Dance Review: Eva Dean's UBA Bounce at Dixon Place

For years artists have bravely performed with the ballistics of balls and have awed audiences.  Jugglers, rhythmic gymnasts, and street performers entertain with the suspense of dropping the ball.  Welcome UBA bounce to this group of performers!  UBA Bounce’s performance, however, is like watching the 3D movie version of the other performances- more eye popping color, speedy unexpected acrobatic feats and of course, chaotic challenges of controlling unpredictable balls.  UBA bounce dancers interact with the balls as if they are fellow dancers. Each ball is personified and possesses its own quality and quirks.  Yes, Eva Dean’s UBA Bounce is an innovative and ingenious idea- she is absolutely breaking boundaries with balls.

Appropriate for the lazy, sweaty days of summer, the balls do not bounce during the performance, but rather roll and relax like they are vacationing in the Hamptons away from the bustling bounce of the city.  A variety of balls appear amongst five dancers in ten works choreographed by Eva Dean and you question who controls the movement:  the ball or the dancer?

Of my favorite pieces, Pearl showcases the sophisticated skill of Dean’s choreography.  Dean and Zoe Schieber dance with two other pearl balls that adopt the persona of Charlotte’s “Sex and the City” Park Ave personality.   The fluidity and harmonized movement created the allusion of synchronized swimming.  

Continuing with the water theme, Bounce Surfing channels the audience to an aquarium in three parts.  In “Wave,” George Hirsh and his counterpart, a blue buoyant ball, bring the audience into waves with watery, continuous flux.  While in “Dolphin” the ensemble cast mimics the playful, fluent movement of dolphins.  Like the spectacular at Sea World, dancers flip and balance balls with the agility and grace of dolphins that are always awarded with a huge splash of applause.  The final section, “Surfing,” brought me immediately to the tobogganing penguin exhibit.  The slippery silver balls propel the dancers across the stage and back demonstrating the dancers’ teamwork throughout a piece of slipping and sliding fun.  

In Bounce 09, UBA acts as the main character of the work as a big, bright orange ball.  A kaleidoscope meteor shower of color from supporting actor balls bring the dancers into a Wonka Land experience where bubbles and carefree play transform the stage into a playground.  

The final piece, Samba Poi, utilizes twirling, psychedelic neon light poi balls that immediately transport the audience into the Latin flavor nightlife of Miami Beach.  The sexy samba dance along with the glowing lights is like watching a tropical festivity along the palm tree lined Ocean Drive. 

Throughout the performance I marvel at the dancer’s strength, control, and especially their balance.  Ms. Shieber seems to never touch the ground, constantly balancing and walking on the ball like a tight ropewalker.  The dancers’ work with the ball is like a full fitness regime in itself!  If anyone has exercised using a physio ball, you know it is a killer ab workout!!   The abs of the UBA Dancers definitely give Jessica Biel’s Hollywood washboard abs some serious competition.

Join UBA Bounce in a spectacular show where dancers and balls impress and excite your expectations and imaginations. 

UBA Bounce continues to perform at Dixon Place on:
THUR 19 @ 7:30 pm
THUR 26 @ 2:00 pm
FRI 27 @ 5:30 pm
SAT 28 @ NOON

Photography by Yi-Chun Wu

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Katie Gibson
Performance:  Eva Dean's UBA Bounce
Choreographer:  Eva Dean
Venue:  Dixon Place
Show Date:  Sunday, August 15, 2010

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Dance Review: Kate Weare and Monica Bill Barnes at The Joyce Theater

I will be keeping an eye on two refreshing new choreographers debuting at The Joyce this week.

From August 9th through the 14th, Kate Weare and Monica Bill Barnes share a marquee with Camille A. Brown and Andrea Miller.  The latter two are both mentioned in Dance Magazine's "25 To Watch" list, and while I love watching both sets of choreographers gain ground, I only have tickets to see Kate Weare and Monica Bill Barnes.  Nothing thrills me quite so much as witnessing fantastic talent emerge, and the two companies could not have been better matched.

