Counting The Days
June 29, 2008 · Posted in dance bloggers · Comment
The first week of the small scale is done. An empty day in Kelso and two solid days of playing 70's porn funk in the dressing room in Costa del Berwick-Upon-Tweed took it's toll with the in-group already descending into...
Larry Keigwin: Body and Soul podcast
June 24, 2008 · Posted in dance bloggers · Comment
For program notes, see http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Guest info at www.keigwinandcompany.com. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
Maguy Marin Umwelt
June 19, 2008 · Posted in dance bloggers · Comment
photo by Andrea Mohin for The New York TimesI just watched my life flash before my eyes. Well, many lives. In Maguy Marin’s Umwelt (at the Joyce Theater this week) dancers appear and disappear through a slatted set. We see them, for a few moments at a time, in the midst of performing mundane and sometimes unusual tasks. Nine performers move in and out of our awareness and we get glimpses of solitary and communal lives.
They move in unison while visually separated by vertical openings in the set. Three appear and take big bites out of apples. Two put on crowns. Four button shirts. A few scratch. They put on doctors' coats. Eat carrots. Carry trash. Wipe their noses. Pull their pants up. Hold a baby. Kiss. Fight. Carry a naked and lifeless body across their shoulders.
One spool of rope on the right side of the stage unwinds towards another spool on the left. It is a constant marker of time. Unceasing air from very high-powered fans blows on the dancers the entire time. The ongoing sound of the wind and the score is abrasive and driving.
As the 60 minute piece moves forward, I begin to notice patterns and relationships. The performers put on crowns, but also shower caps, sunbonnets, blue caps, and wigs. They eat apples, and big pieces of meat, cupcakes. They dress in doctors' coats, a drunkard’s housecoat, monks’ robes, sexy silk robes. A performer points a finger as if mad with the same phrasing as another pointing a flashlight or a gun. A woman jumps on a man, another woman is carried away.
Within the ceaseless and ongoing movement and imagery, I begin to find meaning. My eyes and mind search for things I have seen before and they search for differences.
Each performer takes a moment to stand still at some point during the piece. When he or she does, everything stops. In those moments, my mind returns to the image of the monks’ robes. I think of the religious practitioner, philosopher, and artist, those necessary and slippery roles. Those roles in which standing still can find patterns and meaning, but also nothing.
Read Claudia La Rocco's review (with a mention of this blog's fave, Jerome Bel)
Some info on the word Umwelt
And a video from Umwelt:
Laban in the news
June 19, 2008 · Posted in dance bloggers · Comment
The New YorkerThe Way They Move
by Lizzie Widdicombe
There’s been plenty of (metaphorical) eye-rolling, and head-shaking, over the pronouncements of “body-language experts” who have turned up on TV this election season to parse the candidates’ fist bumps and grimaces. Finger-pointing, according to Tonya Reiman, on Fox, represents a “tough guy”; Janine Driver, on ABC, said, of John McCain’s leaning against a lectern, “It’s as if he’s saying, ‘I need a little more support here.’ ” It’s comforting, in this atmosphere, to encounter the quasi-scientific talk of Laban movement analysts—a group of dance teachers, therapists, and others schooled in the techniques of Rudolf Laban, the early-twentieth-century artist turned industrialist. Read on
And Doug Fox on greatdance.com:
Applying Laban Movement Analysis to Interaction Design
How can movement analysis and documentation systems contribute to the creation of new and better interfaces?In other words, how might Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) be used to enhance and better understand the user interactions in the following two videos? Read on
Dancing in a Crowd
June 18, 2008 · Posted in dance bloggers · Comment
review by Amber Connors
The struggle to find peace amidst chaos
BosmaDance’s, “Sky Kisses Earth”
Joe’s Movement Emporium, 4th Annual Gala, June 14, 2008
Meisha Bosma- Artistic Director/ Choreographer
What this second “Sky Kisses Earth” performance lacks in formalities of live music, it makes up for in the intimacy of space. Having witnessed the premier collaboration with Alexandria Symphony Orchestra in the Rachel Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center, I prefer the live music presentation. However, in the narrow confines of Joe’s Movement Emporium, raw emotions in facial expressions are more readable and comprehensible to the audience.
