melody is similar to that of a distorted guitar. Senyawa also draws on heavy-metal
influences from their youth: bands such as Black Sabbath, Metallica and Iron Maiden. The
sound is at once neo-tribal and avant-garde.

On stage, there was a true interplay of music and dance, a symbiotic relationship. In certain
pieces, the music would begin and lead the movement, with the dancers animating at the
periphery and radiating out. At other moments, the musicians were literally transported and
carried away by the dancers themselves—sound trailed after and followed dance. According to
the program notes, the choreographer, Lucy Guerin, wanted to create a piece that moved
beyond narrative representation, and to play with an evolution of forms. This was visible when
the troupe oscillated between moving as one large holistic organism, and then broke into
individual expressions.

One of the most riveting solos was Samantha Hine’s piece, which began like a street style robot
dance, but morphed into a haunting demonic possession no "Exorcist" film could possibly top.
She moved as though controlled by an outside force, and Shabara’s voice accentuated her
convulsions and broken joints. Sound manifested itself physically - when he growled, gurgled
and thrashed around on stage his body eerily mirrored her movements. The verisimilitude was
uncanny, and the audience responded with laughter, which made me wonder if it was a result
of horror tropes in the popular consciousness. Or maybe laughter masked the unease? Either
way, loud applause at the end highlighted this as a favorite.

In another scene, the dancers picked up the two musicians whilst they were playing and began
to carry them around the stage, like jesters – they tried with all their might to distract them,
rolling them on the ground, pressing their hands into their chests as if they could distort or affect the sound. One of the musicians was even dragged around by his feet – which at first
seemed comical, but then morphed into a fierce act of independence. The music played on
steadily, as the musicians crawled away on the floor, in a last ditch refusal or protest to express
their art. The piece ended when new percussive instruments suddenly joined in from the
middle of the audience, as though the sound moved beyond its physical boundaries and spread.
The climactic scene of the evening involved the entire troupe, shaking in unison in a trance-like,
ritualistic state. At one point twenty or so participants of all ages emerged from the audience,
also clothed in similar neutral hues and street-wear, joining the dancers on stage. The division
between professional and amateur became blurred once the mob moved in a mass, and
became something larger than life - more than the sum of its parts.

Shafts of blue light pierced through the smoky air, and the dancers moved in a frenetic manner,
reminiscent of a nightclub. They eventually formed two lines, and bodies ran from one side to
the next, as through entrapped in a diminishing space, with the moving walls closing in. Once
the gap diminished, there was nothing more than a pile of writhing bodies left on the floor.
In the program notes, choreographer Gideon Obarzenek mentions his kibbutz experience in
Israel as an inspiration for the show, where communal participation is privileged over
performance. With “Attractor” he wanted to create a ritual for non-believers, to create a space
where people could experience an ecstatic and transcendental state.

My mind could not help but think of the recent concert shooting in Las Vegas, and then recall
Orlando, and the Bataclan attack in Paris. With images of bodies mobilized at their fullest
extent in joy, ecstasy and union one moment only to have the life taken away from them in the
next. I could not help but wonder if an innocent communal gathering in a public setting was
becoming increasingly put into question and less possible without an inch of paranoia.
In a powerful last image of the night, the dancers’ bodies froze motionless on stage, but the
singer’s voice continued to scream on in pain, as lights flashed on and off in a strobe-like
manner, exorcising the spirits of the deceased. In order to fully achieve an ecstatic state, must
we not first collectively grieve and release the pain?

LA Dance Project in Residence at Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts

The L.A Dance Project was founded by director Benjamin Millepied in 2012, and it “seeks to foster dance-centered artistic collaborations across all disciplines, cultures, and communities in Los Angels and around the globe.” Millepied’s company performed at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, November 2-3, 2017. As the first Company-In-Residence, LADP will be presenting their work this fall as well as in the spring of 2018. 

“CLOSER,” a 2006 Benjamin Millepied duet was the opening piece set to Philip Glass’s “Mad Rush.” A piano sat up stage accompanied by the talented Richard Valitutto, with Costume Design by Lydia Harmon, which beautifully added to the piece. The wonderful lighting design by Roderick Murray helped move the storyline forward. The piece, danced by David Adrian Freeland Jr and Janie Taylor, depicts the life of a relationship: falling in love, fighting, growing apart and then back together. It exemplifies appreciation of one another and the lasting relationship and the closeness you can only find over time. Both Freeland and Taylor are strong dancers and were exquisite in execution of the choreography. Freeland felt a bit stronger to me, though, as he brought more to his character until the end moments. He manipulated Taylor and made her feel as though she was weightless and seemingly powerless. I’ve actually seen this piece before at the same location. In 2015, Les ballet Jazz de Montreal performed this same piece, with both dancers executing at the highest level. They were able to maintain a powerful stage presence without losing the masculine and feminine qualities that this piece requires. I would have liked to have seen these dancers a bit more as equals—with a more intense connection—showing the rise and fall of the emotions of their relationship, and not just through the choreography. Also, let me first say that I’m a huge fan of long hair being down while dancing. With that, Taylor’s hair was a huge distraction. It was just too all over the place, including the faces of both dancers. “Closer” was very enjoyable, but I found myself needing more in all aspects. 

“SECOND QUARTET” is choreographed by Noé Solier, Music by Tom De Cock (Ictus Ensemble), and Noe Soulier, Recorded and mixed by Alexandre Fostier and the Lighting Design was by Victo Burel. In the company program, this piece is described with a quote by Solier, which states “ The movements presented are not immediately recognizable. Rather, they are motivated by concrete goals—-such as avoiding, striking, throwing, pushing, and resisting—-but impeded through the use of specific strategies.” Reading this was immensely helpful, as I would have thought the dancers were just hitting an imaginary ball with different parts of their body around the stage for 28 minutes. There were some interesting initiations of movement during the piece, but in the end it became very repetitive and lasted too long. The audience did think some of the movements were laugh out loud funny, since it was a little slapstick-ish with prat falls, kicks, rolls, twists and turns. This piece was not really my cup of tea, but the audience seemed to really enjoy it. And that’s what really matters, right? The middle of this piece featured a duet with dancers Nathan Makolandra and Rachelle Rafailedes. They are both powerhouse dancers, and they showed the necessary connection and emotion to the movement, each other, and the audience. They really allowed you into their world. This piece would have been more interesting if we’d been able to see how it was conceived in rehearsals. 

Photo Credit Lawrence K. Ho

“IN SILENCE WE SPEAK,” choreographed by Benjamin Milliped, began with the lights dimly lit in the house. Lighting designer, Jim French, helped Millipied turn the audience into a unique character. The audience felt different during this piece. It was palpable. The closely moving dancers delved into their own little world, but we were all there looking at them and we both knew it. The lights eventually went down and everyone in the audience seemed to settle and shift. The two dancers’ world finally shrunk to just the two of them. This duet was danced by Rachelle Rafailedes and Janie Taylor. After a little research, this piece was originally made for Ms Taylor and Carla Körbes, both retired ballerinas who were close friends. Unfortunately, this piece was just a little blah for me. The dancers were gorgeous, but the choreography and costumes did nothing for me, including the distracting squeaks of tennis shoes on the floor. This choreography didn’t tell me a story about friendship or what each friend brought to the table. I was left wondering what this relationship was all about with awkward elementary duet movements. These strong women dancers should’ve been pushed so much more. Everything was there to show us a strong friendship where women support women, especially during life’s ups and the downs. Millipied needs to dig much deeper into women and friendships because there so much more to give. 

