Diavolo at Eccles

Diavolo | Architecture in Motion had its Park City premiere at the Eccles Center on Monday night. The LA-based company is known for its large-scale architectural pieces that are the jumping-off point (literally) for the company’s acrobatic movement vocabulary. On the program for the evening were two full-length pieces, “Transit Space” (2012) and “Trajectoire” (1999), both conceptualized by artistic director Jacques Heim.

“Transit Space” featured skate ramps that the dancers maneuvered around stage to create different scenes. The ramps were used in every imaginable way, dancers clad in cargo pants and sneakers sliding down and ricocheting off them – all while the ramps were in motion. Watching the dancers’ daring tricks and trusting falls, as well as their innate sense of timing and teamwork in relation to the ramps, was truly exciting. The choreography that took place on solid ground was less so; think that cliche street dance movie and the final “dance battle” that ensues. The sound score featured music layered with spoken word, addressing the popular yet tired reproach of social media technology, among other more grippingly personal sound bites.

“Trajectoire”* centered around a set piece fondly referred to by the company as “the boat”, which rocked back and forth for the piece’s duration. Clad in white, the dancers mounted and dismounted the boat throughout, which alone was thrilling to watch. Once atop the rocking boat, groups of dancers ran from side to side, making the boat rock to extremes. The sides looked like they would touch the floor in these moments, but of course never did. Choreographed sequences also took place atop the boat, both a testament to spatial awareness in a confined space and to balance atop a surface in motion. The dancers inverted, extended, and leapt through choreography that would have been demanding even on solid ground. Like in “Transit Space”, teamwork was a notable component to “Trajectoire”, as the dancers lifted, supported, and caught each other in aerial maneuvers all while making sure the boat didn’t rock to the wrong place at the wrong time.

Diavolo showed incredible strength and daring in the program’s two works. Additionally, the dancers’ ability to work together and coordinate dangerous lifts and jumps with moving architectural pieces is laudable. While “Transit Space” felt more like a gimmick at times, “Trajectoire” seemed to truly embody the company’s mission and capabilities.

*Note: To give due credit to the Diavolo performers and their professionalism, they spent a prolonged intermission trying to map out “Trajectoire” minus one usual cast member (who was unable to perform the second piece due to an acute case of altitude sickness). Ultimately, the company was able to perform only the first half of “Trajectoire” at Monday evening’s show.

Amy Falls is an independent dance artist and works administratively for several SLC-based dance organizations.

Dance reviews on loveDANCEmore are shared with 15 BYTES, Utah’s Visual Art Magazine.

photo courtesy of Diavolo|Architecture in Motion

On Site at Woodbury Gallery

Monday November 30th....
On Site mobile dance series presents new works at Woodbury Gallery in Orem.
Shows at 6 & 7:30pm, Free Admission.

Dances will be presented by Kate Monson, Aubry Dalley, Erica Womack, Sarah Donohue, Amy Markgraf-Jacobsen & Liz Dibble.

Co-directed by choreographers Kate Monson and Kori Wakamatsu the On Site series moves dance into public spaces across Utah County. Recently funded by an Orem City CARE grant, this is the first concert in Woodbury gallery space, previous concerts have explored the Central Utah Gardens, the BYU Museum of Art, Gurus Cafe & more.

2015 in review

In 2015 loveDANCEmore programs had some changes: we moved the Mudson performance series to new venues after five successful years at the Masonic Temple, Amy Falls became our program coordinator making Mudson accessible to more artists than ever, Liz Ivkovich is moving toward editing the spring journal.

With these changes, some things stayed the same: our commitment to documenting Utah dance in collaboration with 15 BYTES and the development of sustainable performance series that serve local, independent choreographers and performers.

In total loveDANCEmore presented 45 new dances by 27 choreographers featuring over 110 local dancers.

We published 2 performance journals and 25 reviews by 21 artists and scholars. We presented 1 dance film gallery, 5 works-in-progress events, 5 curated programs and sponsored works by 7 artists and collectives including Tanja London, Erica Womack & Graham Brown. Sponsorship affords artists access to tax exempt donations, liability insurance and other non-profit infrastructure.

loveDANCEmore programming reached over 10,000 audience members. This number is made up of a lot of things: journal subscribers, standing room only final Mudson performances, On Site concerts in Provo museums, a film gallery curated by Katherine Adler at Sweet Branch Library and also, our part in  “The Mists,” an immersive dance experience at Red Butte Garden’s, “Garden After Dark,” co-created by Liz Ivkovich and Alysia Ramos. The numbers reflect a contingent of artists but also an integration of dance into municipal space.

