Alexandra Bradshaw & Jon Yerby’s 7&1: A Guitar and Dance Performance Eventtook place this past Friday at Art 270, a gallery in downtown SLC run by artist Terence Stephens. Bradshaw performs with Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company and Yerby is an established performer and teacher of classical guitar. This performance was the first time the husband-and-wife duo have combined their crafts.
Amid walls of artwork and a full audience, Bradshaw and Yerby took their places opposite each other, lit by just two shin lights. Though the gallery space is fairly small once chairs are set up, Bradshaw’s expansive movement utilized the space to its fullest potential. She cut deep lunges and full contractions with casual bourrees and moments of stillness. Bradshaw has a strong elegance about her, visible even in moments such as when she pushed a chair backwards with her feet while in a handstand.
Yerby accompanied Bradshaw on the guitar from a seat that faced where she danced. Both Bradshaw’s moments of pause (where she would face Yerby directly) and her phrasework yielded a palpable connection to Yerby’s accompaniment and presence in the performing space. Even when she exited for an interlude, it was clear that Yerby’s guitar solo was inextricably linked to the traces of her that still lingered on the dance floor.
Bradshaw and Yerby found a satisfying joint voice in 7&1, carried by their choices as individual artists and in establishing a new relationship as performing partners. Additionally, Art 270 worked incredibly well as an intimate setting for this tandem of music and dance. I look forward to seeing future collaborations from Bradshaw and Yerby, and hope to see more dance presented in this space.
Amy Falls is loveDANCEmore’s program coordinator, as well as a frequent contributor to the blog. She performs and works in other arts admin positions here in SLC.
Photo of Jon Yerby and Alexandra Bradshaw courtesy of loveDANCEmore