“ORPHEUS HIGHWAYS” is choreographed by Benjamin Milliepied. It is a multi-media piece featuring a film of dancers projected onto a screen behind actual dancers performing on stage. The dancers were occasionally in lock step with movements projected behind them, sometimes not. This piece instantly made me think of Westside Story meets Texas Chainsaw Massacre, before the kids discover Leather Face(filmed in Marfa, Texas). This piece was fun, exhilarating, and a great way to end the evening on a high note. The music was composed by Steve Reich and had a very rhythmic quality, which the choreography tried to mimic, almost like a tap dance. Sadly, the dancers failed to stay with the rhythm with their tapping tennis shoes. Besides that, this piece was one of the two pieces I really enjoyed in the evening. It left me wanting to see what more Milliepied might do with this multimedia aspect, especially since his company is housed in the middle of the entertainment capital. 

It is exciting that Millipied has chosen to bring his company to Los Angeles, and that he now has two apprentices that are actually from Los Angeles—and not New York. But, there are many amazing companies, choreographers, and dancers in the city of Los Angeles (and surrounding areas) that have made world-class work that don’t have the celebrity name or backing. It would be extraordinary for both Millipied and the Los Angeles dance community to actually join forces and bring the Los Angeles dance world where it belongs, on top. 

Photo Credit Lawrence K. Ho

A Multi-Sensory Mythical World in Culver City - Akram Kahn’s Until the Lions - Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center — On Location

We quickly power walked from downtown Culver City, where we had lost track of time in conversation, turned onto Washington Boulevard, and joined a group of at least twenty people (also power walking) from various parking locations. A man, who looked like he had left his real estate job about ten minutes ago, gently shouted into the night, “is this how we get to the dance performance?” To which about two guides and five audience members responded, “yes sir!” “We think so!” “God, I hope so.” — We had joined the parade to see Akram Kahn’s Until the Lions at Culver Studios.

Akram Kahn is an English dancer of Bangladeshi descent. At the age of seven, he began training in the classical South Asian dance form of Kathak. Over the years, he honed his craft by working with Sri Pratap Pawar and Peter Brook, as well as training at the Academy of Indian Dance (Akademi South Asian Dance), De Montfort University, Northern School of Contemporary Dance, and Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s X-Group project. In the 1990s, he began presenting solo performances, then launched Akram Khan Company in August 2000. Seventeen years later, the company remains “inspired by Akram Khan’s early training in the Indian classical dance form Kathak, and the hybrid language that organically emerged when Akram’s kathak training encountered contemporary dance in his teens, a vision began to form, fuelled by a desire to learn and create through collaboration with the very best people across all the disciplines in the arts.” (source: Akram Kahn Company Website)

We rushed through the ticket line, had our bags searched, entered a warehouse-like structure, then were directed to the “west” section to find our seats. We made our way past an enormous round stage that as our eyes adjusted, we realized was a cracked cross section of a tree trunk. We sat, and Khan’s retelling of an excerpt from the ancient Sanskrit epic “The Mahabharata” began to unfold before us.

Opening with Amba exploring the stump, she discovered a skull and placed it on top of a long rigid pole. The circular set has similar poles both laying on the ground, standing upright around the edges, and collected on the floor next to the oversized tree stump. Our curiosity peaked as the performance swirled deeper into the story. We felt ourselves becoming engulfed in this mythical world, a true testament to Michael Hulls’ thoughtful lighting design. Countless light beams descended from the ceiling; the light dimmed and focused, guiding the story in many ways as much as the music and movement itself.

Kahn performed as Bheeshma, and while it is always interesting to see a choreographer within their own work – especially one as celebrated as he is, the two women constantly stole our focus. Ching-Ying Chien and Christine Joy Ritter fully transformed into their characters. Their specificity, athleticism, and performance quality fed the clear themes of gender identity, spirituality, and passion.

Amba is abducted on her wedding day, stripped of her honor, and rejected by her family. As she invokes the gods to seek revenge, the universe becomes unbalanced, and the tree trunk, undoubtedly a reference to the passing of time, cracks open. Light (again, thank you Michael Hulls!) seeps out from underneath with smoke swirling around the – at this point – near creature-like choreography. It became clear we had left the human world, and Kahn had guided us into a universe that challenged gender identity, revenge, and the afterlife. The musicians moved around the set in an aggressive call-and-response pattern, both with drum beats and vocal arrangements. As the piece concluded, each production element wove together in a captivating climax and closing of the story.

While Until the Lions was a multi-sensory experience that I would highly recommend to both dance/theatre lovers and not alike, I struggle with separating the work, which intends to demonstrate the endurance of the female spirit, with Kahn’s recent comment “Don’t have more female choreographers for the sake of it.” Because, like Luke Jennings, the Observer’s dance critic said, we do need more female choreographers for the sake of it.

But I suppose that opens another question — how do we make sense of the relationship choreographers’ work and their personal bias or beliefs?

Variance 2017 - A Guest Post by Ashlee Blosser

Entering a theatre to witness just the heads of people popping out from behind a massive velvet
curtain is not what one would expect right away when attending a dance concert. After some
storytelling, jokes, and even a puppet show, it was clear that the mysterious, floating heads in
the curtains are the start of the concert. California State University, Long Beach’s annual BFA
concert, Variance, took a turn towards experimental, bold, and whimsical this year, filling myself
and the audience with curiosity and anticipation.

Variance was the third annual presentation of BFA and guest artist work featuring the 1936
classic Lynchtown, by Charles Weidman, and premiered by BFA candidates Alice Amano,
Tanner Miranda, Justin Morris, Haley Richartz, Katelyn Sanchez, and Maili Schlosser in
collaboration with BFA and MFA composers from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music.
Justin Morris’ piece, Iamnot|utterances\habitus, opened the show with the floating heads that
challenged preconceptions of performance, authenticity, and identity by way of storytelling and
lip syncing. Throughout the storytelling, the performers switched up whose story they were
telling, and told them as if it was their own story. Through ingenious switch up of identity
throughout a diverse cast, constant disappearing and reappearing heads, interaction with the
audience, a sock puppet show, and a lip-sync over the pre-show courtesy message caused
uproars of laughter and immediate engagement. Iamnot|utterances\habitus provided a few
surprises throughout the afternoon, where Morris continued to warp our conception of
performance while also lifting up those we have lost to hate and violence.
In Finding Syzygy, Haley Richartz had taken the show into a different world by presenting an
abstract work that explored the choreographic device and cosmic phenomenon of retrograde.
Richartz’ created an optical illusion for me with her use of formations, space, and a projection
created by Gregory R.R. Crosby. “Syzygy” is the alignment of three celestial bodies, which was
translated well with the performer’s moving like an organism rolling, morphing, and retrograding
themselves in and out of the floor. With a sound score created by Richartz herself, in addition, to
the beautiful imagery her movement created, she evoked a world that transcended physical and
emotional reality.