As the community events branch of “ashley anderson dances,” a registered 501(c)3, loveDANCEmore is fortunate to receive funding from Zoo Arts and Parks, the Utah Division of Arts and Museums, the Salt Lake City Arts Council, the City of Orem and individual donors but your end-of-the-year contribution would make a difference in 2016.

All but 1 public program was free and all artists participating in our projects receive stipends.

Over 50% of our budget is passed to independent artistswith an additional 20% going to artist resources.

All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law and 2016 funding will support: our continuing search for a Mudson venue, journal publication, increased artist stipends and more.

Thank you for your support of Utah dance.

RDT’s legacy in REVEL

Repertory Dance Theatre’s REVEL – the latest installment in the company’s 50th anniversary season – showcased works by four choreographers, each in some way integral to the company’s history and legacy. Throughout, RDT’s eight dancers exhibited zeal for honoring the past as well as diving headfirst into new ideas.

Jacque Lynn Bell’s “She (A tribute to Virgina Tanner)” featured the company dancers alongside both RDT alumnae who studied under Virginia Tanner and current Tanner Dance students (Bell herself studied with Tanner). Among these guests was current RDT artistic director Linda C. Smith, radiant on stage, who at several points kissed each of her fingers as though to express enthusiasm for a well-executed meal. Dancers from all three backgrounds held hands in a circle, periodically melting into shapes in each other’s arms. At one point, a small boy lied down on the floor and did not want to continue; RDT dancer Dan Higgins picked him up, brought him to center stage and spun him around, and the boy began to laugh and dance again. This moment was a touching encapsulation of “She”’s mission to honor a seminal figure in Utah’s pedagogical dance tradition.

“Jack”, choreographed by Joanie Smith (of Shapiro & Smith Dance), was a whimsical duet to text that spun off of children’s nursery rhymes. The text informed choreographic choices in humorous ways, executed with gusto by Tyler Orcutt and Justin Bass. Both appeared comfortable with the silliness required of them in these roles, and looked equally comfortable in the duet’s virtuosic dancing moments (such as Orcutt’s lithe leaps). “Jack” provided easy laughs for all ages, but was peppered with darker humor that allowed adults to re-access these familiar rhymes in unconventional ways.

“Begging the Question”, a world premiere by Claire Porter, wove together language (from Gertrude Stein) and movement – at times humorous, at times chaotic – to explore the nature and persistence of the question. Orcutt, challenging someone to ask him “the difficult ones”, continued making the contorted face and fist that accompanied his repeated “Ask!”’s long after his voice had subsided. He and Jaclyn Brown had a very contrary section where both, nearly shouting, insisted that they “didn’t do questions”. The dancers popped their heads out of the wings to yell a question at those onstage, only to be dragged back into the wings by a hidden partner. (Higgins’ question in this section – “Did you read my blog?” – got a good laugh from me because of the nature of my attendance at the show.) A final group section brimming with gestures and repetition morphed into the piece’s surprisingly distilled conclusion; Lacie Scott, lit by just one down-pool, sat mouthing silent questions, as though the dancers had merely been the manifestation of her mind’s buzzing subconscious.

As a musical interlude, 3hattrio (self-dubbed players of “American Desert Music”) rose up from the orchestra pit and were later joined by William “Bill” Evans, who tap-danced to their southwest-inspired tunes. 3hattrio’s music was transporting and evoked locations such as those listed in the band members’ bios: “the edge of the Virgin River” and “a pecan orchard in Virgin, Utah”. Evans’ masterful tapping was a complex complement to the band’s often simple, at times haunting, melodies. Evans spun into the wings to conclude his solo, blowing offstage like a desert tumbleweed.

Evans’ world premiere, “Crippled Up Blues and other tales of Deseret”, also featured live music by 3hattrio. Each dancer was paired with a unique, antique wooden chair, the simple yet old-fashioned pedestrian clothing and American West-inspired music served as references to a community of a bygone era. The dancers clapped and stomped, changing hands and partners, and took turns standing on a chair as though giving a public lecture or sermon. Evans paired more lyrical, sweeping movement (a duet between Lauren Curley and Higgins was particularly lovely) with chopping hand gestures and a waddling, straight-kneed walk to exhibit the many facets of this community. Exultant hands and faces turned skyward faded into dancers crumpling to the floor underneath their chairs. They overcame that burden and made it to standing once again, though any frolicking became more feeble in this later iteration. The last image, Orcutt balancing on a chair, quaking visibly, was a clear testament to this onstage community’s ability to toil together and to overcome.

