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NICE! . . . That’s all I had to say after seeing Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana at Brooklyn College’s Whitman Hall on Sunday. Dancers displayed power, grace, and precision through intricate foot combinations, stylized arms, and musical accuracy. The audience was full of people from different backgrounds and ages. There were only four woman and two men who danced on Whitman Hall’s huge stage and they commanded attention as if there were 20 dancers up there! This company was able to dazzle on a huge stage with no additions: just dancers and lights and lets not forget to mention an excellent band where Felix de Lola and Juan Manuel Mora touched your soul as they belted beautiful melodies out into the hall.
The evening was filled with a series of pieces that contained solos and duets to show off the role of individual expression in Flamenco.
One of my favorite pieces was a duet Tientos, performed by Fanny Ara and Fermin Calvo de Mora….Hot Hot Hot! The two moved seamlessly together and were excellent at creating so much emotion on stage that I felt I was up there with them. I was proud to be in the audience and was reminded of why I myself started to dance and the importance of dance in culture. Their display of Flamenco represented everything that dance is supposed to be. During “Mujeres” the women danced with gorgeous dresses with long trains called ‘bata de cola’ The women were able to glide across the stage moving the trains out of the way and still proceed with effortless foot work. %202006%20Lois%20Greenfield_1.jpg)
Another one my favorites was the finale number called fin de fiesta (por Bulerias), which represented a jam session where dancers take their turn showing off what they got….and they had a lot!. I most admired their ability to execute quick and complicated foot movements while moving much slower with the arms. There was also an incredible amount of intricacy with their hand movements. I could see every finger move even on such a huge stage.
Overall, there was a maturity in their movement that only comes from mastery and really embodying what the dance is about. Flamenco Vivo is definitely superb. www.flamenco-vivo.org
Photography by Lois Greenfield © 2006 IDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by JoiLynn
Performance: Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana
Venue: Broklyn College, Whitman Hall
Date: Sunday, February 22, 2009
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Tags: Flamenco Joilynn Carlota Santana Brooklyn College
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Take it to the Stage: American Tap Dance Foundation's 4th Annual Benefit
ATDF's show brought back the beat! The American Tap Dance Foundation's 4th Annual Benefit, held at Judson Memorial Church, combined professional tap ensembles and legendary tap soloists with ATDF's Tap City Youth Ensemble, and presented them with skilled, live jazz musicians and popular music to a cheering audience.
The show opened with tap ensemble, Parallel Exit, performing the number "TIME STEP." Dressed in formal suits, performers, Ryan Kasprzak, Brent McBeth, and Derek Roland executed their tapping on a raised portion of the stage. Their clean, a cappella tapping was enhanced by the smart lighting design in which three spot lights would follow each performer while they tapped. It got to the point where the lights changed focus for every single tap sound impressively showcasing a "call and response" style that I had never seen lit before. The three men were not only clean tappers, buy they were also poised with their arms and expressive with their faces, which is hard to achieve while creating such a rhythm with only the lower part of your body.
As usual I brought my notebook with me to take notes after each number, and for this, I wrote "AMAZING!"
The next ensemble to perform was Barbara Duffy & Company. This all female tap ensemble even had a female drummer which I found very refreshing. Barbara and her dancers, Maya Jenkins, Chikako Iwahori, Karida Griffith, Carson Murphy and Claudia Rahardjanoto, each performed fabulous tap solos that showed off their individual abilities. These women were full of confidence and presentation!
Then it was time for the youth ensembles to hit the floor. ATDF's Youth Program/ Beginning 3B Class. Five very young tappers danced to a piece based on the cartoon "Peanuts." Not only was it adorable, but also very impressive. Their changes in patterns, weaving in and out of each other, formations, cannons in rhythm, and memorization and execution of basic and not so basic tap steps was really fantastic. When I was their age and started tapping I was NOT that lucky to have such great choreography. So here's to the young tappers and their teacher/ choreographer, Courtney Runft.