Seven dancers in brightly colored silk move clumsily; tripping bumping and chugging like crowded pedestrians. One at a time, a dancer removes them self from the bustling mass, to settle peacefully and calmly in a second position squat, breathing from the gut with an organic sway. In an awakening duet, dancer and choreographer Meisha Bosma catches her partner forcibly between her palms; placing one hand on her forehead, and the other on her partner’s jaw. By forcing her eyes to look out into space, Bosma was commanding her to see the reality of now. Her partner resists, stubbornly insisting on the role of empty vessel, eyes extended out beyond the manipulative hands, ignoring the efforts of Bosma.
Gallantly bounding onstage, dancer Daniel Zook plunges into action with an expressive solo comprised of engulfing leaps and swooping turns. His mustard-yellow silk dress trails after his body like a noble’s cape. At the climax, the seven dancers fall in sync with one another, lunging and diving in a colorful, clean moving unit, repeating the same gesture-laden phrase on each of the diagonal facings, until eventually settling peacefully on the floor.
BosmaDance’s next performance is at Dance Place on June 21 and 22. Details can be found on the Dance Place website.
BosmaDance’s, “Sky Kisses Earth”
Joe’s Movement Emporium, 4th Annual Gala, June 14, 2008
Meisha Bosma- Artistic Director/ Choreographer
What this second “Sky Kisses Earth” performance lacks in formalities of live music, it makes up for in the intimacy of space. Having witnessed the premier collaboration with Alexandria Symphony Orchestra in the Rachel Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center, I prefer the live music presentation. However, in the narrow confines of Joe’s Movement Emporium, raw emotions in facial expressions are more readable and comprehensible to the audience.
Seven dancers in brightly colored silk move clumsily; tripping bumping and chugging like crowded pedestrians. One at a time, a dancer removes them self from the bustling mass, to settle peacefully and calmly in a second position squat, breathing from the gut with an organic sway. In an awakening duet, dancer and choreographer Meisha Bosma catches her partner forcibly between her palms; placing one hand on her forehead, and the other on her partner’s jaw. By forcing her eyes to look out into space, Bosma was commanding her to see the reality of now. Her partner resists, stubbornly insisting on the role of empty vessel, eyes extended out beyond the manipulative hands, ignoring the efforts of Bosma.
Gallantly bounding onstage, dancer Daniel Zook plunges into action with an expressive solo comprised of engulfing leaps and swooping turns. His mustard-yellow silk dress trails after his body like a noble’s cape. At the climax, the seven dancers fall in sync with one another, lunging and diving in a colorful, clean moving unit, repeating the same gesture-laden phrase on each of the diagonal facings, until eventually settling peacefully on the floor.
BosmaDance’s next performance is at Dance Place on June 21 and 22. Details can be found on the Dance Place website.
Related Articles:
Review by Amber Connors of previous BosmaDance performance,
Songwriters Re-Write History
June 18, 2008 · Posted in dance bloggers · Comment
review by Amber ConnorsHistoric choreography paired with legendary music
CityDance Ensemble, The Songwriters, Friday June 13, 2008 8 pm
Folksay- Sophie Maslow, music of Woodie Guthrie
Born to Run- Paul Gordon Emerson, music of Bruce Springsteen
Harmonica Breakdown- Jane Dudley, music of Sonny Terry
Falling- Paul Gordon Emerson, music of Otis Redding
On a Train Heading South- Brenda Way, commissioned score Jack Perla
Closing its 2008 season with a bang, CityDance Ensemble performed an eclectic mix of repertoire spanning the past 70 years. Last Friday, The Music Center at Strathmore was home to a full audience, excitedly anticipating The Songwriters.