With a beautiful first image of a performer being retained by red fabric that stretched from one
side of the stage to the other, Alice Amano’s Day 1 explored the multifaceted emotional
landscape of romantic love through dynamically charged movement. Amano’s choreography for
an all-male cast displayed a powerful physicality of resistance, vulnerability, passion, and
internal conflict. Utilizing an amazing use of weight and inertia, the dancer’s moved in and out of
manipulating and paralleling each other with literal and figurative restraint of the red fabric. With
a score by Daniel Kim, Amano’s choreography looked deeply into paradoxical aspects of
intimacy, emotional distance, and human longing for companionship countered with a need for
independence.

Scopophilia, created by Tanner Miranda and Maili Schlosser, pulled me in immediately as they
explored the idea of “the male gaze” and its physical and psychological effect on women in
society. Their all-female cast was dressed in nude leotards with mesh cutouts that highlighted areas men find attractive on women. With all the theatre’s soft goods having disappeared, the
women were on stage vulnerable and on display with nowhere to hide. On the theatre wall, a
projection, created by Gregory R.R. Crosby, played a layered reel of the performers dancing
with one woman staring at the audience throughout the whole piece. Scopophilia was
structurally based upon the four stages of sexual stimulus and response. Moving in and out of
being still and using gestures, the performer’s had clearly broken the fourth wall as they stared
at the audience with a look that read, “I know you’re looking at me.” Miranda and Schlosser’s
use of movement, stillness, and focus in their choreography successfully emphasized a
sexualized view that served to unnerve and even disgust those watching.

Variance’s intermission was not like any other intermission I have experienced before. Morris’
cast of floating heads reappeared welcoming the audience to do what they needed to do during
intermission, but also announcing that Iamnot|utterances\habitus will continue. Identity and race
were addressed in this section with the use of a soloist wearing a cutout mask of Morris’ face
while he told a story, a lip-syncing trio in the lobby dressed in whimsical clothes and drag, and
two faceless performers skillfully and fearlessly performing up high in one of the theatre’s
lighting wall pockets. This intermission confused me on where to be physically, but was highly
engaging to the point where I was rushing between the lobby and theatre to see what was
happening.

For this year’s, Variance, The Department of Dance was honored to have presented,
Lynchtown, by Charles Weidman. Created in 1936, and inspired by his own experience
witnessing the heinous killing of a young man, Weidman’s piece tackles racism and mob
mentality in a work that is all too timely nearly 100 years later. Lynchtown was staged by George
Willis, a Weidman dancer who performed the work in 1950s-70s Los Angeles and has staged
the classic throughout the country. In this expressive work, the performer’s danced fully together
in movement and character creating a wonderful re-staging of Weidman’s work. In this day and
age there are numerous modern dance techniques, and to witness a traditional piece where all
these techniques stemmed from was a truly a treat. With original costumes and lighting design,
this performance gave a glimpse back in time into a seminal work of one of the fathers of
American modern dance.

In the premiere of As She Speaks or So You Said, Katelyn Sanchez portrays the personal, yet
universal process of transformation through three female dancers. Choreographically, working in
trios is difficult; however, Sanchez was successful with her trio of women and keeping them all
connected yet separate every second. Either the performer’s pathways paralleled, interacted, or
crossed, clearly relating this trio represented one person. Heavily inspired by literature, As She
Speaks or So You Said transports you into a poem figuratively and literally. Performer Elenna
Derkach beautifully performed her solo while speaking a poem about self-acceptance. Sanchez’
work was a tasteful, sophisticated reveal of the different stages in a woman's transformation.
After a show when walking out into the lobby you expect there to be performer’s waiting for their
friends and family; however, Variance continued the show after the curtain went down. The final
section of Morris’ Iamnot|utterances\habitus traveled through, around, and out of the lobby with
Morris was dressed in a red skirt, black boot heels, and a green wig telling stories about
discrimination, sexuality, and objectification. Being a performer myself, I was absorbed by the
change of structure that Iamnot|utterances\habitus gave Variance. Morris and his cast were
successful in disrupting and shattering the perception of concert dance, as it takes a brave
group of people like them to put forth a bold, eccentric message about performance,
authenticity, and identity.

CSULB Department of Dance’s annual BFA concert, Variance, was experimental, provocative,
and all six different concepts in the concert tied together in a bow. All the choreographer’s had
unique voices that spoke volumes to the many topics that were addressed. Breaking
boundaries, ideas, and conceptions, Variance, truly entertained the afternoon with different
ways of looking at humanity, the cosmos, identity, race, and gender.

A Guest Post by Filmmaker Justine Raczkiewicz - AMERICAN CONTEMPORARY BALLET'S INFERNO

No doubt many are familiar with Dante’s epic poem “The Divine Comedy”, and especially the juiciest canto “Inferno”, which follows his journey though hell guided by the Roman poet Virgil. Upon reading about a ballet interpretation of the piece, I jumped at the occasion to witness it in person. Expectations were high to see some sinful activity. The American Contemporary Ballet (ACB) feeds some of these desires, and provides an intimate set-up in a raw space, ironically from one of the highest points of downtown Los Angeles looking down into the darkest depths of man’s descent into the underworld.

On Friday the 13th, ACB, a relatively young dance company founded by LA native Lincoln Jones and Associate Director Theresa Farrell, showcased “Inferno” in their seventh season premiere. A perfect piece to kick off the Halloween spirit, it plays through October 28, 2017 on the 32nd floor of the Bloc Tower. Opening night also served as a costumed fundraiser, so while our palettes were treated to colorful cocktails named “Love” and “Bliss”, red and black suits, horns and tails roamed through the exposed fluorescent lit, cement columned space with a 360-degree view of the downtown skyline. An organist set a pensive and melancholic tone while the audience seated themselves.

ACB Dancers Rochelle Chang and Ian Schwaner.  Photo Credit Art Lessman

What lay ahead though was a more discordant experience. “Inferno” was scored to Charles Wuorinen’s “The Mission of Virgil” a ballet in seven parts, inspired by scenes from Dante’s “Divine Comedy”. The Pulitzer Prize-winning composer’s piano was highly erratic, and with the meter changing at every bar, it was so complex it neither emoted nor evoked. With it’s lack of narrative or progression, after a while, it simply tired.

The opening dance piece catered to expectations, as a stunningly exposed Beatrice walked in front of the audience it reminded of the power of physicality and presence in live staging. When she gracefully hid her body in another dancer’s embrace, voyeuristic tendencies could not be appeased, and eyes drifted to the window reflections for alternate perspectives. 

The close quarters and proximity to the dancers, allowed us to fully appreciate the handiwork and materiality of the elegant costumes, which never failed to please. Beginning with elegant nudes, and delicate, transparent beige threads they highlighted the body’s contours and emphasized its fragility. As we descended further into the monster’s lairs, skin-tight one-piece leather suits, and elongated spiked nails emerged to visually demonstrate more horrific states.