The Tap City Youth Ensemble was even more jaw-dropping. Tap dancers out there know that you can't fake tapping. You can't forget what you're doing in an ensemble and keep going with a smile on your face as if nothing went wrong. These dancers never skipped a beat! They were together when the whole group was dancing, they were able to hold their own during cannons and while different rhythms and combinations were being performed by smaller groups of the dancers at the same time, and, they were OUTSTANDING during their improvised tap solos!!! This was something that I never could master during my 10 years of tap training. Improv tappers are something out of this world. They are very comparable to jazz musicians who are known for their  ability to improvise at any moment. These young tappers could transform a few counts of eight into a solo that would showcase their creativity, expertise, and rhythmic understanding. Some of them were more classical, keeping their weight on the balls of their feet; while others more rhythm-based, pounding the floor and daring never to stand straight up, but instead, falling into the next step and catching themselves with their next tap step or trick.
By the way, I made a note in my notebook that Warren Craft has amazing clean and classic arms and a very relaxed style. When I was in the eighth grade I performed a tap solo, but when I watched the video I realized that my left arm was stuck to my side while only my right one flailed around, compensating for my dead left arm. How embarrassing. Warren, I could've used you around to watch and learn from many years ago. 
Other performances of note: Kendrick Jones and Melinda Sullivan, performing the a cappella duet, were also multi-talented. They sang while they danced with each other in a classic movie style reminiscent of movie musicals from the Gene Kelly and Ginger Rodgers era.
Program directors Tony Waag and Chloe Arnold talked about how the show was created to raise funds for youth scholarships. Part of this program included performance intensives taught by top choreographers in which, after five hours, an audition was held, challenging young dancers to practice how well they could perform new choreography on the spot in order to "get the job." Those who made it past this phase learned the rest of the choreography for another four hours with their choreographer/s. The October choreographer, Dormeshia Sumbry Edwards, danced a solo in heels as if she were Savion Glover dancing in flats. She was really something to watch! The December choreographer, Chloe Arnold, choreographed a very jazzy tap dance. The November choreographer, Jason Samuels Smith, had a dance with a boy in the back with his shirt collar popped who really stood out. I noted in my book that he had a great look for TV or film. December choreographer, Derick K. Grant, choreographed the finale to Janet Jackson's "Miss you Much." The dance started with one solo tapper and three hip hop poppers (again, showcasing these young dancers and their multi-talented ways). The dance had a great urban style, and I loved the interaction between the hip hop dancers and the tap soloist. Overall, the group had a great energy, and it was interesting to see tap choreographed to Janet.
Tony Waag provides 75 + scholarships to the youth and is looking to raise more money because he said that it is the easiest thing for him to do to give a scholarship to a young tap dancer who needs it and deserves it. The American Tap Dance Foundation did a great job of bringing together NYC tappers. Tony Waag feels that tap is on it's way back up! So, it would be wonderful for other communities to follow by Waag's example and get their tap dancers together, and ensure that tap dance does indeed boom again!