The works featured in REVEL touched upon the qualities and strengths that yield a dance company with a well-known and lasting legacy. From nurturing and teaching, to incorporating humor, musicality, openness to collaboration, and honest hard work – RDT has made it this far for good reason. Evident in their approach to the offerings of the evening’s program, the dancers know they are each a part of this lasting legacy.

Amy Falls is a local dance administrator, performer, and choreographer. She holds a BFA in modern dance from the University of Utah.

Dance reviews on loveDANCEmore are shared with 15 BYTES, Utah’s Visual Art Magazine.  

Photo of RDT dancers Tyler Orcutt (left) and Efren Corado Garcia by Chris Peddecord

Ballet West’s Multi-Faceted Iconic Classics

Ballet West’s 52nd season opens with Iconic Classics, a triple bill addressing milestones in 20th-century ballet, from its shifts towards two opposing directions — musical theatre and modern dance — to its classical apotheosis in George Balanchine’s “Symphony in C.“

Opening with Jerome Robbins’ “Fancy Free,” the company explores not only narrative fare which typically interests a broad public but also the resurgence of ballet crossing over into musical theater. With New York City Ballet dancers Robert and Megan Fairchild (who, by the way, are Utah natives) taking on Broadway roles, the resurgence of Robbins’ work seems relevant on a local and national scale.

Known most widely for choreographing “West Side Story,” Robbins had a knack for choreographing theatrical scenarios with clarity: dancers move deftly and musically between complex phrase-work and simply walking across the stage. In solos exploring male bravado, Chase O’Connell in particular demonstrates a unique blend of character and precision, his long limbs at times held in perfect control and, at others, sent across the space with abandon.

After a recent performance in Minnesota, one blogger raised questions about the relevance of “Fancy Free’s” story-telling. She saw the premise of the piece as problematic, that three sailors on 24 hour leave in the 40s would not successfully vie for a woman’s attention by stealing her handbag. Although it’s true that some of the content seems out of sync with current sociopolitical conversations, it’s undeniable that Robbins had a gift for choreographing a narrative, if not supplying it.

Jiří Kylián’s “Overgrown Path,” is a significant shift in tone. Premiering in 1980, the choreography is based on a piano cycle by Czech composer Leos Janácek that considers the loss of his daughter. A series of lush vignettes spill out of the score and Jenna Rae Herrera and Arolyn Williams capture the combination of strain and frailty that the narrative suggests, with its titles like “A blown away leaf,” “Unutterable anguish,” and “In tears.” Throughout, mournful women clutch skirts to their chest, contract their bodies and fall back into the arms of their male partners.

The structure of “Overgrown Path” is unquestionably ballet, beginning with an ensemble, meandering through small groups and returning to an ensemble. But Kylián’s moving material calls to mind many women of modern dance. In a program of icons who all happen to be male choreographers, this reminder of works by Helen Tamiris or Martha Graham seem as topical as the work’s original dedication to Anthony Tudor.

Kylián’s work served as a touchstone into idioms popular in contemporary ballet, but the program concludes with Balanchine’s “Symphony in C,” a crown jewel of classical ballet. Ballet West has previously performed excerpts but this concert shows the full work and utilizes so many dancers that advanced students are also included to round out the corps de ballet.

Opening night featured a few technical missteps, but if anything, this highlighted the soloists commitment to Balanchine’s aesthetic of fully moving off the leg and manipulating their torso to elongate the body. The women, in white tutus and tiaras, are the embodiment of the ballerina in the jewelry box if her spring was loosened a bit. Unfortunately no such metaphor exists for the men so that the musicality and depth of performances by Adrian Fry and Rex Tilton lack appropriate description.

Ashley Anderson is the director of loveDANCEmore community events as part of her non-profit, ashley anderson dances. See more of her work on ashleyandersondances.com  This piece was written for the November edition of 15 BYTES and can be found here.

Photo by Will Thompson of Ballet West principal artists Beckanne Sisk & Christopher Ruud in “Symphony in C” by George Balanchine (C) The George Balanchine Trust