Sophie Maslow’s “Folksay” (1942) is so timeless a piece of choreography that it still has resonance to a modern audience sixty-six years after its birth. “Folksay” began with a poetic exchange of commentary, folk songs of Woodie Guthrie, dancing, and small-town conversation. It was a brilliant combination of text and movement. The men danced squarely with flexed feet and ninety-degree-angled legs and arms, and wore cuffed jeans and flannel shirts. The women danced equally square but their three-dimensionality was highlighted in the swirl of their flowing cotton skirts.
“Born to Run,” (2007) a recent addition to the CityDance repertoire was choreographed by Paul Gordon Emerson. Set to the music and voice of Bruce Springsteen, the piece began in bold-colored silhouettes. An audience favorite, “I Ain’t Got You,” transformed a table into the jungle gym of dancers Delphina Parenti and Jason Garcia Ignacio. The couple flirted and fought over several cigarettes as they cart wheeled, slid, and tumbled above, under, and around the table. Later, a duet between two men unfolded to the sound score, “The River.” Dancers Bruno Augusto and Christopher K. Morgan successfully displayed a give-and-take tension during a Springsteen monologue about the relationship between him and his father in the late sixties. The two men log rolled over top of one another. Sporadically they paused, the weight of their bodies counterbalanced between them.
“Harmonica Breakdown,” (1938) choreographed by former Graham dancer, Jane Dudley, was a clean and concise solo filled with pelvic contractions. Slowly dancer Alicia Canterna glided across the stage, consistently maintaining a forward incline in her body. Composing herself, she planted her feet firmly in place and began to tremble and quake from the knees up to her head.
“Falling,” choreographed by Paul Gordon Emerson, was a seductive and entangled duet between Bruno Augusto and Kathryn Pilkington, rough with pauses. The audience was surprised when Frederic Yonnet strolled in from the back of the house blowing into his harmonica. He wailed away with a dirty-blues tone, steadily working all through the audience until he arrived on stage. “Falling” was tightly woven with unconventional lifts and inventive balances. It seemed despite the dancers’ conscience resistance, the physical attraction between them overpowered, bringing the two together like magnetic poles.
The evening ended on a political note with “On a Train Heading South,” (2005) a piece by choreographer Brenda Way, which addressed the issue of global warming. The stage was set with twelve dangling ice blocks that continued to melt as the stage heated up and the story progressed. The clairvoyant Greek figure, Cassandra, played by dancer Delphina Parenti, frantically warned her counterparts of the dangerous rise in temperature that was to occur. Despite her efforts she was continually ignored, until her dancing, like the liquefied ice blocks, gradually melted and was too heavy to leave the floor.
Collectively, the past and present fused to create a memorable evening at The Music Center at Strathmore. Farewell and best wishes to dancer Bruno Augusto who will be leaving the company in September to pursue a MFA in Dance from New York University.
Related Articles:
Article by Nora Guthrie on the collaboration between Woody Guthrie and Sophie Maslow, http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/guthrie110706.html
Interview of Brenda Way about "On a Train Heading South," http://www.grist.org/comments/interactivist/2005/02/28/way/index1.html
CityDance Blog, by Paul Gordon Emerson, on the restaging of Folksay http://powerpassionpurpose.blogspot.com/
(D) Stirring Odissi – Jun 13
June 15, 2008 · Posted in dance bloggers · Comment
STIRRING ODISSIMay 21-June 14, various venues
This is the first Gotipua performance in MalaysiaANY fan of the classical Indian dance form of Odissi would have been in seventh heaven in the last few weeks. Stirring Odissi 2008, the country’s biggest ever Odissi festival, presented performances, exhibitions, and talks galore, all centred on this ancient dance style.
The festival was held in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Malaysia-India diplomatic relations. It was presented by Sutra Dance Theatre, which is celebrating its own anniversary, the 25th, this year.