And while the nudity, live piano music and stunning costumes played into the sensuality of the night, “Inferno” originally was meant to be a moral warning cry. I could not help but think somehow, that it felt almost mainstream. When horned headgear becomes appropriated, and festival masquerades become humdrum and ubiquitous, what imagery can possibly shock today? With the proliferation of provocative imagery and salacious headlines in the media, I hoped the movement of bodies would explore age-old thematics in a new manner. The dance however, was like the music, not daring or expressionist but formal. Or as Wuorinen described, there was a “certain mocking quality…more like ridicule than horror.” Perhaps the elevated ballet form is too limited a language of gestures to capture the full range of sin. Dante’s “Inferno” was also a highly political poem at his time, and my attention shifted to the elite funders in the audience who sipped their champagne and watched the dancers like Degas’ ballerinas. My mind could not help but drift to power structures and imagine young women who dreamed big in this town.

The placement of the piano was partially to blame for the distracted mind, as the sound was not tailored to the rectangular space, and amplification could have helped provide a more guttural impact. Although the Artistic Director visually described the space as “wide screen”, sound could have played in stereo rather than mono.

The dance choreography overall felt frenetic, and the most evocative moments were not the horrific, lustful and despicable as expected, but rather the moments of respite, of silence and pause. The opening and the ending, the embarkation and the arrival, were most humbling, poetic and human. Everything in between, should we call it the foreplay? Was more like purgatory – stuck in limbo without release. The overall piece was just under a half hour, and left some audience members unsatiated and longing for more. One critic wished he had seen “more junk” and was perplexed by the short-lived experience. But then again, this was a comedy after all.

The final scene between Dante and Virgil, beautifully embodied by Rochelle Chang and Ian Schwaner, was the most tangible, relatable and emotional piece in the evening. A powerful spotlight flooded the stage with a beam of light and partially illuminated the poet and his guide, as they slowly emerged from the cavernous shadows. With palms outstretched, they carefully shielded themselves as they approached the source, searching for meaning in their existence. As the piece moved from a state of confusion to one of clarity and resolution through ascension, we were left with an image of newfound hope.

PORT: LA/SF

Hello there.  Did you see LA Contemporary Dance Company Presents PORT: LA/SF last week at the Los Angeles Theater Center in Downtown LA?  If not, it was a wonderful evening of mixed work from San Francisco-based company FACT/SF and Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company. 

Artists of FACT/SF.  Photo Credit Gema Galina

If you haven’t heard of FACT/SF, it’s a contemporary dance company founded by Charles Slender-White in 2008.  Keep this company on your radar, folks.  His work is very unique and its not like anything out there on the dance circuit now.  Slender-White’s work is very unique, experimental and well thought-out.  As seen in his Los Angeles premiere of Remains, his use of props, puppets and creative ways of using  lighting design on each individual dancer fit so well with the thought provoking content of the dark yet beautiful work.  What I especially liked about Slender-White’s choreography is his simple use of movement gestures and his intentional choreography of the dancer/performers head. Its such a small detail to place an emphasis on movement of the head and Slender-White did it so effectively in both Remains and in excerpts from Platform; the third performance on the bill for the evening.  Speaking of Platform, the excerpt truly showcased his artistic talent and I DEFINITELY wanted to see the entire piece!  Charles himself along with Liane Burns proved their technical capabilities with synchronization.  Both music choices in Charles’ work kept me fully engaged too.  The only question I had after seeing Platform was about the choreography of the work.  Did he do the sole choreography or was it a collaborative effort with additional dancers?  The Program Notes weren’t clear. 

Artists of LACDC.  Photo Credit Gema Galina

LACDC both opened and closed PORT: LA/SF.  With the opening excerpts from Stimulaze and the closing Nomad.Lore World Premiere, we got to see the range of work this company has in its repertoire. In one evening LACDC gave us Melancholy and Ultra Pop Contemporary dance work.  Costuming was very basic in Stimulaze and flashy in the second piece. LACDC is a staple in the SoCal Dance community because the artists can execute a wide array of work.  I believe LA dance patrons appreciate LADCs work in that it is both rarefied and accessible.    

Artists of LACDC.  Photo Credit Gema Galina

Kudos to PORT for exposing LA dance audiences to Bay area artists.  When do we get to see more again?   

PORT (Peer Organized Regional Touring) was born out of 2 years of discussion between the two companies (Fact/SF and LACDC), seeking to remove the economic and logistical obstacles that prohibit cross-regional collaboration. PORT better connects our regions, exposes audiences to an expanded palate of contemporary dance, and creates opportunities for the artists of San Francisco and Los Angeles to learn from and exchange with each other.

L.A. Contemporary Dance Company (LACDC) is a non-profit repertory dance company that offers Los Angeles professional and innovative dance experiences throughout the year. LACDC performs a diverse repertoire of contemporary and cutting edge work representative of L.A.’s vibrant culture. By affording choreographers and dancers the opportunity to create concert length work in an experimental and collaborative environment, LACDC strives to foster the development of new forms in the contemporary dance genre relevant to today’s audiences. www.lacontemporarydance.org

FACT/SF is a San Francisco-based contemporary dance company, founded in 2008 by Artistic Director Charles Slender-White as a platform for organizing collaborators, building community, and creating choreography. FACT/SF regularly performs in the San Francisco Bay Area, maintains a core group of local collaborators, and has developed an extensive international network of colleagues and partners. In addition to presenting the works of Slender-White, FACT/SF supports and engages with the field through three programs: JuMP, PORT, and the annual FACT/SF Summer Dance Lab.

Martha Graham at CSUN - A guest post by Filmmaker J. Raczkiewicz

On Saturday, May 13th the Valley Performing Arts Center in Northridge had their season’s grand finale performance, “Martha Graham and American Music” a selection of pieces from the iconic choreographer’s repertoire set to music performed by Christopher Rountree’s orchestra “Wild Up”. The evening began with opening remarks from Thor Steingraber, the Executive Director of VPAC, who described the dire status of national arts funding under the current administration. The message underscored how drastically the climate had changed since my last visit to VPAC six months prior—a stark reminder of the political climate artists now face and must strive to survive in.

The Martha Graham company, a 91-year-old company which was founded in 1926, has had much of its work funded by grants from the National Endowment of the Arts, a long-standing organization founded by the Kennedy administration, and threatened with closure. Graham revolutionized and redefined contemporary dance as an American art form, and was not only the first dancer to perform at the White House, but was also granted the United States’ highest civilian honor: the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1998, TIME Magazine named her the “Dancer of the Century.

“A dance reveals the spirit of the country in which it takes root. No sooner does it fail to do this than it loses its integrity and significance,” Martha Graham wrote in the 1937 essay A Platform for the American Dance. On this note, Steingraber left us with an affirming thought, either we could watch TV and stay at home and see how we’re different, or we could come here and see how we’re the same. The audience responded with thunderous applause.

PANORAMA

The first piece of the night had its premiere in 1935 at the Vermont State Armory, and was set to an avant-garde score by Norman Lloyd. Graham was a visionary and forever altered the future of dance, impacting generations ahead of her. “No artist is ahead of his time” she said “he is his time, it is just that the others are behind the time.”  I could not help but think about the opening remarks again, and imagine how this piece was perceived by audiences in the 1930s, and yet remain as pertinent today.