"All proceeds from this event support ongoing youth programs. In 2005, the ATDF created The Youth Education Initiative, dedicated to youth and audience development. The initiative consists of the Gregory Hines Youth Scholarship Fund, a merit & need-based scholarship program for low-income, 'at-risk' youth; the Tap City Youth Ensemble, a pre-professional program for aspiring young performers; a Year-Round Training Program for kids and teens; Public Performances introducing the general public to tap dance; and a pilot Internship Program. These growing programs are reaching more kids, providing performance and training opportunities, and giving greater support to young students in need of financial assistance." - ATDF program Tony Waag With Many Hats: Photography by Lois Greenfield
Headshot of Tony Waag: Photography by Lois Greenfield
Barbara Duffy & Company: Photography by Debi Field
Tap City Youth Ensemble: Photography by Debi Field
iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Jessica Shahinian
Performance: American Tap Dance Foundation/Sound Check
Venue: Judson Church, New York City
Date: Wednesday, February 18, 7pm
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Tags: Tony Waag Sound Check ATDF American Tap Dance Foundation
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Feet stomping. Voices wailing. Hands twirling. Fingers strumming. Smoke whirling. The New York City Center did not fail to deliver what I like to call an EXPLOSION of passion this past Sunday, February 22, with Los Farruco, the finale to the 2009 New York Flamenco Festival. Less than two hands full of performers would grace the stage in an action-packed hour and half . . . but their impact was overflowing. First you must understand the family history that makes this event so special. Los Farruco considers itself the first family of Flamenco, creating a dynasty to keep the art alive and thriving beyond 50 years. It began with El Farruco, the grandfather, who died in 1997, and trickles down through his children and grandchildren of names so similar it's hard to keep them straight! There's El Farruquito (the grandson), Farruco/Farru (Farruquito's brother), La Farruca (their mother), La Faraona (La Farruca's sister), and Barullo (Faraona's son/cousin to Farru/Farruquito). Confusing, right? There will be a quiz on this later! The show started with a stage set for 6 - a row of chairs horizontally waiting to be filled . . . except one, which held guitarist Antonio Rey, who lured us into the entrancing mood of flamenco right away . . . with the help of a spotlight, smoke, and cool lighting . . . I was truly impressed with the guitarist and soon to emerge singers, almost more than the dancing at first! The guitar could lull you to sleep or inspire you to breathe fire with his amazing style and quick fingers. The flamenco "voice" is so raw and beautiful. It reminds me of a coyote howling against a starlit sky! Eventually we saw Barullo and Farruco battling it out with the fanciest of footwork, ( I can't really explain it to the person who has never seen this- picture Irish step dancing mixed with Stomp the Yard with a lot of Spanish flair thrown in there), chest slapping, pirouetting, chest puffing, long hair dropping and cascading over the face . . . the works! The way they danced was truly like being on a roller coaster ride . . . while pressing fast forward and pause whenever you pleased! They would start off slow, build, build, and build until the audience went crazy and screamed out in amazement! Then they would suddenly just stop and collect their applause. There was a lot of applause collecting going on, actually. Farruco would walk from one side of the stage to the other bowing and opening his arms as if he had just won the Oscar. My favorite was La Farruca, who was born in 1960 and commands the stage just by showing up. No excess fluff needed. You respected her, and were amazed by her innate flamenco prowess. As she danced between her two sons, flailing and stomping, I couldn't help but think what an amazing adventure this must be for a small family . . . sharing the art of Spanish Gypsy dance with the biggest city in the world! Definitely something different than the usual dance show, but full of culture, music, life, and the bonds of family. Photography by Dean Thomas IDANZ Critix Corner
Offical Dance Review by Sheena DiMatteo
Performance: Los Farruco, 2009 Flamenco Festival
Venue: City Center, New York City
Date: Sunday, February 22, 2009
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Tags: Farruco Flamenco Sheena City Center
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Wonder why? Wunderkammer, according to Wikipedia, is a cabinet of curiosities, a collection of objects categorized as belonging to natural history, geology, ethnography, archaeology, religious or historical relics, works of art, and antiquities. In other words, it's a collection of random stuff. Kimberly Young's piece entitled, Wunderkammer is just that. A semi-transparent plastic shower curtain spans the entire width of the space in the Joyce Soho theater. It creates a divide between what is clearly visible and what is blurred, mysterious, and obscured. At times a dancer will pass beyond this veil, turn into a ghostlike presence, and disappear. It's an intriguing visual effect, which could have been used more. A majority of the piece is performed in front of the veil, in clear view. The five dancer company, which includes Young, is dressed in gray-black casual attire, something between what you would wear to a modern dance class and what you would wear on the street. Only a bit of cream-colored lace trim is added to the costumes to define them as costumes. The performance is an ongoing sequence of disjointed movements. True to the title, it's a collection of everything, including the kitchen sink. They lay on their backs and flutter their feet in the air, do ballet-esque passés, bang on an imaginary piano on the floor, do contact improv. style partnering, run backwards, do twisted floor movements, crawl like animals... You name it, it's in there. Although these movements are interesting in themselves, the piece is hard to follow, because there's nothing to follow. Everything is taken out of context because there is no context. There's no through line, no progression, nothing to grasp onto. But, there is a moment about midway through which is effective. All five dancers come to a still, standing facing the audience. They gradually melt into distorted dance party moves. For the first time in Stephen Moore's sound score, a steady beat comes in. The lights turn disco-style colors, and the scene takes on the atmosphere of a drunken, potentially drug enhanced, dance party. I will give Kimberly Young and her dancers credit for their committed, well rehearsed performance. There are sequences in precise unison with unexpected timing, rather than steady counts. This synchronized timing can only be achieved through much repetition to commit the rhythm to memory. The thing with Kimberly Young is that she's young. She has the ingredients, she just needs to learn how to use them to consciously construct a work. Right now, she tosses them all into the cabinet of curiosities. Wunderkammer, makes me wonder why.
iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Julie Fotheringham
Performance: the Extra-Sensory Pedestrians
Choreographer: Kimberly Young
Venue: Joyce Soho, New York City
Date: Feb. 20, 2009
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Tags: Julie Fotheringham Extra Sensory Pedestrians Post Modern
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 Hello, Disco Dance Lovers . . . Do I have the show for you! This past week the iDANZ Crew and I checked out an interactive lounge show called Crazy, Sexy, Disco at the Water Street Restaurant’s Underwater Lounge in Dumbo, Brooklyn, choreographed by the lovely ladies, Liz Piccoli, Jen James, and Svea Schneider. This show was giving the “children” Jazz, the Disco, the Hustle, Pointe, Funk, and even House! Was it crazy? Yes. Was it sexy? Ooooh, yea. Was it disco? Like dynamite!
As soon as the dancers came out onto the dance floor, the audience was taken back to the sounds of the 70’s, the moves and its groove, and the clothes to match. Because we were in a night club lounge, some non-traditional staging was in order; and, the choreographers rose to the challenge and MADE IT WORK! Dancers were everywhere. There were dancers on the stage, dancers on the floor, dancers on the stairs, and even dancers on the poles! As an audience member, you did not know where to look it. You just knew that whichever your eyes landed, you were going to see some great dancing and if not that, some lovely eye candy. Yes, the eye candy . . . do you have to be sexy with a hot body to be a dancer in this show? I guess so . . . kudos to the casting department because all the ladies were hot and the men were even hotter. Technically speaking, each and every dancer was clearly gifted and trained. There were some fantastic lines and extensions even embedded within the 70s choreo that as a dancer, myself, I, of course, appreciated. I particularly loved the suspension technique used by dancer, Sincere. Every move he did was executed with a sexy, deliberate consciousness that just “worked” and oozed artistry . . . that boy’s going places! And, Miss Piccoli . . . Whew . . . Every time choreographer Liz Piccoli rocked the floor, you could feel, without even touching her, that she was committed to every move. Such passion, I loved it. Choreographer, Jen James too, nails everything she does with fierce confidence, as well as choreographer, Svea Schneider, who effortlessly moves from move to move with sweet finesse. Some of my favorite parts were danced by Zachary Dennison, who played the Cupid Fairy/Dancing Queen. Never over doing his part, Zachary gave the audience just the right amount of comic relief to keep us in stitches. I also, like the dance in which the female dancers wore cellophane wrapped around their bodies in which their arms were trapped next to their torsos and their hands could not connect. I must confess that I actually saw this dance performed once before at the Sybarite Hip Hop show in December and actually thought that it was more effective on a proscenium arched stage rather than what I just saw dispersed throughout the room. It kind of lost its artistic clarity in such a non-traditional space; however, if I never saw that other version, I would still say that it was a fun and effective piece. My other favorite part, (most likely because I am a “house head” was the house dance section towards the end of the show performed by the full cast. It was great to see some authentic house fused with great technique and jazz moves. The music was hot, the moves were tight, and at this time in the whole show, you could really see the dancers “live.” Yow! Besides dancing, there were some cool throwbacks sung by Jamilia Hall like “Hot Stuff” and Diana Ross’ “Upside Down.” Jamilia is known around the New York dance scene as a fierce hip hop dancer; however, her dancing was not exactly utilized in this production in its full regalia. But, it was dope to see her out of her usual element, acting and singing instead. Who knew Miss Thing could sing so well? You go, girl! Also on the program, were some fun, interactive game show sketches and dance contests in which the audience could participate that sometimes made for an amusing diversion. As far as the "flow" of the show, I felt that there was an uneven momentum between many segments. This may be my puny attention span talking, . . . but, I really wished the segments were more layered, or overlapped, rather than each segment and/or song having to stop before another segment/song started, for there were soooooo many great moments in the show, and "to pause" just took away . . . Ugggh! I think