Breaking Ground 2007: An Adequate Show to Wrap Up the Year

On December 7th, I was graciously invited to watch the dress rehearsal of Breaking Ground 2007, a choreographic conglomeration of “emerging and established” choreographers that were selected by an application and panel process organized by CONDER/dance. The nine pieces chosen were indeed diverse and interesting making an overall thoughtful and stimulating show.
Work was present by company’s Casebolt and Smith, CONDER/dance, Aaron McGloin Dance, Temenos Dance Collective, and 32 Flavors Dance Company, as well as individual choreographers Leonard Wood, Kristen Tovson, Martha E. Howe, and Wendy Ellis.
Casebolt and Smith premiered “Table For Two,” an incredibly clever duet performed seated at a table. The choreography, consisting entirely of gestures, took the concept of gestural movement to an astonishing level. Each movement was precise and provides the audience with a subtle, but readable message. The two work together flawlessly, showing their complete awareness of each others time, space, and energy. Even though the two were moving in a small amount of space (within the seating and table limits), never once was there a bonking of the hand on the edge of the table, or an accidental elbow to the face. The duet was never boring, predictable, or uncertain. As soon as one concept registered to the observer, they would unexpectedly change up the gestures keeping the spectators laughing and wondering what’s coming next.
Another work that caught my attention was Leonard Wood’s “Grunt.” Although the solo itself was not ground breaking or stunning at first glance, due to his superior use of all the elements to craft a piece, everything was clear and pleasant to watch. His choreography, text, music, costume and performance of character all blended together perfectly making his concept comprehensible while entertaining. His decision to speak in a raspy, weathered voice made the audience whole-heartedly understand the life of this character. His beige slacks and button up shirt demonstrated how average this man is. The sharp, staccato movement exemplified his daily repetition. And the music, a jazzy, swanky, easy-going tune, created an alternate personality for this struggling character. All around, the work was enjoyable piece, relatable to every human being.
“Moving Target” a premiere piece from CONDER/dance, Breaking Ground 2007’s host company, was a visually appealing work that played with musicality concepts and forceful imagery. Although the choreography was dynamic, large, and shapely, the company seemed less focused and aware of each other than I have seen in performances past. Generally their unison and partner work is flawless and it’s bewildering how well the company fits together. The space on the stage seemed far too small for eight dancers that all have large energy and kinespheres. They looked confined and squished. Otherwise, the construction of the piece was lovely. The relationship between the movement and music was very unexpected and although the space was small for the dancers, choreographically the use of space was very interesting. For instance, there were moments when the stage was divided into a slower movement section versus quicker movement, yet the music seemed to accent each side of the stage appropriately.
There were two pieces that stood out from the rest of the show as weaker, both from a choreographic and performance aspect. “Les Images De Temps (Images of Time),” choreographed by Wendy Ellis was a stark and simple duet, that turned out to be predictable and dull. Every transition was expected and nothing was a surprising due to the audible breath on every movement. The live piano was very eerie and intense, but unfortunately the movement and the performance did not compliment the atmosphere created. In addition, “The Rush,” choreographed by Meghan Bingle and performed by 32 Flavors Dance Company was a large group piece with eleven dancers, that also suffered from the confinement of the smaller stage. There were a lot of spacing issues such as dancers running into each other and the wings. Overall, this piece seemed a little under-rehearsed due to the inconsistencies from dancer to dancer and the poor display of unison for music with a driving beat. For example, while some would be holding a position with a bent knee, others would have the knee straight. While some would be on up on the toes, others would not. One girl even seemed confused as to what the intension of the piece was. While the rest of the company had an intense focus, she smiled and smirked at the audience. It was very clear the music had counts with specific beats the movement was intended for, but the accuracy was not completely there.
Nine pieces, nine different choreographers, nine very different intensions and themes. It certainly was a diverse show making Breaking Ground 2007 an interesting and exciting to experience. I do believe this concert is a great way to begin a series of Breaking Ground concerts. Hopefully CONDER/dance continues to collaborate with other artists to produce choreography showcases.

a response to responses

i'm sorry my opinions have offended some readers. but in the same respect, i am happy my writing about dance has opened dialogue about recent performances. i want everyone to understand that my opinion is not the only one out there. when i attend performances, i'm not looking for extensions to the head and perfect feet. i'm not looking for the most amazing dance i've ever seen in my life at every show i attend. i'm looking for intelligent composition, even if the work is not intellectual. i'm looking for an appropriate level of technique that matches that of the choreography. i'm looking for a uniqueness and innovation of movement that allows dance to evolve. i'm looking for a passion and dedication to character that is infectious to the audience as well as honest.