Run over three weeks and encompassing various venues in the Klang Valley (with one performance in Penang), Stirring Odissi brought together some of the world’s most accomplished and renowned Odissi dancers as well as musicians, visual artists, scholars, and enthusiasts of the dance from across the globe.
Madhavi Mudgal’s brilliant choreography for the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Repertoire created a contemporary feel while using the traditional syllabusOdissi certainly has many admirers, for it is a breathtakingly beautiful form of dance. It was originally developed in the temple of Jagannath in Orissa, East India, as a form of worship and meditation.
The dance form was kept alive, first, by the Maharis, and then the Gotipuas.
The Maharis were devadasis (chosen servants of god) who would sing and dance for the deity Krishna. They performed dance sequences that expressed lyrics from the Gita Govinda, an epic written by 12th century poet Jayadev.
Various reasons have been presented by academicians to explain why the Mahari tradition died out to be replaced by the Gotipua tradition. The latter tradition arose from the fact that the Maharis never performed outside the temple’s grounds; instead, they taught the dance to Gotipuas, young boys dressed as girls.
It was these performers who took the dance into the public milieu. Odissi was seen for the first time outside the temple in the early 16th century.
By the 1940s, however, Odissi was on the verge of extinction. But some might say this might have been a blessing in disguise – for the determined spirit of Odissi re-emerged to dance with even more beauty and pride than before, thanks to a handful of great gurus of Orissa.
Odissi now encompasses both the traditional and the contemporary. It has stood the test of time and evolved into a truly living classical art. It has found acclaim and international audiences, effectively dissolving national, racial, and religious boundaries.
In Malaysia, through renowned dancer Ramli Ibrahim, Sutra Dance Theatre has been at the epicentre of the flowering of Odissi. Ramli can be credited with creating immense interest in this dance form as well as nurturing talented exponents of it.
Ramli must have been proud indeed to see Stirring Odissi 2008 take place: The festival was a red-carpet Odissi affair involving eminent scholars, dance critics, dancers, and distinguished rasikas (audience).
Talking about the dance
The Seminar Series had sufficient fuel for robust intellectual discourse with topics presented by India representatives Sunil Kothari, leading dance historian, scholar, author, and dance critic of Indian classical dance; Shanta Serbjeet Singh, senior arts columnist and critic, author, and cultural activist; Ashish Mohan Khokar, author, dance critic, and dance publisher; Sitakant Mohapatra, acclaimed Oriya poet and critic; and many others.
The panel sessions were facilitated by prominent Malaysian arts practitioners and educationists such as Alex Dea, Joseph Gonzales, Marion D’Cruz, Mohd Anis Md Nor, and Soubhagya Pathy.
Some of the key issues discussed by speakers, panellists, and members of the audience include concerns about the difficulty of fundraising for supportive and educational activities. While some fretted over the nature of “evil, capitalist corporations”, others raised the need to compromise and to find an alignment between a potential donor’s goals and that of the performance or art form seeking funding.
Many arts practitioners were new to the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR), and were delighted to find that this would be a good avenue of funding and sponsorship.
I feel it’s a little unfair to tar all corporations with the same brush – after all, Stirring Odissi 2008 was presented in part by Maxis. And the fact that the telco did not insist on calling the event “The Maxis Odissi Festival” shows that some corporations are willing to allow their beneficiaries a free hand, and that they do attempt to give back to society earnestly.
Some voiced out their concern about the possible disappearance of the innocence and authenticity of the Gotipua tradition.
The threat actually lies in the increasing “sophistication” of the dance, and its irreversible effect. Parallels were drawn with our own Mak Yong tradition; that is, the “urban” Mak Yong is more “sophisticated” than those that taught and performed in rural areas.
Although innovation in any ancient art form is to be encouraged, the preservation of authenticity is of even more importance because of the irreversibility that “sophistication” has on dance.