for this ADD generation, and especially since the audience was in a lounge and most likely somewhat tipsy, a "non-stop" structure would better complement the choreography and give the show's flow an enhanced sense of urgency, a fiercer vigor, more in tune with the production's already established energy provided by such nice, high-energy moves. I also thought the music, for again, being inside a night club, was way too low and most likely needed to be re-engineered in a music studio to fix the levels. I liked watching the dancers, but the whole time I wished the bass was kicked up several notches to make me feel that 70's funk and bounce under my seat. I love Earth, Wind, & Fire and I love to hear the band in all it's bass and "freaky get down" glory. That unmistakable "grind" in that bass is what makes this sista want to move. Other than that and those other little minor things . . . great show, Crazy Sexy Disco! All in all, the audience finds themselves surrounded by the action AND attraction in Crazy Sexy Disco all the while enjoying drinks, food, and other live, "in-your-face" diversions. Kudos are in order to the three choreographers for having the ability to combine their creative forces for this unique production. With talented dancers full of energy, pizzazz, and flashy spandex bedazzled with sequins, . . . really, . . . what more can you want? If you love disco and you like to dance, come down and join the fun. You too may even want to "get down," do "the bump," and adorn an Afro of your own! Crazy Sexy Disco is currently playing at the Water Street Restaurant, Underwater Lounge, 66 Water Street, Dumbo Brooklyn, just a hop away from Manhattan with beautiful scenic views near the Brooklyn Bridge. This show can also be seen Off Broadway at the D-Lounge in the Daryl Roth Theater in Union Square, 101 East 15th Street, New York City. Doors open at 10:00 and tickets are $20. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/57529. Crazy Sexy Disco Finale snapshot taken "live and in the moment" by Candice Rox
iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Candice Rox
Performance: Crazy Sexy Disco
Choreographer: Liz Piccoli, Jen James, & Svea Schneider
Venue: Underwater Lounge, Dumbo, Brooklyn, New York
Date: February 19, 2009
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Tags: Crazy Sexy Disco Jen James Liz Piccoli Svea Schneider Off Broadway Lou
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Antonio Gades’ Company worked it out with their critically acclaimed Carmen (1983) which originally premiered in Paris. This dance/theatre fusion combines the best of classical flamenco, props/theatrical staging, and performing musicians with Bizet’s original opera score from 1875. Ultimately, Carmen was a performance of raw life on stage -a tragic heroine, who could very possibly be one of the most complex characters ever written for a woman to portray. Antonio Gades’ company is red hot with passion for flamenco, and, impossible precision! It is no wonder why he is considered a world-class dancer/choreographer. Gades envisions Carmen as “neither a frivolous woman nor a man-eater. She’s just an honest woman . . .” The opening scene shows the dancers in beautiful ruffled skirts as if rehearsing. They fiercely present the essence of the movement across the floor with their percussive steps better timed than some of the nation’s best tap companies. Moreover, using a more complete body posture, the lady’s arm movements are just mesmerizing as they move through circular positions. This particular movement style can be traced back to classical Indian dance. Thus, being that Flamenco in Spain is attributed to the culture of gypsies, Carmen would be their heroine. In the second scene, the other women taunt her for freely expressing her sexuality. Not having any of it, Carmen pulls out a knife and gives one girl a buck-fifty (slash to her face)! In the original opera, when asked why she’s so gangsta, she sings “Tra La La La.” What is most striking about Stella Arauzo’s seasoned performance of Carmen is the range of emotions as well as styles of flamenco that she nails. She has no problem dancing a "down and dirty" bar scene then turning around, upright, to dance more romantic sections. Always in character, she sits with legs wide open and skirts pulled up to reveal a little thigh. The three men in her life: a high ranking officer, her husband, and a Toreador (bullfighter) are each played off each other. Carmen loves ‘em and leaves them to follow her own destiny. She is not owned by any man. The musician playfully added to this colorful display of humanity by