This dance was a reconstruction of the original, and featured 28 student dancers from Northridge, Granada Hills and LA County arts high schools. The youthful energy and excitement was palpable in the air. The bright blue monochromatic backdrop and blue lit floor, set the dancers apart in their electric red colored costumes, which were designed by Graham herself. These patriotic colors echoed the opening sentiments once more, but red had its own loaded political Soviet connotations at the time. Graham was a master not only of movement, but moreover movement in color and this imbued her dance with a symbolic activism. Only youth could fully capture and represent that dynamism on stage.

As the mass moved in unison to the militaristic music, in and out of repetitive formations, they became a chorus of scurrying electrons at one moment, melancholic statues rising from what could be the depths of a lake the next. The dancers jumped with articulated appendages like puppets whose spines remained mostly erect, and could only find expression through their extremities. Their hands and feet had a language of their own, flat palms, closed fists, and flexed feet symbolically represented open and closed systems, freedom and constraint.

Graham’s style broke with convention in how she electrified the body, and played with contraction and release. These students were forced into geometric synchronized shapes in shifting space, but then also broke out in demonstration.

Conductor, Christopher Roundtree’s orchestra “Wild Up” energized the audience with a searing sound, and left our hearts palpitating. He spoke about his orchestra like a circuit that connects the audience, musicians and music in a feedback loop.

DARK MEADOW SUITE

After “Panorama,” the Company’s Artistic Director, Janet Eilber, came out and briefly introduced the next few pieces starting with “Suite”, made up of excerpts from a longer work, “Dark Meadow” which originally premiered in 1946 in New York City. She spoke about “Suite” as a reenactment of ritual, an abstract search for connection with another, within oneself, and with the larger community. The ritualistic piece was inspired by Graham’s love of the American Southwest and Mexican natives and was accompanied by Mexican composer, Carlos Chavez’ score, which the dancers used as counterpoint to their percussive bodies and stomping feet.

There was an autumnal feel in colors and tones, the dancers wore orange and black costumes set against a burnt orange backdrop, reminiscent of a setting sun. The women’s costumes were modern and empowering, with exposed abs, like the center of the earth, a core of strength, restrained but grounded. They danced in rhythmic patterns, gathered in circles and communed with nature.

In the second half of the piece, four couples danced in unison balancing off of each other. The men held the women at their hip and steered them to the light like captains of a ship. They leaned out like plants towards the sun, shifting their positions to soak up more rays. Martha Graham’s original program note explained “Dark Meadow is a re-enactment of the mysteries which attend the eternal adventure of seeking.” The audience seemed enthralled by the mystery, murmuring vocal approvals at the end of the piece.

DIVERSION OF ANGELS

With “Diversion of Angeles,” which was first shown in Connecticut in 1948, the focus began to move from the collective to the individual, set to Norman Dello Joio’s romantic score. Graham was deeply influenced by Kandinsky’s paintings, which she said nearly caused her to faint when she first saw them. She was startled by his modernity, but also saw a kindred spirit, and vowed to translate that feeling she had into movement. Graham’s costumes in this piece recall his art, and highlight three different aspects of love represented by the colors, yellow, red and white through three different female dancers.

The yellow dancer, Laurel Dalley Smith, wore a ponytail and ribbon in her hair, an exuberant smile and lifted and twirled through the air with a youthfulness and untainted joy, head over heels in happiness. This first love is adolescent and carefree. The red, embodied by Anne O’Donnell, was a more sensual but also mercurial love. The couple struggled to maintain composure in a world without gravity, and without balance. The final incarnation or stage of love was more restrained, formal and stoic both in movement, costume and expression. Leslie Andrea Williams, represented a more mature, spiritual love dressed in white. This performance was perhaps the most relatable and intimate of them all, and the audience erupted in a loud applause filled with cheers. Two older women beside me exclaimed, “We’re getting our money’s worth!” To which the other replied, “the real McCoy, what a treat!” “That’s Martha Graham.”

CAVE OF THE HEART

If the previous piece represented the exalted height of humanity, the heart, and its affinity to love, then this piece was its antithesis and dove into its deep, dark twisted chambers and its destruction. “Cave of the Heart,” from 1946, is based on Euripides’ tragedy “Medea,” and warns of the horrors betrayal can breed. Medea sacrificed her life for her love, which left her exiled from home, but once her husband left her for another woman, she plotted to murder his new wife.

The set was one of many designed by Martha Graham’s long-time collaborator, the Japanese artist Isamu Noguchi. His landscape work was visible on stage through his meticulous placement and arrangement of the space divided into three areas. To one side there were rocks lined up in an equidistant formation on the ground, in the middle there was an amorphous organic sculptural element, and on the other side a rectilinear wireframe of metallic branches rose up to the sky.

The couple of lovers, Charlotte Landreau and Ben Schultz balanced on the rocks, while Medea, played by Xin Ying, observed from the perimeter, hidden behind the metallic tree. If her venomous green dress decorated with snakelike patterns wasn’t telling enough, her asymmetrical and off-kilter ponytail displayed a more visible derangement. Samuel Barber’s sinister piano and shivering horns further accentuated her spasmic dancing. At the height of the scene, Medea transformed the metallic tree from sculpture to costume, and wore the caged corset of wobbling wires, using it like a tentacled torture device. She approached the couple with this destructive wireframe pushed by vengeance to end her rival’s life. The women behind me were transfixed and tried to decode the actions on stage. “That was weird” they whispered, “evil,” “something else.”

MAPLE LEAF RAG

The last performance of the evening ended on a more redemptive note, with some meta-humor on the artistic process. “Maple Leaf Rag” from 1990, was Martha Graham’s last ballet and a “play within the play.” The multi-colored leotards designed by Calvin Klein provide a classical context for some comical fare, as the dancers pranced around in a pensive and parodic manner – an ode to a self-aware and light-hearted mocking of Graham’s own work and persona. She overtly played against the serious and codified conventions in dance, and rather than “setting the bar high,” Graham’s main set piece here was an unnaturally low ballet barre which dominated the stage. It winkingly failed to serve its purpose as a static pillar, and undulated with the dancers who misused it to their amusement. The climbed on the bar like tight-rope walkers, and rested on it for extended breaks. The dancers had fun in dethroning and humanizing the body through their vaudevillian-like gestures, with slaps on the arse, pirouettes and more. Richard Valututto played the piano on stage with the performers, as much a part of the story and punctuating the humor. Scott Joplin’s score accentuated the dancers as a merry band of pranksters. One dancer wore a long white dress, which she playfully transformed, lifting her skirt over her head and crossing the stage multiple times in a repetitive fashion as a transition element for comic relief. The entire piece elicited continuous laughter from the audience, as consistent as a laugh track. It was an uplifting ending to the night. “The body says what words cannot” according to Graham. In an environment oversaturated with misappropriated and misunderstood words, dance may be the most universal and unifying language of them all.

ASPEN SANTA FE BALLET continues Three-Year Residency at VPAC and we talk to Cherice Barton on her world premiere of Eudaemonia and the universal quest for happiness

Photo Credit George Lange

Aspen Santa Fe Ballet (ASFB) celebrates the second year of its three-year residency at Valley Performing Arts Center with a program of new works that celebrates the company’s commitment to creating new contemporary dance on Friday, March 3 at 8:00pm.