The most hotly debated topic was Cultivation of a New Audience and Making Odissi Relevant in the 21st Century. The Indian panellists raised concerns about the fact that the dance is losing its audience (and dancers!) in India, and applauded the fact that there has been some measure of success in gaining a new audience for Odissi in Malaysia.
Ajith Bhaskaran Das, a Malaysian bharatanatyam and Odissi dancer based in Johor, offered his theory on today’s “restless contemporary audience”, and said that there is a need to repackage the Odissi repertoire to suit changing audience tastes.
Doing the dance
The festival showcased the grace, energy, and artistry of some of the world’s most renowned Odissi gurus and dancers.
It was humbling to be in the presence of Guru Minati Misra and Guru Gangadhar Pradhan, who had received training from the first generation of modern Odissi gurus such as Guru Pankaj Charan Das, Guru Debaprasad Das, and Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra.
Female and male solos as well as group performances were presented at Gandhiki Hall, Penang; Amphi-Sutra, KL; the Malaysia Tourism Centre, KL; and the KL Performing Arts Centre.
The performances that I found most enchanting were Rituvasant, a duet performed by female dancers Bijayini Satpathy and Surupa Sen (on June 8), and the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Repertoire (June 11), a group performance choreographed by Madhavi Mudgal.
Rituvasant is a pure dance that expresses the freshness and lyricism of Spring set against a backdrop of intricate paper-cut patterns.
The choreography was tightly knit, and exhibited great tandava (masculine) energies despite being performed by women.
The dance played on symmetry and asymmetrical patterns befitting a duet, and accentuated the tribhangi (a pose formed with three “bends” of the body) to great sexy effect.
Both dancers exhibited the kind of charisma that keeps the eyes of the audience affixed on them.
Despite being based on a traditional syllabus, Madhavi’s choreography for the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Repertoire created a contemporary feel with its exploration of space and use of unique music.
Despite being based on a traditional syllabus, Madhavi’s choreography for the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Repertoire created a contemporary feel with its exploration of space and use of unique music.
The first item, the slow and easy going Kalyan, created the ambience of an evening walk through the fields.
The second item, Aakaar Prakaar, had sections that reminded me of parachute formations, when skydivers come together to create a shape and then break away quickly.
Dance literature was also sold at the festival. Some of the titles include Attendance by Ashish Mohan Khokar, India’s only Dance Annual, and Rethinking Odissi, by Dr Dinanath Pathy, a study that strives to understand Odissi dance at the advent of the 21st century.
Stirring Odissi 2008 marks an important milestone in the history of our nation’s performing arts, and that is, the recognition of Malaysia by India as a growth centre of Odissi.
‘Stirring Odissi 2008’ was presented by Maxis and the Sutra Dance Theatre. The exhibition of multi-media works centred on the theme of Odissi is still on at the Galeri Petronas and will continue until June 22.
All pictures: from The Star.
(D) My Calling, My Stage, My Act – May 2
June 14, 2008 · Posted in dance bloggers · Comment
My Calling, My Stage, My Act, a solo dance performance by Loi Chin Yu, was staged at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac) last weekend.
Loi is a fine arts graduate and set designer. He acquired his dance training from the Kwangsi Association (Malaysia). His dance credits include The Tree, Lady White Snake – The Revenge, When Durian meet Banana, Red Banquet, Four Men One Face, and SeeSaw, amongst others. After a four-year hiatus from the stage, Loi was itching to dance again.
For this Taoism-inspired performance, Loi decided on a one-leg-kick approach - he was Artistic Director, Choreographer, Performer and Set Designer. However, playing too many roles actually worked against him. The outcome of the performance merely encapsulated the saying, “Jack of all trades and master of none.”
I felt that, if Loi’s intention was to make a comeback in dance, then he should have focused all his energies on creating a more enriching dance experience, both as a journey for himself as well as for the audience.