Kate Weare Company premieres Bright Land, a series of dances set to the live music of San Francisco-based folk band The Crooked Jades.  Seeing live musicians on stage as the curtain rose is enough to make me cheer, but, given that I am at The Joyce and (supposedly) am sophisticated, I restrain myself. (If there had been a gut bucket, things might have turned out differently.)  The dancers enter after the first number, dancing in silence for the first few minutes, punching elaborate rhythms with their breath and their bodies.  Weare's artistry is genius in its simplicity:  the dancers create, and are ultimately swept up in, the cultural "rhythms" of life that folk music encompasses.  Throughout the piece, layers are literally stripped away as her talented ensemble tackle judgment, envy, love and death.  Kudos to dancers Adrian Clark and Douglas Gillespie for what surely is the most bruise-inducing series of choreographed push-ups ever crafted.  The overall effect is amazing.  Regardless of your appetite for folk music, however, you can't help but think, "Kate Weare is one fierce choreographer."

Smart, witty Monica Bill Barnes, on the other hand, engages her audience on an entirely different level.  No one goes to a dance concert for the comedy. But I haven't laughed this much at a dance performance since I watched Tandi Dupree drop from the ceiling into a split on You Tube. (Google it, people.) But while Miss Dupree induces shock mixed with hilarity, MBB's dancers mix awkwardness with a painstaking desire to please.  Four skinny white girls walk onto the stage in frumpy turtlenecks and woolen school girl skirts and dance to James Brown.  Obviously, this is a prescription for comedy.  They know that you, the audience, are watching.  In fact, they're trying desperately to entertain you.  In this recently reworked piece, Another Parade, Barnes lampoons the relationship between the audience and the performer.  The girls shimmy and shake, mugging and bopping through Bach and Bacharach alike.  At times dark, at times heartbreaking, and at all times unexpected, Another Parade is a smart, inventive evening of dance.

Check out Kate Weare and Monica Bill Barnes this week at The Joyce Theater.  These two companies are not to be missed!


iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Molly Sorohan
Show:  Kate Weare Company and Monica Bill Barnes
Venue:  The Joyce Theater
Show Date:  Tuesday, August 10, 2010
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Dance Review: Pilobolus Perfect at The Joyce Theater

Pilobolus has absolutely perfected performance art!   After thirty-nine years, Pilobolus still brings innovation that challenges their artists and thrills audiences, which I got to experience first hand this past Monday evening at The Joyce Theater in New York City.  This evening, Pilobolus adds to their superior athletic and dynamic reputation by flaunting their fluidity and grace on top of their ability to tell a story. 

The opening piece, Lantera Magica, takes the audience to a fantasyland of enchanted creatures.  Appealing to the family audience, fireflies drift your imagination into a mythical land.  The colorful costumes and brilliant lighting perfectly complement the graceful dancers, which moves the audience into a tale of fairy like creatures and discovery. 

Pseudopodia, a male solo choreographed to pounding drums, diverts the focus away from the show's theatrics and toward some gravity-defying technique!  This is an amazingly dynamic juxtaposition of music and movement.  The hard, pounding drum is paired with the fluid, flame-like movement of Jun Kuribayashi.  His gasp-inducing solo begins as Jun Kuribayashi somersaults on stage like a fireball, his body rolling like a continuous flame.  Not once does the audience hear his body touch the stage.  He flows with effortlessness, while commanding the stage with complete control.  Bravo!

The first act ends with the much anticipated Contradance, a new work that's a collaboration with Grammy winner Dan Zanes. Contradance continues with the family and story telling theme of the evening by showcasing the ensemble's subtle strengths and talents to portray sweet characters, who convey a moral story.  (Yes, dancers, you better act!)  Even though this piece isn't a momentous, gravity defying piece that is often associated with Pilobolus’s reputation, I appreciate the softness and sweetness of the characters and the company’s embrace of magical stories that really appeal to a younger audience.

