Dance Review: Takehiro Brings it On, TAKE Dance Company at DTW

TAKE Dance Company doesn't have to thwack or grind to get your attention. Their lithe, graceful dancers scoop, hop and spring their way though intricate, fluid 'ography as deftly and sweetly as a fistful of cotton candy. The intimate space at DTW provides the perfect venue for this eleven-member ensemble company, who will be performing there through August 2nd. The program boasts that artistic director Takehiro Ueyama, a Paul Taylor alum, "has created a vast repertoire of work featuring sensitive and exciting choreography that presents a feast for the eyes, the mind, and the soul." "Well, damn!" I thought. "Bring it on."

The entire program is choreographed by Ueyama. His first piece, Linked, contains three movements. The first introduces the audience to his effervescent, airy style. Two dancers begin with a series of deceptively simple steps that seem to arise almost spontaneously between two people who just really enjoy being together. The rest of the company prances on, echoing the steps and adding their own. The whole piece has a very "isn't-life-peachy" vibe to it, as if the dancers, who are literally dressed in tanks and khakis a la the Gap, could've come and danced for you or just simply gone to the park.
 

In the second section, however, the mood really changes as the company performs a series of hypnotic, yogic movements... in spellbinding silence. I am completely entranced. At times they move in unison, and at times the movement ripples through the dancers, leaving one on his feet, one lying prone on the ground. My jaw opens slightly and my head tilts to one side. I am completely entranced.

The trance is then broken by an explosive third movement, which is similar stylistically to the first two, but faster and with considerably more joy. It's as if they had been building up to it: the languid ease with which they dance through life in the first movement, combined with the contemplative stillness of the second, brings about the joy and completion of the third.

After a pause, the program resumes with Love Stories, a series of three short duets performed by Kile Hotchkiss and Nana Tsuda. The two match each other perfectly, combining light, airy jumps with graceful, seamless partnering. Their first pas de duex is romantic and lovely, while in the second the two seem unable to connect the way they had in the first, and the choreography turns manipulative. The romance, apparently, is doomed. By the third movement, the dancers come out with bags on their heads. Never a fan of blatant allegory in dance, I spend most of the piece trying to figure out what the bags are suppose to represent. Finally, I see that I have to stop searching for an answer in every little plie and just watch what is going on in front of me. It is only then I get caught up in the beauty of it and begin to realize that the bags have something to do with our inability to reveal our true selves... I think... still, the piece is gorgeous and I appreciate the fact that Ueyama wants his audience to think.

As the lights come up on Shabon, I am already in fear that it would be too annoyingly abstract for me. There are bubbles, for one. Not, like, on the backdrop. I'm talking "you blew 'em out a wand when you were three" bubbles. The costumes look as though they’re salvaged from a space age thrift shop; they are ugly. The choreo' is too similar to what I have seen in the two previous pieces… I keep waiting for it to win me over, but in the end it is just too trippy for my taste.

Cheryl McCarron's costumes redeem themselves, however, in Ueyama's final work, Footsteps in the Snow. Not only should I mention the costumes, which are simple black pants and elegant white tuxedo shirts, but the lighting design throughout the entire evening is remarkable. Designer Jason Jeunnette really gets the chance to show off in TAKE's finale, which opens with two beautifully lit snowfalls, one upstage and one downstage, which dust Ueyama and his partner. The floor is already covered with snow an inch thick, which, remarkably, doesn't trip anybody up. The snow does not merely decorate the scene, however. The dancers roll in it, play in it, pick it up and let it trickle through their fingertips. The company proves that for all its elegance, they are not afraid to get messy. The snow grounds them and adds texture to the dance, which is otherwise ethereal and tenderly erotic. Footsteps in the Snow is my favorite piece of the evening.

The company is comprised of outstanding dancers who work well as an ensemble. The biggest standout, however, is Ueyama himself. While he puts his dancers in the spotlight nine times out of ten, when he is onstage, he is so nimble, so polished and yet so vulnerable as an artist that I couldn't take my eyes off him. TAKE does not just make me want to take class, it makes me want to learn the secrets of Takehiro Ueyama!