The dance itself did not move me, pique my interest, nor enlightened me. The rich philosophies and rituals of Taoism, I felt, were either not thoroughly addressed or not properly conveyed. The sword-wielding and kung fu antics were completely random and looked like a rejected scene from the now screening (in cinemas) Three Kingdoms and Forbidden Kingdom.
Loi’s space was framed in an elevated platform that somewhat resembled a boxing ring. It may not be an award-winning set, but at the least, it served its purpose as a confined dance space.
The lighting was badly designed. It was blinding and distracting. And worse, the rock concert ambience did not gel with the Taoism concept.
The first part of the dance was action-packed with the Eastern element clearly and strongly projected. The song that accompanied the dance was a modernized Japanese piece that had both a rustic and modern feel to it. The second half of the dance was the complete reverse. Loi knelt down before what seemed like an altar and stayed still through an entire song. The choice of song used at this juncture was a very mushy English number that produced a sense of hair-raising tackiness. It contradicted and destroyed the Eastern concept that Loi was working on earlier. His exit strategy was predictable and was not well thought-out.
And when it finished, I left feeling rather dissatisfied.
(D) Passion – Mac 28
June 14, 2008 · Posted in dance bloggers · Comment
Judimar Hernandez (Laura) and Steve Goh (Young Man) Pix source: The Star
This film also inspired “Passion,” a production brought together by two of the most respected artistes in Malaysia’s performing arts scene – director Joe Hasham and choreographer Judimar Hernandez. The dance drama, held last weekend at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac), featured a cast of Malaysia’s more popular performing artistes including Hernandez (Laura) herself, Joseph Gonzales (Maestro), Aris Kadir (Mario), Amy Len (Elena), Steve Goh (Young Man), Elaine Pedley, Nell Ng, Lou Chi Yu, and Thou Chun (dancers) and Dalili Azahari (student).
The tango is a dance of sensual exchange: it is sexy, promiscuous and predatory. Its couplings and sudden isolations portray the complexities in gender relations. Tango’s innate physicality is in the interlacing of legs and the balancing of bodies as they collide. There is also the element of control and surrender – the man leads and the woman is led. But yet, there is also mutual dependence as two figures glides across the dance floor with legs dovetailing salaciously. Tango has both a light and sinister side. Of the two, the dark aspect was more thoroughly lubricated to ejaculate powerful, passionate expressions.
And so, under Hasham’s direction, the narrative thread which ties the whole performance together with this metaphor, explores the meaning of ‘passion’ going beyond the simple love triangle of requited and unrequited love; and going beyond safe, vanilla lives.
The story is set in a dance studio, similar to than in Saura’s Tango, where the company is in a rehearsal for a major production. Mario sees his lost relationship reflected in everything that happens during rehearsals: he sees a competitor in the Young Man and tries to find solace in the sensuous and mysterious Elena.
In the dance studio scenes, we clearly see that not every dancer had the flair for Tango. And that was not deliberate: a certain ‘stiffness’ persists. ‘Sexy’ is just who you are and not what you try to do.
The smouldering sultriness of Tango comes (not from the swivelling of tight behinds but) from the passionate embrace of dance partners Laura and ‘the young man,’ whose faces were pressed intimately close and whose entwined bodies delight in sensual caress. The music evokes an air of romance with just a tinge of sadness, characterizing frustrated love; in which the only reprieve is release through wild abandon. However, this scene, which Mario looks on with burning jealousy, could have been more erotic had the Young Man fully reciprocated.
Amy Len (left) a Elena
The passionate Tango from Argentina has enjoyed its share of popularity with Hollywood hits danced by Al Pacino in “Scent of a Woman,” Arnold Schwarzenegger in “True Lies,” and Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez in “Shall We Dance.” But none came close to Carlos Saura’s award-winning “Tango,” a film that was beautifully conceived and meticulously executed to capture the dramatic power and physical presence of the dance with unforgettable style.