ASFB will unveil the world premiere of Eudaemonia (2017) by renowned-choreographer Cherice Barton as well as perform Little mortal jump (2016) by ASFB favorite Alejandro Cerrudo created for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Sleepless (2004) from Jiří Kylián, Artistic Director of Nederlands Dans Theater to music of Dirk Haubrich, based on Mozart.   

In preparation for this, we had the pleasure of talking to Los Angeles based choreographer, and Juilliard-trained dancer Cherice Barton , on her creative process, her piece Eudaemonia (2017)  and where she draws inspiration and happiness from, since "eudaemonia" translates from Greek, roughly, as "happiness."

Barton brings together classical ballet training and a distinguished career in commercial choreography. Her performance career has spanned over twenty years in over thirty countries across six continents. In 2015, she choreographed Katy Perry’s critically acclaimed appearance at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for the 57th Grammy Awards and she recently joined the creative team of America's Got Talent as Choreography Associate.  As a choreographer and creative consultant, Barton has a unique eye for transforming dance into inspired, emotional work, from the stage to the screen.  What is exciting is that, the new work is Cherice’s first for Aspen Santa Fe Ballet and her solo debut as a contemporary dance choreographer.

SD: How did the collaboration begin with Aspen Santa Fe and you?

CB: J.P. Malaty and Tom Mossbrucker, Directors of Santa Fe Ballet, approached me about a year and a half ago. I then went up to Aspen for an informal workshop with the company last March and it was love at first sight. The environment that Tom and J.P. have created is extremely supportive and the dancers are very well trained. My creation has been 5 weeks long and I guess the hardest part was to shave ideas to make the piece 20 minutes long.

SD: When creating a new concert work, is your approach different from when you create more of a commercial piece?

CB: Yes, absolutely. With Aspen Santa Fe, I was given full liberty when creating my work. The only constraint was that it was to be a 20-minute piece. A lot of the time with commercial pieces, constraints can come from directors and producers. When it comes to mass productions, it’s really a team effort. To be given the freedom, and the time with Aspen Santa Fe is a real privilege. When it comes to commercial pieces, sometimes you even get just one day to work on a piece- that’s what I was given with Katie Perry’s show.

SD: We saw in your interview posted by CSUN that your husband, Jeremy Jurin did sound design for the work that’s premiering on March 3.  How was it working with your husband on the project?  Was it challenging or rewarding?  Do you work on many projects together?

CB: We work on some projects together. He is extremely talented and creative. I usually find a way to involve him. I’m obsessed with story and he is a filmmaker. If we are filming a dance, he has a great eye for it. When I first went to Santa Fe in October, I went by myself but when we were halfway there with the show, In January, I brought the family with me and Jeremy could see my work with the dancers. It was extremely rewarding working with him.

The sound design not only has my husband’s and my voice on it, but it also incorporates the voices of our daughters (age 2 and 4) at various points. My friends and extended family are also part of it. Two pieces are original compositions. One of my really good friends, Diana Kazakova, composed a section representing faith, blending Gregorian chants with Indian and Buddhist meditation. My brother in Law, Michael Durant also composed a piece and he is a rock musician.

SD: Where do you draw your inspiration from?

CB: My inspiration usually comes from music. With new creations, I have a bunch of different songs I like to listen to. I usually start with those. In preparation for Eudaemonia, I listened to Jimmy Durante “Smile When Your Hear is Aching” and “ Make Someone Happy.” Those songs really stuck with me, not only because of the way they made me feel, but I felt I was tapping into important emotions. I have two kids, a fabulous career and a few years ago we moved back to LA from New York. It was a time for me to look deeper. Where I’m at right now in my life, it really makes sense that my piece would be about happiness and the universal search for happiness. There are infinite layers to this idea of our search for happiness. As humans we keep ourselves busy and it’s easy to beat ourselves up about things and blame situations or people for our lack of happiness and say, “as soon as I get this job, I will be happy” or “as soon as I move to LA and the sun is shining everyday, I will be happy.” My sister Charissa, who I am starting the company with is both intelligent and spiritual. She inspired me to seek for happiness within and not from external sources.

SD: What do you most hope that the audience will take away from the performance?

CB: Eudemonia is the epitome of a well-lived life and something to strive for – a virtuous, spiritual and personally successful life. I would love the audience to somehow feel emotionally connected. We are exploring many emotions, both simple and complicated.

SD: Do you know if the work will be set on other companies?

CB: It very well can be. I haven’t got to that step. The potential is definitely there.

SD: Can you give us some advance details about costuming for the work?

Daniella Gschwendtner, who does the costuming for "Dancing with the Stars" and “America’s got Talent,” is the costume designer for this work. She, like me, creates from an open heart. We were collaborating together on this piece and agreed that simple attire is much better and that we need to keep the costumes somewhat pedestrian and understated, not to override the very large concept we are dealing with here. I am very interested in seeing people dancing, not dancers. From each dancer, I like to see an exaggerated version of themselves.

SD: Thanks for taking the time to interview with Spot LA. We very much look forward to seeing your work on Friday, March 3 at Valley Performing Arts Center!

Innovation at the Music Center - By Ashlee Blosser

Sculptures. Video Projection. Gowns. Time.

Jessica Lang Dance performed five works from their repertoire that monopolized my attention of the whole two hours at The Music Center on Feb. 18. Jessica Lang has such an innovative approach to choreography with set designs, video projections, and costumes that the theatre was full awaiting the start of the show when I got to my seat. The whole evening I was consistently engaged oo-ing and aw-ing at the surprises Lang’s choreography gave us. 

Photo Credit Todd Rosenberg

Opening the show was Tesseracts of Time with its daring partnering and many dimensions of space. Lang’s use of floor work as an instrument in conjunction with John Cage’s composition and the performer’s impeccable timing had me leaning forward in my seat. After a video projection, the choreography was playful and I could see the dancers smile as they worked through the obstacles of the white sculptures on stage. The last section felt sacred as Lang’s movement mirrored images of what seemed to me as time-turners, clocks, and hour glasses. One moment that stood out was a group partnering moment where they were laying flat on the floor; and slowly in a continuous canon, rolled backwards into handstands or supported positions. This gave me the image of the number panels on an old school alarm clock flipping when the hour or minute changed. Performers Patrick Coker, Eve Jacobs, and Kana Kimura stood out to me in Tesseracts of Time and its abstract approach to an already abstract concept. 

Photo Credit Takao Komaru

The Calling in a couple words was just perfect. Just the right length with a beautiful performance by Kana Kimura. It is always intriguing to see what choreographer’s will do when they work with extravagant gowns that drape across almost the whole stage floor. Lang’s choreography was fulfilling as Kimura purely moved through the choreography. I felt like she was almost trying to communicate with the audience as her performance seemed for us only. 

With a new more open change in set design, Thousand Yard Stare, had a bare stage with all the curtains and scrims up. The group partnering in this thoughtful tribute to american soldiers was innovative. One moment that stood out was when they all formed a line where they did sequential and simultaneous movements down the line. At one point a performer was separated from the group, and the group worked as a team to pull her back in over their bodies placing her in a spot that appeared at the perfect time. John Harnage and Jammie Walker had a seamless male duet has they moved with control and strength. The use of lighting to imitate explosions was radical in its own way and kept me on my toes. 