Photography by Mary Ann Moy

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Molly Sorohan
Performance:  TAKE Dance Company
Choreographer: Takehiro Ueyama
Venue:  DTW, Dance Theater Workshop, New York
Performance Date:  July 30, 2009, 7:30 pm
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Dance Review: Pilobolus Possible

Pilobolus Possible

 

The Joyce Theater was buzzing with anticipation on the evening of Monday, July 20, 2009, as the hour approached 7:30 and the audience took their seats awaiting the last of Pilobolus’ three programs.  I was especially eager to experience my first Pilobolus show, as I had only heard a few stray criticisms and praises from the lips of fellow dancers in this crazy city!  Would the dancers indeed be solely acrobatic, or would they surprise me with their blend of mystifying strength and cool artistry?

It turns out that I am wowed! These Pilobolus dancers can shift on a dime from incredibly fast somersaults to balletic balances on one leg. They can climb up each other’s backs and then somehow manage to jump down at the speed of light…  then swing that same person around so that their positions are now reversed. They contort, lift, carry, swing, climb, throw…. you name it - they do it - with the greatest of ease that the “artistry” can not be denied.

Watching 2B, a New York premiere by Israeli choreographers Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak feels like a nightmarish fairy-tale. The costumes by Inbal Pinto as well as the lighting created by Yoann Tivoli brings back those creepy childhood memories I have from watching Teletubbies!  The music further compliments this eerie piece by beginning with a swirl of Bach's classical music sprinkled with water droplets throughout the score… then abruptly switching to an island reggae mix. 

The unidentifiable world that Andrew Herro, Jun Kuribayashi, Annika Sheaff, and Matt del Rosario create is a very strange one.  Herro plays a fisherman who is surrounded by black balloons.  Annika Sheaff and Jun Kuribayashi are pushed independently and sporadically from a small red door in the middle of the stage.  Sheaff emerges first and begins to pop Herro’s balloons until only one is left.  He grasps the balloon protectively, but Sheaff manages to steal it away, retreating back into her red door… leaving us to only hear the loud, final last "pop."  Del Rosario, dressed in blue as a reptile (complete with mask!), really does appear frog-like as he hops and leaps across the stage.  Kuribayashi, stuck to that little red door, tries to emerge gingerly from it, poking one foot out of the door at a time.  He suddenly throws himself completely through the door, only to retreat back a few seconds later.

The second piece of the evening, Pseudopodia, which was choreographed by Johnathan Wolken in 1973 and performed by Jun Kuribayashi is a highly physical and extremely energetic piece.  The acrobatic Kuribayashi performs back somersaults across the stage quicker than quick!  The piece remains extremely intense the entire time, without a lot of change in dynamics.  At times, I admit that it feels more like a gymnastics routine and not a dance performance.  I should have brought my perfect 10 sign to hold up!  But, based on the other pieces he is in, Kuribayashi proves to be a dancer who has artistry, even if this piece did not exactly highlight that fact.

Razor:Mirror, another Jonathan Wolken work, is the second piece of the evening with its New York debut.  As opposed to Pseudopodia, this piece delves deeply into the dark inner workings of the psyche.  Each dancer possesses weird eccentricities, contorting their faces into eerie smiles and psychotic stares.   As Jun Kuribayashi is constantly changing personalities, he turns his shirt inside out as a way to materialize this transformation.

Jenny Mendez is a magnetic force in this piece as she hypnotizes the audience with her turned in legs and arms, her wrists almost always touching as if magnetically glued together.  Annika Sheaff looks possessed, constantly changing from smiling to disturbed, her doll-like lips either pursed or grinning psychotically. The dancers introduce the piece in front of the curtains and then slowly open them to reveal the rest of the stage. Razor: Mirror is eerily disturbing and leaves you questioning your own sanity!

Symbiosis, choreographed by Michael Tracy in 2001 introduces the second act of the night.  Jenny Mendez and Jeffrey Huang perform this sensual and seamless duet with artistry as well as amazing technical skill.  The lithe Mendez bends and contorts effortlessly in Huang’s arms.  They are both in a world completely separate from everyone else, complimenting each other’s strengths perfectly as yin and yang.