The evening is arranged much like a double feature at the movies.  The first act is a G rated movie for families while the second more is a sophisticated highlight of the extreme strength and power of the company.  Upon entering the stage in the fourth number, Gnomen, four intertwined men roll onto stage, demonstrating a huge feat of weight and balance.  The men showcase extreme endurance, but execute it with much sensitivity.   Arial lifts and arm balances make the audience gasp in awe, but more impressive is the emotional execution of the movement.  Choreographed by Artistic Directors Robby Barnett and Jonathan Wolken as a dedication to fellow dancer James Blanc, I also sense that the dancers pay tribute to Wolken, who passed in the spring.  The somber and inward mood of the piece creates a division between the performers and audience.  As a viewer, you observe the pain of loss and devotion to relationships, but also admire the beauty of graceful physicality and emotional strength. 

Megawatt, the finale performance, demonstrates strength and physicality, but in the most raw and abandoned manner.  It is truly an underground piece choreographed to the music of Primus, Radiohead and Squarepusher.  The dancers enter head first in upside-down army crawls (like my new dance term?), which sets the tone of organized chaos.  Creating a full spectacle for the senses, Wolken's killer choreography directly mimics the music.  The audience sees, hears, and feels melody and tempo through a non-stop exhilarating display of high energy and seemingly impossible tricks.  Although constantly impressed by the insane acrobatic stunts of all the members, I am most thrilled by Eriko Jimbo.  One of the smaller members, she moves with fearless abandon and well matches the physicality of the "Lebron James size" men.  Work Eriko!  Megawatt leaves the audience rocking out in there seats.

Pilobolus is performing at The Joyce Theater until August 7th and provides a show that will entertain all ages and artistic preferences.  Go see it!

Photography by Sara D. Davis


iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Katherine Gibson
Performance:  Pilobolus
Venue:  The Joyce Theater, NYC
Show Date:  July 19, 2010
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Dance Review: DecadanceTheater Takes Hip Hop Dance Soaring to Heights as High as the Empire State Building

Waking into Joyce SoHo for the performance of Deacadance Theater, I am immediately massaged by the sounds of Hip-Hop beats.  Creating the vibe on the ones and twos is DJ Henry C, spinning the joints that hype everyone to get crunk.  Finally the house lights dim and the crowd erupts into thunderous applause, and we are ready.

The first piece on the bill, choreographed by Jennifer Weber, The Cage (inspired by Jerome Robbins), takes hip hop dance soaring to heights as high as the Empire State building!  Brilliantly danced by the ladies of Decadance crew (Ann-Sylvia Clark, Lucile Graciano, Nadia Lumley, & Taeko Koli), these X chromosomes take complete control of the stage like a well-oiled machine.  Their movements are fluid and smooth, a hot knife through butter, and I am ready to be SLICED!  I watch with awe in suspense as they move from slow to fast with ease like waiting for a YouTube video to buffer and load.  Once they get going...   oh how satisfying it is!  These b-girls are highly athletic and strong, flipping through the air and spinning on their heads as if they are Olympic gymnasts.  I score them a 10!

The next piece, The City Breathing, also choreographed by Weber, is an imaginative triumph.  The dancers are on stage dancing in jogging suits, the lights go out, and then, out of nowhere, their costumes light up!   Immediately, at first I think,... hmmm...  "Walt Disney World's Main Street Electrical Parade."  However, delightfully it turns out to be a piece I only WISH they'd march through Walt Disney World!  They seem to disappear and reappear out of nowhere, floating through space.   These dancers are amazing doing steps you would only see men doing and at a speed that would make anyone shout,  "WORK!"   Overall, another perfect score 10.

The next and final piece on the bill is a total slam-dunk:  the world premier, When The Sky Breaks.  For Weber, this is the most ingenious and ambitious piece on the bill that even I would want to get up and join.  All I have to say is “Step-Up 3D”...  That’s right, folks, put on your 3D glasses and pop some popcorn.  With an integrated 3D video created by multimedia artist, Holly Daggers, you feel like you actually are in the middle of the dance.  Weber incorporates a little house dancing, more awe inspiring moves, and the most intricate, isolated, fast-hand choreography I have ever seen.  Weber almost seems to take a page out of The Matrix and Madonna’s Vogue video.  So, I guess you can call this a little Vogue Matrix 2010...  The Decadance dancers are athletic, musical, and beautiful, and I am very pleased with the final product.  Once again I’ll give them a score of 10!