A Disappointing Show for an Exceptional School

This fall semester at ASU began strongly with the presentation of work by MFA candidates Nicole Manus, Christina Harrison, and Emily Wright. Sadly, the Fall Dance Concert, Lyric Reflections, was a rollercoaster of strength. There were moments of choreography and imagery that were stunning. Then seconds later the audience would fidget uncontrollably with boredom.

Strong points of the concert include Michael Dostal’s beautiful lighting design, the technical abilities of Karen Schupp’s dancers, and the collaboration of Glenn Hackbarth, Natalia Jaeger, and Mary Fitzgerald to produce the work of art “The Weight of Light.” Plundging just shy of disaster is Aileen Mapes’s “Cajumbled Mumbo” and the reconstruction of José Limón’s “The Exiles.”

Major kudos to Michael Dostal for lighting all six pieces by making the choreographer’s ultimate vision become a reality. He helped bring the character out of each piece by creating appropriate yet bold designs, forming an atmosphere for the audience to become immersed in. The color choices were vibrant and superb, especially in Schupp’s “Earth Measure.” The use of the bright blues and green in contrast with the white provided a great effect on each section of her piece. In Elina Mooney’s “The Egret in the Living Room,” Dostal brilliantly divided the stage subtly in order to light the musicians, soloist, and trio simultaneously, without confusing the audience’s focus.

As for the pieces presented, some concepts were demonstrated exceptionally, while others confused me as to why they were presented at this point in the process.

Mary Fitzgerald’s “The Weight of Light” was a perfect combination of music, video, and movement. Each aspect worked together, creating an infectious atmosphere that keeps the audience interested from the first flash of light to the last subtle movement. The intensity of the performers lives up to that of the movement as well as the video/music combination.

In the same respect, Schupp utilized challenging movement technically, that demanded control, flexibility, and spatial awareness. Every dancer performed her movement with ease, making all shapes and lines of “Earth Measure” look effortless.

On the opposite end of the rollercoaster, two pieces were not ready to be performed. In addition, the technical capabilities of the dancers in these pieces were not up to par with the choreography. Mapes’s work had unclear movement, structure, and purpose. The performers struggled with the choreography on a technical level. It was also very obvious the dancers lacked confidence in their knowledge of the piece. This was very apparent during unison phrases. There was too much going on in all areas of the stage, making it difficult to decide what to watch. It seemed as though the gestural choreography was suppose to be funny and quirky, but because there was so much going on at once, it was too complicated to follow the humorous plot. All together, the piece needed more time before it was placed in front of an audience.

The historic piece, “The Exiles,” choreographed by José Limón was reconstructed on two ASU dancers by Professor Nina Watt. When reconstructing a piece with historical significance it is important to do it right. Not only is it difficult to keep an audience’s attention with old and outdated choreography, having two dancers perform Limón movement whose technique is not at the level of a Limón dancer is even more disastrous. Limón requires a grace, the ability to form stunning lines with the body, control and perfect placement, as well as the talent of constructing seamless transitions. Both struggled with these aspects of the dance immensely. In addition, the two performers in this piece had no chemistry between each other for such an intimate topic. This piece explores the relationship of Adam and Eve, yet the dancers seemed bored with each other. Much of the audience picked up on the dancer’s boredom and left as soon as the piece ended, leaving less than half the audience to watch the remainder of the show. In order to give justice to this historical Limón piece, there needed to be a great deal more time given to it before it was presented on stage.

On the whole, this concert was slightly disappointing being a mainstage concert at one of the nation’s top modern dance programs, and being an evening of work presented by five faculty members and one graduate student. There were beautiful, interesting, and exciting moments, but having seen so much innovation come forth from the dance department at ASU, this was not one of their strongest presentations.

Contemporary Dance Depicting the World of Vampires

Opening night, October 31^st, I am invited (as well as anyone else who attended or plans to attend) by Scorpius Dance Theatre to enter the “intimate den” or “sanctuary” of the vampire world. For an hour and fifteen minutes, the audience witnesses the story of a “forlorn girl” (Keri Fraker) drawn into the intriguing and dark lair of vampires, in the dance production, A Vampire Tale. Although the plot is interesting and the topic of vampires exciting, the choreography by artistic director Lisa Starry was rather blah for such a distinctive theme.

The first image of the evening length work is of the “forlorn girl” performing sorrowful gestures to music box sounds, giving the audience an accurate portrayal of her innocent, yet sad, character. Two minutes into the choreography, Starry gives into the music with movement that resembles a music box doll. Suddenly the dancer is doing light and uplifting movement even though the previous gestures proved her to be a “forlorn girl.” This choreographic decision was confusing and disappointing since the gestural movements started off strong.

Luckily “the watcher” (David Starry) enters to add an eerie air to the atmosphere. He embodies his character perfectly, showing his uncertainty about being a vampire through his curiosity and love for the “forlorn girl.” The two similar yet different characters and dynamics on stage provide an interesting contrast. In fact, each duet between these two characters was the most genuine performance and intriguing choreography of the entire work.