The final piece of the night, Day Two, which is directed by Moses Pendleton and choreographed by Matt Del Rosario, Andrew Herro, Jun Kuribayashi and Annika Sheaff features a blend of very different movements.  At first distracting, the women are topless for the duration of the piece, wearing only thongs!  The men are also scantily clad wearing only dance belts.  Faster than people can post their Twitter status, the dancers hop low to the ground and then switch into very fluttery movement vocabulary with hands over their head.  The range of dance moves is astonishing!  The work is not only unusual from a choreographic standpoint, but also in the unpredictable ability in which the seven dancers are able to transition so effortlessly from very different movements to the next.

One of the most memorable images I have of the piece is of the dancers standing on each other’s shoulders appearing as if they are totem poles with their arms placed in different structures.  What balance!  The spectacular finale ended the performance with a bang or more accurately, a splash!  Just when I thought they couldn’t throw anymore glitter in my eyes, the floor of the stage miraculously uplifted to make way for the slip-and-slide, (yes, kids, a slip-and-slide) in the middle of the dance floor.  The dancers splash around, slipping, skidding, sliding across the stage which, if it weren’t for my new shoes, made me want to jump right in!

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Amanda Keller
Editorial Contributions by Sheena DiMatteo
Performance:  Pilobolus
Venue:  The Joyce Theater
Performance Date:  Monday, June 20, 2009, 7:30pm

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Dance Review: Paradigm, A Model for Dance

Paradigm, A Model For

Dance

One definition of paradigm is “one that serves as a pattern or model.” There is no doubt that Paradigm exemplifies the proof of the model of performance that us dancers strive for everyday . . . to embody and become an idea and expression of an experience. 

The performance at DTW begins with A Thin Frost, an intriguing opener choreographed by Gus Solomans, Jr.  Danced without music, the lights honed in on three gorgeous women, Carmen deLavallade, Valda Setterfield, and Karen Brown, sitting in chairs.  Before the dancers even move, I can already sense from about eight rows back the model that the word paradigm represents. Two words: professionalism and grace. The women, wearing all white, very modest, pants and long sleeve shirts, perform movement that is accompanied by vocal expression.   They kick a leg and shout, they stomp the floor and moan, and point to each other and laugh.  I am quite entertained as these exquisite women tell a story that seems to be about how they relate to each other.  At certain points, they stand up and walk around the chairs and even seem to get mad at each other.

Following A Thin Frost is a monologue called “Being” written by Kay Cummings with movement and performance by Gus Solomans, Jr.  In Solomans solo, he speaks of his experience being a man of color and discusses the different terms for people of different races, as well as his experience as only a man, and how he wishes for people to see him simply as a person without all of the other filters.  Refreshingly, being that Solomons is a master performer and has the confidence to perform in a profession that celebrates the expertise of dancers with not even half his experience, it’s great to see Solomans move. Because I can see his movement that was once there (not in a negative, but a positive sense), it is very interesting to watch him reinterpret movement with his body now after having once mastered it before.

Player and Prayer, choreographed by Jonah Bokaer, comes next on the program.  A piece with a futuristic tone, deLavallade, Setterfield, and Solomans, dance a trio in what looked like the smart blue uniforms from an episode of Star Trek.  The costumes, done by Oana Botez-Ban and Nancy L Johnson, are very stylish and appropriate. The trio move with I-pods on their arms as the speaker blasts recorded interviews of the performers talking about their favorite moments and memories as a dancer.  The movement is very robotic and at times, the dancers stop to pose connected to each other and weave in and out of each other’s bodies as if they are one.

After intermission, It All, choreographed by Dwight Rhoden with music by Bjork brings me alive as Michael Blake and Karen Brown dance a duet based around two throne-like chairs which seem like a king and queen telling their story of dealing with each other and the hardships of their situation. Michael Blacke works the choreography out!  He has such power in his movement.

Next comes Lamps which is a solo work performed by Carmen deLavallade.  I love the theme of this piece, the monologue with movement, and exceptional lighting.  DeLavallade tells the story of her fascination with light, and, much of her commentary makes me think about the beauty of light and how it is only appreciated when there are moments of its absence.  She looks striking in a long brown dress with brown sleeves and watching her makes me smile.