bringing comedy and less traditional games into the mix. For example, the entire audience laughs hysterically as a male musician dons a skirt to do an amazing rendition of Carmen himself. They say that dance theatre is a dead art form . . . However, no one at City Center would ever believe that statement after watching this amazing re-staging, of such a classic story, sparked to life through Flamenco. Antonio Gades’ Company brought from Andaluza real raw emotion, from the depths of the soul of a woman—Carmen. The encore lasted for twenty minutes. It is amazing to see dancers who refuse to leave the stage! A fitting start to the Flamenco Festival in NYC . . . Get out to see what you can. Photography by Dean Thomas iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Sasha Deveaux
Performance: Antonio Gades Company, "Carmen"
Choreographer: Antonio Gades
Venue: City Center, New York City
Date: February 18, 2009
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Tags: City Center Antonio Gades Flamenco
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Aspen and Santa Fe are a long way from NYC, especially when it is a rainy, cold night. Thankfully, the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Company brought with them gorgeous dancers and the gorgeous beauty of Colorado and New Mexico. They took me away for an hour and half, and made me forget that I was in New York altogether. Picture it . . . a white marley, two white scrims on either sides of the stage and a matching white backdrop. eight flawless, classically trained dancers performing together in perfect harmony, and Helen Pickett's spectacular choreography to the music of Philip Glass and Thomas Montgomery Newman, and you have the phenomenal opening of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet's Wednesday night performance at the Joyce Theatre! The first piece entitled Petal was a dance that looked like a field of flowers at sunrise and sunset. It was an awesome display of athleticism and technique. The dancers bring with them the landscapes of the west in colors and energy, and I was wrapped from the word GO!!!!! Next, it gets even better. Chameleon, choreographed by Itzik Galili, had 5 women, all dressed in sheer black, form fitting slips, seated in green chairs downstage. Almost entirely a gestural work, this piece felt like full out dancing. The piece, for me, felt like getting the full perspective of what it is like to be a woman: the self love, the self loathing, the cattiness, the camaraderie, the sexuality, the security and insecurity. You name it, and they gave it to you. The lighting was severe and dark and was in such contrast to the previous lightness of Petal, that it was the perfect match to follow. Chameleon was a series of insinuating gestures giving you insight into what it is to be a woman in public and private. The piece was so enthralling, and thrilling, and as the women were accelerating through their choreography, they brought me closer and closer to the edge of my seat until they each finally found their individual resolve. . . . And, I just sat back, took a breath, and fell even more in love with this ballet company, its dancers, and their diversely surprising repertory. The third piece to follow was Slingerland Pas De Deux, by none other than the infamous William Forsythe. Legendary and irrefutable is his vision and his choreography. It was just a simple pas de deux that shared a glimpse into what not only Mr Forsythe is capable of, but also the dancers of Aspen Santa Fe. Sam Chittenden and Katherine Eberle moved immaculately as one. They were lit by two work lights positioned in the upstage corners of the stage facing the audience and the dancers, highlighting the form of movement and putting the emphasis on the choreography and the dancers ability to dance it, instead of having to perform it. It was brief and beautiful.  The closing piece of the evening was Jorma Elo's 1st Flash. Eric Chase, Sam Chittenden, Seth DelGrasso, Katie Dehler, Katherine Eberle, and Samantha Klanac finished the concert just as amazingly as it was started. The music of Jean Sibelius was a bit dramatic and old fashion sounding for such neoclassical work but the dancers were so committed, and the choreography was so fun and isolating and all encompassing that I was able to forgive the melodrama of the last few minutes of the score. Dressed in grey, group sections, solos, duets, and trios swept through and across the stage. Filling the remainder of the evening with fierce dancing, memorable combinations of quick jumps, low lunges, off balanced pirouettes, and seamless partnering. 5 stars!!