Lang’s dance video, White, kept my attention as it juxtaposed slow motion, “normal speed,” and fast forward. The editing in the video to superimpose two different filmings so that one duet was going at a “normal speed” and another in slow motion was astounding. 

Photo Credit Takao Komaru

Ending the performance was, i.n.k., with its complementing video projection that kept the audience in awe. Clifton Brown’s solo was utterly satiating to watch as he beautifully suspended within the physicality of Lang’s choreography. Correlation of the video projection with the quartet was fun and explicit as the ink drops on the screen danced with the performers. The duet’s were captivating as the movement joined with the sloshing of the music or slow motion of the projection. 

Overall throughout the performance, the company members had an incredible range of dynamics but also a consistent lightness in weight too. Their technique was incredible and performances inviting. One thing I found different from Lang’s work than most of the performances I attend was the slight break of the fourth wall with the audience. The dancers acknowledged us through their smiles and projection of energy, whereas a lot of works today are in their own world on stage and we are merely the observers. Jessica Lang Dance gave a captivating performance that kept me on my toes and leaning forward in my seat, and I cannot wait to see them again when they come back to LA. 

Imagined Elasticities, an evening of experimental music, avant-garde cabaret and performance art at Automata Gallery Curated by Sara Debevec

On Tuesday evening, January 31st Automata Gallery in Chinatown hosted Imagined Elasticities, a mash up of performance art and cabaret punk rock, curated by internationally acclaimed, LA based performance artist and writer, Sara Debevec, best known for her animal inspired multimedia solo performance art work through Europe, Asia and United States. In the role of a curator this time, Debevec celebrated original music and performance by artists from LA, Miami and New York.  

“I wanted to create a space where artists could converse with one another through their work and though the elasticities of their mediums. It was crucial that this experience would take place in a gallery with no seating and the audience immersed among the artists, blurring the boundaries between the observer and the observed, between the back stage and the front stage. I wanted it all to turn into one collateral performance piece everyone could be a part of” says artist and curator Sara Debevec.

Imagined Elasticities brought together musicians Valerie Kuehne and the Wasps Nests, Copán and Rachel Mason as well as performance artists Tora Kim and Nathan Bockelman for one night only at an intimate, alternative art and performance space Automata Gallery. With it’s storefront windows and a peephole cinema at the back, where the audience can actually look through a hole out the back alleyway and watch puppet films,  Automata is both enchanting and welcoming, making you feel like you have stumbled upon a secret living room in the heart of LA.

Rachel Mason
Photo Credit: Brandon Lake

Rachel Mason opened the evening with songs from her new album Das Ram by Cleopatra Records. Touted as "one of the most creative forces in the world" by Impose Magazine, Mason is best known in music circles for delivering fantastical narratives which interweave musical, theatrical and narrative elements into unexpected operatic journeys. Through her wide-ranging portfolio of mixed media work, she instigates fantasy and harsh realities through scripts, sculpture, rock operas, live performances and compositions that span over a decade. At Imagined Elasticities, surrounded by a red glow and using various clown inspired masks and props, Rachel’s mesmerizing voice walked hand in hand with her eerie choreography.

Tora Kim
Photo Credit Brandon Lake

An emotionally charged performance “Home Invasion” by artist Tora Kim followed. This was a multimedia exploration of politics, trauma and the immigrant experience couched in a visceral homecoming. Wrapped up in a white sheet with a mask on her face, Kim shouts at a projected video of a dog panting, “Shut up! Shut up!” after which she turns around, and words appear on screen “You are Disposable.” Powerful words meet intimate family footage in this heartfelt performance piece exploring themes of trauma and dislocation;  “I told stories of my family when we moved to NYC, and my own racial confrontation in LA. It was important to me to access the personal as well as the political, with humor and archetypal imagery.” As Tora Kim reached for a takeout box, started eating the contents and sat in the storefront window of the gallery, “Home Invasion” rolled into the third act of the evening Valerie Kuehne and the Wasps Nests.

Valerie Kuehne and the Wasps Nests
Photo Credit Brandon Lake

Valerie Kuehne and the Wasps Nests is a NYC/PGH based trio composed of cello/vocals (Valerie Kuehne), violin (Jeffrey Young), and drums (Alex Cohen).  The trio performs frenetic and visceral material in the form of songs that have been described as a collision of disparate genres (art-rock, cabaret, metal, grindcore, classical, experimental, punk, rock).  The band members have a wide range of musical backgrounds and interests: Valerie Kuehne studied classical music when she was young, got a college degree in philosophy, and now works mostly as a songwriter and in the performance art scene. Jeffrey Young got a degree in classical violin and composition, and now plays a mix of rock, experimental, and classical music. Alex Cohen got a degree in jazz drumming, and now plays most frequently with death metal bands.  Their performance was intense, beautiful and thought provoking.

“I saw Valerie Kuehne and the Wasps Nests, for the first time in New York and immediately fell in love with their raw aesthetic and vivacious energy. Not only are they incredibly talented musicians but they are also gifted performers and storytellers. I was blown away watching them perform this evening!” says curator of Imagined Elasticities, Sara Debevec; “They are on tour at the moment and were in town for one night only. I am incredibly happy they were able to share their work with LA audience!”

Artist Nathan Bockelman
Photo Credit Brandon Lake

Nathan Bockelman performed in darkness, with solely street light entering the space through storefront windows; “I don't always deal with charged topics, but that’s the direction this work went as I was making it.” Nathan Bockelman is a writer, actor, performer, and sculptor based in LA. While often showing work in a solo context his performative works are often times collaborative working with artist, writers, and dancers such as Julie Mayo, Eric Svedas, Brian Getnick, HK Zamani, Kimberly Zumpfe and Elliot Reed. Taking out a torchlight that was hanging off some sort of a thread, Nathan Bockelman, created an atmosphere of suspense and explored the space from a completely different angle, to mesh up of Queen and police news reports. A viewer was given the torch light along with the power to decide what was seen by others – an interesting touch to the immersive aspect of the show.

The finale of the evening was Copán (Jordan Chymczuk-Sol and Yoán Moreno) an instrumental two-piece that aggressively performs ‘Latin’ music, as filtered through progressive and noise rock. The group is known for its lengthy, trance-inducing compositions and for its frenetic live performances that entail improvisation and looping. Copán released "The Outskirts" in 2015 and is also featured on "no//thing but noise" (2016). Originally formed in Miami in 2011, the group is now based in Los Angeles. Keeping in line with the immersive aspect of the show and exploring the limitations of an art space, the band pumped up the volume and literally ended the performance by “forcing” audience members out of the gallery with their heightened volume. The audience moved outdoors and enjoyed the music from a different space, making it almost site specific.

Copán performing at Imagined Elasticities
Photo Credit Brandon Lake

Imagined Elasticities challenged the boundaries of performance art and music creating an immersive space of collateral reflection. As artist Tora Kim summarized it; “I felt the entire evening of performers was elevated as a political act from the sheer context of our current social climate. Whether or not each movement or song or word uttered was meant to be political, I felt every moment was activated in a new way, perhaps indicating a new realm of possibilities to empower and be empowered.”