Wow!  Just like the Olympics, 3 perfect 10’s....   And the gold medal goes to...  DECADANCE THEATER!   All the evening’s pieces are masterfully directed and choreographed by Jennifer Weber.  Watch out “So You Think You Can Dance” Decadance is HERE.  A must see!

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Devin Pullins
Performance: Decadance Theater
Choreographer:  Jennifer Weber
Venue:  Joyce SoHo
Show Date:  July 17, 2010
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Dance Review: Broadway Underground Knows How To Get Down

Broadway Underground brings down the house on Monday night at BB Kings in Times Square. This show is full of non-stop raw talent, amazing live music, and lots of complimentary comedy that keeps the show rolling with laughter and fun.

Produced by Jared Grimes and Cheryl Cutlip, the performance displays the work of a fresh scoop of young, talented performers in the industry performing innovative works of their own or by other talented artists.  What makes Broadway Underground such a stand-out production is that they really get to the heart of entertainment (rather than just skimming the surface-like most shows of this kind).  Hell, they even have their own band keeping the beat throughout the show and hypnotizing you with a theme song that you leave the theater singing at least for the next two hours.

The show opens with a hot hip-hop and tap fusion choreographed by Jared Grimes. This high-energy piece set to the deconstructed car sounds of Wade Robson’s I Question Mark is full of tight technique, syncopated rhythms, and an unforgettable tap solo.  But this is just one of Grimes' three pieces for the evening.  In Ladies Throwdown, performed by the wonderfully versatile dancers of Tadah, these women really go hard in this sick tap number that displays their precision in sound, timing, and technical prowess. Grimes and Tadah are definitely a talent to watch out for.

Next up we meet Jay Stanton in his performance of Ray Mercer’s The Music In My Head.  Given the size of the stage and length of Stanton’s legs, I must admit that I was a little nervous about the ambition of the piece at first.  However, Stanton moves with a liquid musicality, seamlessly balancing Mercer’s contemporary and funk styles.

Juson Williams and company grace the stage in both the first and second half of the evening singing their soulfully witty rendition of classics For the Love of You and Lonely Avenue.  Expect the unexpected with Williams.  The level of his artistry allows him to take risks and use improvisation in a way that leaves you thinking one thought…WORK!

Speaking of musical artistry, William Johnson and the Drumatics blow up the stage at the end of the first half with a set of rhythms that make you want to get on your feet. This unbelievable all-male band dominates the trumpets, saxophone, djembe drums, and even paint buckets. That’s right William Johnson was drumming on paint buckets. Now that’s talent!

Now, my favorite and closing act of the evening is the BU Session, an open stage portion of the evening where artists in the audience are welcomed onstage to freestyle whatever talent they wish to share. What is most inspirational about this moment is seeing the diversity of races, generations, gender, and talent showcased.  There are even kids up there holdin’ it down right next to their teachers and mentors.  The session ends with two lengthy yet mind-blowing tap solos by Jared Grimes and Dewitt.  This pair, who also are the hosts of the show, delightfully serve as comic relief throughout the evening, and, putting all jokes aside, successfully leave the audience with a lasting impression of what "Broadway Underground" is really all about.

I’m not sure about when we will see this group again, but what I do know is that they will have a sold out house leaving you fully satisfied, and, I will make sure that I’m there again!  Broadway Underground: revolutionizing the definition of entertainment in New York City.  Go see them!

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Simone Sobers
Performance:  Broadway Underground
Choreography:  Jared Grimes, Ray Mercer, Juson Williams,Tadah, William Johnson and the Drumatics, Dewitt, BU Band, Adam Shenk, Reggie
Venue:  B. B. Kings
Show Date:  Monday, July 5, 2010

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