The night was non stopped dancing and was so much fun to watch. They were a privilege to see, and it was such a rewarding concert to be apart of on a rainy and cold NYC night.
Photography by Rosalie O'Connor
www.aspensantafeballet.com
iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Dante Puleio
Performance: Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
Venue: Joyce Theatre, New York City
Date: February 18, 2009
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Tags: Aspen Santa Fe Ballet William Forsythe
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Something old, something new... Jody Oberfelder, Dance Review
This Valentine's day weekend at Joyce Soho, Jody Oberfelder delivers something old, something new, something borrowed, and nothing blue.
The "something old" is a piece called Moved, created in 2003, which makes up the first half of the program. From the first moment, the space is saturated with color, bright orange costumes, and bright faces. The five member company serves an amuse-bouche in the Jody Oberfelder flavor, which is lighthearted, acrobatics infused, modern dance. Her dancers spiral into and out of the floor, pass through handstands, and build human pyramids.
Jody enters for a solo in which we see the source of her style. She is a little body with a big personality. Her gymnast's body glides gracefully through head spins and press handstands, between which she injects niblets of humor.
The "borrowed" part is a semi-satirical Busby Berkley kaleidoscope of movement. The entire company, including Jody, whirls into symmetrical circles, and forms Vegas-style kick lines. Their over-exaggerated smiles criticize the cheesiness of Busby Berkley style productions, while they utilize his formula to create a visual feast. The piece culminates with the group moving in a circle, building speed until every other dancer's feet lift off the floor. They fly off into eternity as the lights fade.
Following intermission, there's "something new" with the premiere of Approaching Climax. A stool and a microphone stand stage-right where the company members take turns playing the "God" character. They speak into the mic facing a video camera, so that their image is projected as a giant head on the back wall, overlooking and commenting on the action onstage.
The commentary consists of clever statements and observations applying the dramatic structure, as in literature, to the dance. They joke about the viewer's frustration with abstract dance and their futile effort to follow a linear plot when there is none. The title is reflected throughout the piece with references to a dramatic climax, along with its secondary meaning through hints of sexuality. The human pyramids take on a kamasutra nature, and comically cliché sexy moves are hidden within the modern dance vocabulary.
Aside from a few more serious moments, there's "nothing blue" about this program. Jody Oberfelder proves that it's possible to be both fun and intelligent. It's feel-good dance which makes you feel good, and think a little too.
iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Julie Fotheringham
Performance: Jody Oberfelder Dance Projects, Moved, and Approaching Climax
Choreographer: Jody Oberfielder
Venue: Joyce Soho, New York City
Date: February 15, 2009
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Tags: Jody Oberfelder Joyce Soho
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Ron Brown's Program B is a brilliance sandwich. All three parts are made up of the stuff of brilliance, but the real meat of it is in the middle (appropriately so). That meat is called Walking Out the Dark I, and it is the kind that is fully seasoned and tenderized. The surrounding pieces (the bread) are not nearly as excitingly seasoned, but a necessary and essential part of a Ron Brown balanced meal.
Opening the show, Ebony Magazine asks the onlooker, "Do you see what I see?" in the midst of beautiful patterns and movement exploding on the stage, kaleidoscopic at times. The black and white garb including long, black satin gloves, cocktail dresses and suits for the men scream elegance.
After this explosion of elegance, the four men of the company dance and breath as one to a poem, which includes lines such as "Your god does not have long, blonde hair"..."Come down my brother...don't walk around like you are on tv...". They dance to the tempo of each others breath, which they listen hard to as they go from slow ronde de jambs with the body undulating down to a "hit the wall" abrupt stance with bodies as rigid as stone.
