danish dance theatre @ the pillow

danish dance theatre
jacob's pillow, duke
july 28, 2006

i went in to this performance with high expectations and the second piece on the program, kridt (chalk), lived up to them.

i think jennifer dunning said it best in her review:
"Mr. Rushton has managed to say something fresh about dying."
this is the second time this company has brought me literally to tears.
the press photos give a better sense of the piece than my description would.
here is the globe review.

the first piece, silent steps, was definitely good, but it just didn't have the same depth and intensity as kridt.

Creating collaboration @ Green Street

Went to this last night:

July 17: Creating Collaboration, with Karole Armitage, John Jasperse, and Zeena Parkins, moderated by Louisa McCall of the LEF Foundation. Panel discussion at 8 pm, Green Street Studios, 185 Green Street, Cambridge.

(Peter Speliopoulos, who does costume design for Armitage, was also on the panel).

which was put on by Summer Stages Dance


All of this talk about collaboration seems a little strange to me. People have started talking about collaboration in the arts as if it is some rare, new thing. Especially in an art form where your medium is other people, it is almost impossible not to collaborate to produce art. Every dancer brings something new to a work, even if a choreographer does their best to remove a dancer’s voice and individuality. And, to quote that over-quoted phrase, “You can’t make art in a vacuum”. Of course, there are choreographers whose dialogue with other artists drive their creation, but to treat collaboration as if it is some radical idea seems unnecessary.

That’s my little rant.

There were some interesting things that came out about the artists’ process.
-Louisa brought up the idea of having control in your art and losing it or thinking about losing it when you work with other people. All of these artists really get off on exploring with other people, so the idea of control doesn’t really make sense. Jasperse related the experience to having a dinner party where there is one more interesting guest.
-It is hard and scary to go into a studio and try to make work by yourself.

-There was more, and maybe I’ll get more down later.

all at once this weekend -- free (and some wbur arts)

anna myer and dancers will be performing all at once this weekend:

thursday, july 20th 7:15pm
concord academy
outside on the lawn

saturday, july 22nd 4pm
mbta silver line courthouse station

from debra cash's july dance highlight's
(which, by the way, will be phased out along with the rest of online wbur arts, see the globe and the phoenix for more info)

In "All at Once," dancers and string musicians intersect in space and Susan Davenny Wyner personifies a priestess or an oracle as she conducts them all. Now choreographer Anna Myer is restaging the work to be viewed against the reflective aluminum walls of the elegant Elkus/Manfredi T station on the new South Boston Waterfront.

john jasperse @ concord academy this weekend

from the summer stages website...

July 13 & 14: John Jasperse Company: Prone.
This experiential work puts the audience on the stage, right in the midst of the action. The audience alternates between lying on the floor as the dancers move over and around them, and sitting in chairs surrounding the performance space. The work has been called “stunningly provocative” by the Village Voice and “mysterious and intense” by the New York Times. Performances at 7 and 9 p.m. at the Concord Scout House, 76 Walden Street, Concord. Tickets $30/students $20. Note: space is extremely limited, so reserve early.

see
post a couple months back for ny review and comments.

aszure & artists @ the pillow

aszure & artists
jacob's pillow, duke
july 1, 2006


this show was certainly good—by that, I mean there was nothing bad. the last piece lascilo perdere (a journey of letting go) was the most coherent in its point and sentiment. all of the movement seemed to tie together with some purpose of illustrating the underlying theme of letting go or being let go. the section that struck me the most was one in which a woman down stage center performed a version of movement a couple in the upstage left corner danced fully. throughout the section the solo woman and a man slow-danced in a video projection on the backdrop. i wish that there were more moments like this throughout the program. maybe they were there, but so fleeting, that they are hard to remember. the other two works, choreographed this year, seem like pieces simply driven by barton’s signature quick clean gestural athletic movement. luckily, she has a company of dancers so strong they make it worth just watching the execution of her movement. it is clear there is a reason for all the hype surrounding barton, i just hope her constant exposure doesn’t take away from her being able to make the strong thorough work she appears to be capable of. oh, and she is only 30, i think that is important to remember.