After the audience has ample time to witness the coming together of these two unlikely characters, the curtain opens to reveal a well lit and designed world of vampires. Although the scenery creates a visually pleasing vampire’s lair, the “blood klan” (dancers playing the roles of vampires) choreography was unoriginal and not nearly as exciting as the fantastic topic of vampires.

The choreography was cheesy. Starry presented a version of the vampire that was oversexed and tacky. Accompanied by painfully literal movement, the staging of vampires was boring. There are fourteen bodies on stage throughout much of the show. Having that many people moving gives the choreographer many opportunities to create unique shapes, patterns, or designs, none of which happened. Starry made the artistic choice to display the majority of the choreography in unison. Unison can be an extremely powerful method of presentation, but it has to be clear and clean. Unfortunately, it was neither of these. The diversity in technical levels of the dancers was such a wide range that the unison made this very apparent and distracting.

Even the dancers seemed confused as to what their role as a vampire was, with the exception of “queen of the klan”(Nicole Olson). It was not clear if they were supposed to desire the innocent girl, hate her, want to kill her, or all of the above. Even their focus was confusing. Some of the vampires directly connected with the audience through their gaze, while others looked past the audience, at the girl, or with an introverted stare towards the ground.

But not all scenes were a disaster. Like previously stated, the duets between “the watcher” and the “forlorn girl” worked well with the plot and the two performers interacted well with each other. Other scenes that were nicely done are the aerial scene as well as the transitional scenes with the “strange man” (Stjepan Rojko), but both still contain distracting faults. For example, the aerial work was beautifully performed and demonstrated the various talents of the company members. Yet, the scene had no connection to the greater theme of the show and did nothing to advance the plot. Aerial dance can convey some very powerful messages due to its ability to make a body suspend and float, that is otherwise impossible. It is unfortunate Starry was incapable of making the aerial piece a meaningful scene that was connected to the rest of the plot. Likewise, the transitional scenes with the “strange man” are amusing and Rojko is completely immersed and dedicated to his character making him entertaining to watch, but the transitions were much too long. Nothing significant would take place in these theatrical happenings, so the audience fidgeted in anticipation around me.

The most striking moment of the entire show came in the last duet between the “forlorn girl” and “the watcher.” The entire show “the watcher” is contemplating his devotion to the vampire world and subtly proclaiming his interest in the innocent and sad girl. Unexpectedly he gives into his vampire instincts and takes the girls life at the end of their dynamic and physical duet. It is surprising and breathtaking, a nice ending to a predictable show.

Overall, A Vampire Tale was a disappointing portrayal of the vampire world. The movement was entirely literal, making most of the movement gestural, predictable, and uninteresting. There was not much dancing, and no abstraction to the movement that was presented. It is certainly a good and fun idea to have a show about vampires around the Halloween season, but presented any other time of year in any other setting the show would not survive.

New Danceworks 1: the creative endeavors of three MFA candidates at ASU

This weekend is the opening of the New Danceworks series at Arizona State University for the 2007-2008 season. These dance concerts display the Master of Fine Arts candidates research in choreographic and performance forms. Each candidate chooses to focus on a particular subject for their thesis, which is ultimately translated into a dance performance. New Danceworks 1 presented the work of graduate students Nicole Manus, Emily Wright, and Christina Harrison.

Nicole Manus, both performed a solo and choreographed a duet. Her solo, “The Road Home,” choreographed by Melissa Rolnick, was mostly gestural and presented no climax. Even though the choreography was somewhat unexciting, Manus’s focus and intent behind the movement made the piece interesting. She was capable of completely engaging the audience with her intricate muscle usage and her incredible control. Not once did she wobble when presented with weight shifts or dynamic changes.

Manus’s choreographic creation “The Musical Joke: a table duet,” was an inspired by Mozart’s inversion and retrograde cannon compositions, known as table duets. Throughout the piece the dancers performed fun, quirky movement in which they begin to retrograde at the middle of the piece, following the form of a Mozart table duet composition. The musician’s were live, giving the piece extra authenticity to the topic. Manus also used tables as props for the dancers to dance on, which exemplified the idea of a table duet not only though movement with the dancers or the Der Spiegel composition the musician’s were playing, but visually for the audience also.

Emily Wright performed a solo as well as choreographing a group piece. “Sonata,” choreographed by Karen Schupp for Wright explored the mixture of Baroque music and modern dance. The choreography was elegant and graceful. Each movement flowed seamlessly, the transitions were well crafted. Even though the music and dance styles come from very different era’s, the two complemented each other very well in this choreographic instance. Although the choreography was successful, Wright seemed to shorten her kinesphere. Her lack of conviction with the momentum the piece provided made her look extremely small on a large stage.