This film also inspired “Passion,” a production brought together by two of the most respected artistes in Malaysia’s performing arts scene – director Joe Hasham and choreographer Judimar Hernandez. The dance drama, held last weekend at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac), featured a cast of Malaysia’s more popular performing artistes including Hernandez (Laura) herself, Joseph Gonzales (Maestro), Aris Kadir (Mario), Amy Len (Elena), Steve Goh (Young Man), Elaine Pedley, Nell Ng, Lou Chi Yu, and Thou Chun (dancers) and Dalili Azahari (student).
The dance format is contemporary: for most part, it’s Tango without shoes, signalling liberation from the clutches of tradition. It was also not Tango per se but draws the essence of the dance heavily as a metaphor to reflect the weaknesses of humanity.
The tango is a dance of sensual exchange: it is sexy, promiscuous and predatory. Its couplings and sudden isolations portray the complexities in gender relations. Tango’s innate physicality is in the interlacing of legs and the balancing of bodies as they collide. There is also the element of control and surrender – the man leads and the woman is led. But yet, there is also mutual dependence as two figures glides across the dance floor with legs dovetailing salaciously. Tango has both a light and sinister side. Of the two, the dark aspect was more thoroughly lubricated to ejaculate powerful, passionate expressions.
And so, under Hasham’s direction, the narrative thread which ties the whole performance together with this metaphor, explores the meaning of ‘passion’ going beyond the simple love triangle of requited and unrequited love; and going beyond safe, vanilla lives.
Mario, the principal dancer of a dance company is desperately in love with Laura. From the first moment he laid eyes on her he knew that he wanted her. For two years, they had the most passionate of relationships but one night, for reasons that Mario cannot comprehend, Laura announces that the relationship is over. Mario is devastated.
The story is set in a dance studio, similar to than in Saura’s Tango, where the company is in a rehearsal for a major production. Mario sees his lost relationship reflected in everything that happens during rehearsals: he sees a competitor in the Young Man and tries to find solace in the sensuous and mysterious Elena.
In the dance studio scenes, we clearly see that not every dancer had the flair for Tango. And that was not deliberate: a certain ‘stiffness’ persists. ‘Sexy’ is just who you are and not what you try to do.
The smouldering sultriness of Tango comes (not from the swivelling of tight behinds but) from the passionate embrace of dance partners Laura and ‘the young man,’ whose faces were pressed intimately close and whose entwined bodies delight in sensual caress. The music evokes an air of romance with just a tinge of sadness, characterizing frustrated love; in which the only reprieve is release through wild abandon. However, this scene, which Mario looks on with burning jealousy, could have been more erotic had the Young Man fully reciprocated.
Mario, disgusted with the coupling act, conveyed the feeling of pain through the quiet poise of Tango, and showed his indignation through crisp footwork and aristocratic elegance.
Amy Len (left) a ElenaPix source: The Star
Elena was portrayed as the slut that goes for any man, or woman - first Mario, then the Maestro, and lastly Laura. The ending was therefore, predictable. Laura was much better off in a heterosexual role versus a homosexual one. The relationship between Elena and Laura was more sisterly than intense, ending the drama with a fizzle rather than a climatic end that was suppose to follow a passionate ‘fore’ play.
Jenn Ruhl’s Debut
June 12, 2008 · Posted in dance bloggers · Comment
Jenn Ruhl Contemporary Kollaborations....This is the final name Jenn has decided on for her modern dance company. Our debut performance is going to be June 21, 2008 at the annual Chris Collin's Dance Studio Recital. Hosted at Hayworth Highschool on Telegraph Rd in Alexandria
Performance times are;
Saturday, June 21- 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM
Sunday, June 22- 2:00 PM
Jenn has shortened the piece that we auditioned at Dance Place, "Personifications," to be a better length for the recital. This is not a reccommended classical or modern dance show, but it would be entertaining for kids or family members of the performing students to watch. As far as I know, the studio offers most every style of dance imaginable. This is officially the first performance for Jenn's company. Let's break a leg!