Debevec plans to curate similar shows this year in alternative art spaces in LA and New York. Her geopolitical video performance My Family Before Me, will be shown between May 1st and 26th at 18th Street Arts Gallery in Santa Monica. Also, look out for her solo show at PAM Residencies in October this year.

It is always a unique experience to see an artist curate a show, taking their work and creativity to the next level and Debevec seems to be taking the Los Angeles arts scene by the sorm.

Acts of Matter's "rep•er•toire" gives a willing, selfless display of humanity - A guest post by Ashlee Blosser

In my last review I had said that there is no art without humanity and those who live for it. LA based company, Acts of Matter, artistically directed by Rebecca Lemme, proved that they live for a raw, visceral interpretation of humanity in their first stand alone show, rep•er•toire, that took place this past weekend at Highway’s Performance Space. 

Photo Credit Jamie Carr

Acts of Matter is a project-based performance group whose mission is “revealing and reveling in our greater humanity through investment in process and collaboration.” Grounded with “unfitted willingness” and “acceptance of possible failure,” Acts of Matter works have a “physical exertion—an act of trying”—that shows their belief that “as a society we are defined by what unites us.”

Ringing true to their mission, Acts of Matter gave the audience an evening of unapologetic emotion and human connection. The company comprised of performers—Laura Berg, Katie Istvan, Charissa Kroeger, Megan McCarthy, Jobel Medina, Joey Navarrete, Joan Holly Padeo, Montay Romero, Gracie Whyte, and Taylor Worden—was accompanied with original scores by River Song Quartet and a live performance by ISTANBUL.  

Lemme commented on the process of Acts of Matter’s first stand alone performance, “It’s a much larger beast to bring together a number of pieces even if they already exist, however, it’s really beautiful to look at the evolution of my own work together while seeing new bodies and new artists interpreting roles that were originally created with other artists.”

After this seemingly tumultuous (political) week, rep•er•toire, was the exact dose of compassion, community, and acceptance that I needed. Lemme’s work,Retrouvaille, The Fragments, as may be felt, and Love Letter reaffirmed that empathy and human connection—something I feel is slowly being lost in our country—still exists.

Beginning the show was Retrouvaille with a bare and vulnerable performance. Retrouvaille, a word meaning “coming together again,” had an abstract evolution to it as the performers weaved in and out of duets and solos. The lighting in the beginning felt like a sunrise on a new day as the dancers walked backwards with one hand holding the other wrist symbolizing some type of conflict or restraint. There was never an empty spot on stage as the performer’s created a community together out of their own personal tragedies. From having seen Lemme’s work in the past, I can tell that what was performed was an excerpt of a much longer piece.

The Fragments blessed me with a beautiful sense of warmth, safety, and simplicity. Inspired from the Shaker saying, “Gather up the fragments, let nothing be lost,” derived from John 6:12, the dancers were truly absorbent and gratified by each other’s presence. Joey Navarrete's solo in the beginning was grounded and humble while he and the singing ensemble welcomed the audience into a safe space. Simplicity shines through Lemme’s choreography in The Fragments with a through line of humble virtuosities. The performers never disposed of the movement by quickly moving on, but continued the energy all the way. A work like The Fragments in times like this is very poignant and exposed. At one point in the piece, performer Jobel Medina joined the audience to witness the compassion that filled the room. It brought a sense of community, acceptance, and never taking anything or anyone for granted.

Photo Credit Phillip Knowlton

This particular piece of Lemme’s resonates strongly with her and her company members.

“From this show, The Fragments is important to me because with the current political climate it’s a piece that honors diversity amongst a community with people who are willing to accept each other no matter what,” said Lemme.

Becca has been talking about our connections as humans and being there for one another,” comments company member Charissa Kroeger. “The togetherness really comes alive during the performance and the connection between us is palpable.”

Lemme added, “The song that the company sings that leads us into that piece is a song that I first heard right after my father passed away… The song is about knowing what’s important in life and making sure that you use your time wisely.”

as may be felt had a similar feel in the beginning as Retrouvaille, however, it shaped itself into something much more relentless and internal.  The dancer's all nude colored costumes erased their genders making them being's composed from emotions and reactions.  The pulsating, haunted music complemented the performer’s expression of uncertainty and unpredictability. Lemme’s trademark partnerwork shined in as may be felt with intertwining in an out of unnatural, yet seamless positions. Performers Katie Istvan and Jobel Medina’s reactive duet was risky, dynamic, and intense. I found myself breathing with them as they relentlessly moved through redirection and were taken over by momentum. At first Lemme’s use of the buildings wall confused me, but as the piece evolved it became a symbol for me of the inability to escape human emotions and the need of other’s to move up and past our involuntary reactions. 

“I felt like the duet in the third piece was very powerfully performed with a pounding energy.” said audience member Molly Wolfe. “In a way it almost felt like [Medina] had disappeared in it, and even though he was extremely essential to that choreography, it was like [Itsvan] was putting herself through all it. It was showcased in a really beautiful way.”

Ending rep•er•toire was Love Letter a new work in progress for Acts of Matter that is an homage to the lovelorn, the misfits, and the hopeless romantics. Taylor Worden and Istvan’s duet was quirky, fun and thoroughly enjoyable. Their performance was mystifying as they told the audience their love story through strong, dexterous partnering. Jobel Medina’s solo was heartrending as his movement told me a story about violation and the paralyzed hysteria of being in love with someone wrong for you. Ending the piece was a compelling performance by Joan Holly Padeo singing “Love Me Tender,” with a solo by Montay Romero. Padeo’s singing performance sunk deep as it made me relive the distraught involved with heartbreak. I could feel the pain and the almost hopeful defeat as she brought tears to my eyes and surrounding audience members. Romero’s solo was sustained yet collapsing as his movement complemented Padeo’s voice. When he fell to the floor it made me flinch, however, it just reiterated the pain you feel when heartbroken, physically and emotionally. 

“[Lemme’s] really good at group choreography with shared weight in floorwork, partnering, and extending movement that gets tied into knots and then slips right through because of the virtuosity of the dancers,” comments audience member Charlie Dando.

Innovative and beautiful, Lemme’s work and her company member’s vivacious performances impressed the whole audience. Other audience members had commented on Acts of Matter’s “athleticism,” “connection and contact” with each other, and “seeing these large group pieces in an intimate space where you’re in the same world as the performers.”

Acts of Matter will be performing again April 21-23rd in their third annual collaborative performance, T3THERING, with colleague Andrea Gise’s company, Dance Aegis. A full version of Love Letter will premiere along with a new work Lemme is setting on the Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company. Dance Aegis will be premiering a new work on the company and another work on The Assembly from Orange County. 

Location of T3THERING will be announced soon. To keep up to date on Acts of Matter and what they are doing or for open company class information go to their company page https://www.facebook.com/rebeccalemmeartist/. 

Especially in times like these the arts are needed… The willing, selfless display of humanity from the company dancers in rep•er•toire gave me hope for what artists will be creating in the future.

Photo Credit Jamie Carr