Wright’s group piece, “Not Yet,” was a powerful portrayal of how movement of the body is capable of presenting religious messages. She used video as well as live dancers to show how the body successfully conveys meaning. The well edited videos focused on specific parts of the body, a view the audience would not have otherwise be able to grasp. The first section of the piece choreographically, was extremely powerful. The choreography was simple, yet captivating, and the performers exuded an infectious energy. Unfortunately the second section of the piece was not nearly as strong, leaving the audience wanting more from lack of closure or force that the first section did provide.

Christina Harrison, choreographed two pieces influenced by the work of Henri Matisse. The first piece “Ode to the Blue Nudes” was inspired by Matisse’s painting Blue Nudes. The dancers wore simple blue costumes which complimented the interesting design of the white fabric that was hanging as well as on the floor. The piece itself was soft and cool, yet dynamic and athletic at the same time. Harrison demonstrated a unique sense of architecture, creating visually stunning shapes with the body. Her dancers (which includes herself and two others) were completely aware of each other’s energy and space at all times, making each shape and picture Harrison choreographed clear.

“The Defining Line,” literally took my breath away. This time, Harrison was inspired by Matisse’s The Green Line. Her soloist Jean Kelley, phenomenally captured the audience with her piercing presence incredible movement ability. Her, as well as the other four dancers, relationship to the painter was significant and clear. Every single person on that stage knew who their character was, the importance of the movement to the character, and immersed themselves whole heartedly into the piece. Watching “The Defining Line” was having the privilege of witnessing beauty unfold before the eyes.

ASU’s post-graduate dance program is one of the top in the nation, and after watching New Dance Works 1, it is clear as to why the program is ranked so highly. The candidates in this show presented thoughtful work. I am looking forward to witnessing New Danceworks 2 on December 4^th.

Arizona Dance Festival: Representing the Best in Arizona Dance?

Don’t get me wrong here. I know Arizona is full of intelligent and talented dancers. Unfortunately, this past weekend on September 14^th and 15^th, the audience at the Arizona Dance Festival, presented at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, did not get a healthy dose of Arizona’s incredible dance capabilities. Instead, viewers experienced thirteen different company’s/solo artists that presented a very mediocre representation of what dance is in Arizona, with the exception of a few that delivered a phenomenal dance package.
Each night was a different program, allowing more dance artists to present their work, which is an excellent idea in theory. After watching the work presented, it is clear this show could have been the same program two nights in a row, and then this review would have contained an entirely different vocabulary.
CONDER/dance, founded by Carley Conder in 2003, is an excellent example of intelligent and talented dancers in Arizona. Performing “The Weight of Light,” choreographed by ASU dance professor Mary Fitzgerald in collaboration with Natalia Jaeger for video imagery, these dancers demonstrated their more than adequate ability to portray challenging movement and topics flawlessly. This highly physical piece never lost the energy it deserved. All eight dancers (including Conder herself) infected the audience with a strong presence and conviction for the piece.
Other strong work between the two nights included Karen Schupp’s intense solo “Response,” Eva Fleming’s highly entertaining “Rags Ava,” The Visionary Dance Company’s beautiful “Transending Reality,” and the seamless partnering in Cultivating Flight’s “Mars 4.2.” Each of these pieces provided a consistently solid performance presence, as well as interesting or entertaining choreography that captivated the viewers.
While there were five impressive pieces presented in the festival, the other work lacked the caliber of professionalism shown in aforementioned five pieces. Desert Dance Theatre, a company founded in the valley in 1979, performed two pieces, both a disappointment, but for two very different reasons. The dancers in “Last Supper at Sad Café” demonstrated the ability to successfully embody the character of psycho-killer waitresses, but unfortunately the choreography was bland for a comedic piece. On the other hand “The Butterfly Effect” was a highly intricate and physical piece that demanded an immense amount of energy. Regrettably, the dancers were incapable of producing the adequate amount of energy the movement and music called for.
Movement Source Dance Company, SHOK, A-WOL Dance Collective, and Dulce Dance Company all gave mediocre performances as well. Movement Source was over-powered by the live musical talent of Kristopher Hill, who impressively plays multiple instruments at once. Due to his exciting musical performance and the company’s lack of energy or interesting choreography, it was difficult to watch the dancers as opposed to the musician. SHOK, a hip hop group, had trouble maintaining their unison, a couple dancers did not know the choreography, and the dance ended very abruptly. The aerial work in A-WOL Dance Collective’s piece was impressive, but there was no connection between the dancers, music, and choreography. Dulce Dance Company showed Lilian Gomez and George Johnson are very dedicated performers, but the dance itself was over the top and cheesy for a dramatic topic.
Overall, the Arizona Dance Festival revealed there is potential to put together a remarkable program, but this collection of dances for the 2007 show just missed the mark of displaying amazing rather than mundane dance in Arizona.