When Arcell Cabuag (who is also the associate artistic director) enters the stage in long, flowing white material to the sound of seagulls, a climax is reached. Arcell takes flight as he dances with an ethereal quality. He dances the dance of a ghost and a bird in the way he floats in his attitude pitch falls and into the ground African praises. He foreshadows his own death with his ghostliness. This solo ends in his death as he lays peacefully on his back downstage as his friends walk up to him, acknowledge that he has passed on and exit the stage without grievance.
The dancers return to the stage to dance the beauty and joy that is oozing out of the words "Do you see what I see". These words are spoken over and over again live by the spoken word artist, Wunmi. Sometimes the simplest moments in life are so beautiful to one person, but remain unnoticed by another. The dancers simply walk across the stage in brightly colored outfits before letting the joy of the music make them groove with African steps and jumps, which is contagious as they force the others to see the beauty that they see and that they feel-that we see and that we feel.
The second piece, A Walk in the Dark I, is the meat of the briliance this evening. A mother and a daughter and a father and a son stand diagonally across from one another at all four corners of the stage. As they bare their souls to each other in bare, flesh colored outfits, the eternal "bickering" of a parent and child comes alive. The first section in this piece portrays the daughter and the son throwing horrible temper tantrums as they angrily thrust their ribcage and pelvis, flail their bodies through the air and slam on the ground face first. In the second section, the mother and the father retaliate with the ever so ominous guilt trip. This is poignantly portrayed by the mother as she grand pleás in second while scooping up the hurt heart and the pool of tears off of the ground to present to the child.
There is no relation between this mother and father, and, in fact, they don't exist to each other. The same goes for the children. These are two separate families who happen to be going through turbulence at the same time on the same planet (or, on the same stage). The fact that they never see each other is astonishing as they execute complex patterns. The two pairs intertwine between one another as they fight with their respective parent without even a glance in the direction of the other dueling pair as they come within a hair's breadth. At one point, the daughter figure-eights around the father while she continues her argument with her mom, and the father focuses his angst on his son.
The absolute climax of this piece is the period when all four dancers exist in their own heads for a moment as they dance angry solos. The flailing and abrupt movement that has been prevalent throughout the piece is used in each of their solos. This is the first time in the piece when all of them are directing their angst inward and not relating to the parent or child. Immediately following this, all of them lie down on the ground in a straight horizontal line (after the mother is the last one standing as she has the last word). Dirt falls in the same straight horizontal line that the families are lying in from the catwalk. The dirt falls four times. They are now buried in the ground. We have an everlasting struggle with our parents that starts at the beginning and ends at the end.
The last piece of the evening, Exotica, shows not only a wide range of style (from stunning classic technique to dirty stank), but also a range of music and atmosphere. Exotica takes us straight from the night club where everyone is shaking their booty to pumping bass to the church scene where people bow their head in prayer as His Eye is on the Sparrow plays.
Throughout the nightclub scenes and church scenes (they continue to interchange and the music quite often overlaps), their movement evokes praise not only toward the sky praising the Lord but also inward praising oneself and down to the ground praising elders. There is one movement that becomes a motif, quickly praising those three things by placing the hand to the ground, to one's heart and then toward the sky as they simply walk across the stage.
The message that this sends is clear: whether in church, at a club or at home, you can make any place a church by praising life. The costumes add to the celebration with various shades of brightly colored velvet dresses and pant suits on the men and women. My personal favorite part of this celebration aside from the beautiful praise is how "in the pocket" all of the dancers are. At one point, all of the dancers are in two lines, and they pause for a moment before grooving-a groove that almost appears to be internal as they get deeper and deeper in the pocket.
Ron Brown and his dancers continue to bring us unique contemporary dance that is deep seated in African movement. The work takes an honest look at life and death with a readiness at all moments to celebrate all ups and downs. Ron Brown's choreography and the dancers' passion work together to permanently brand the concept of each piece on each person walking away from the theater.
Studio Photography by: Daniel Hedden.
iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Adrienne Jean Fisher
Performance: Ronald K. Brown's Evidence
Choreographer: Ron Brown
Venue: Joyce Theatre
Date: February 12, 2009
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Tags: Ron Brown Evidence African Dance Contemporary "adrienne Jean Fisher"
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