The show ends with a piece by Donald Byrd called Dioscuri #2.  It is a dynamic solo where Solomans seems to be the teacher or father of Blake.  For the whole first half, the two dance on separate sides of the stage not once coming together creating a beautiful contrast in movement.  Blake is once again powerful and Solomans is wise with his movement.  They come together for the second half and dance together as Blake expresses a need to get something from Solomans but is repeatedly ignored and pushed away only to finally receive direction from Solomans.

This performance makes me think to myself, “this is what dancers aren’t learning anymore” and I find myself getting mad at all of the fresh dancers, who look at you like you are crazy when you go take a dance class as if you don’t belong simply because they are so used to getting excited when someone sweats them because of their 180 degree penche or “fierce” feet.  Although we all know that 'how high your feet look arched' won’t get you on your leg or make an audience want to watch you for an hour, (but that’s another discussion), there is something to be said for a dancer’s artistry that only comes with true passion for the craft and experience from the work. So, for Paradigm, although the pieces were filled with neither technical tricks nor choreography considered groundbreaking, these dancers exemplify dance that no scholarship or even your “daddy’s money” can buy (yeah I said it).

IDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by JoiLynn
Performance: Paradigm
Venue: Dance Theater Workshop
Date: Monday, July 13, 2009
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Dance Review: Cheese Soiree, Pilobolus Dance Theater

Pilobolus Dance Theatre has a 38-year history of keeping their brand alive. Innovative in the 70's, their signature style of acrobatic body constructions is still maintained today. Unfortunately, it is preserved by adding more and more cheese. At the opening night gala performance, the company serves four different kinds of cheese. The program includes three new works and one aged.

First is Dog-Id, their most recent piece using shadows. A lonely white dress stands center stage. The cast enters in true Pilobolus style with their most popular mode of travel, the backward roll. They lift one dancer and slip her into the dress, which begins this young girl's journey through a dreamland built from shadows cast on screens by hidden dancers. Much of the movement in front of the screen consists of muscle-ly men lifting the girl to make her appear as if she were floating, something I've seen so many times, but done flawlessly enough to make up for the lack of novelty.

The shadow sequence begins with using only the dancers' bodies to create fantastical shapes of animals and objects, which is what makes it fascinating. Later, props are introduced and it seems like cheating. As the scene becomes more slapstick comedy and progressively more cheesy, I'm convinced I'm watching a cartoon. I notice the program notes and it makes sense. Dog-id is a collaboration with Steven Banks, the head writer for SpongeBob.

Impressive acrobatic partnering is the best part of Redline by Pilobolus founder Jonathan Wolken. Some exciting, high-energy moments make me sit up straighter in my seat, while the slower sections don't live up to the driving music nor do they contrast it enough to appear intentional. The cliché swing dance partnering tricks seem inappropriate to represent the intensity of war, and the dramatic death and reawakening of one dancer in the end is unintentionally comical.

Aged cheese is definitely better. The 1971 classic Walklyndon is also slapstick comedy, but has a simplicity and sophistication that is missing in their more recent works. In silence, dancers clad in yellow spandex pass across the stage creating a series of short scenarios and collisions. Nearing the end of the piece, a seemingly random parade of naked people skitter across the upstage. It's brilliant, and opposed to the other pieces of cheese in the evening, this one is short and sweet.

Lastly Rushes, by Israeli choreographers Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak, is the most theatrical and emotionally engaging piece on the program. It demonstrates that the right choreographers can draw something more out of the same cast. A pedestrian scene is set with chairs, a train station perhaps. Two hunchbacked ladies accompany a trio of men with quirky walks, and stylized movement. Later they slip their feet into socks. The men pick one, and pull her around the stage, allowing her to gracefully glide on her socked feet. A widely used piece of music by Arvo Part comes in and I understand why this music is so popular in dance. It instantly transforms everything and I become completely engulfed in a magical world of floating movement.

Pilobolus continues to have sold out annual seasons at the Joyce, so they must be doing something right. The physicality of the performers is impressive and the content is accessible to a wide range of people. It draws a large, but unadventurous audience. There's safety in seeing something you've seen before. And apparently a lot of people like cheese.

Photography by John Kane

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Julie Fotheringham
Performance: Pilobolus Dance Theatre
Venue: The Joyce Theater, New York City
Date: July 13, 2009
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