Broadway Bares. June 17th at Hammerstein Ballroom.
Stripping for a good cause! Kudos to the many dancers who put on a spectacular show and helped raise $1,875,090 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Broadway Bares
Buglisi Dance Theatre
The Chase Brock Experience
I had a fun time at the Chase Brock Experience this Wednesday evening!
My favorite goes to “The Song That I Sing; Or, Meow So Pretty” — a dynamic piece with a big American theme — featuring a wide array of American dance forms from clogging, square dancing, swing dancing, to tap dancing; accompanied by catchy folk music. Bravos to the dancers for the vivid portrayal of the many aspects of American life, and the amazing execution of so many distinct dance forms in a single choreography.
The Red Shoes
Ashley Shaw was amazing in the Red Shoes, with gorgeous techniques and a potent personality that wooed the audience.
I’ve seen snippets of Matthew Bourne’s work online, but it’s a whole difference experience to watch two hours of dance theatre. I especially enjoyed how he created several highly detailed scenes without any spoken words. For example, Lady Neston’s Soiree (portraying boredom and dullness in a theatrical way).
The show has some nifty fusion of social and concert dance — combining “real world” swing and jazz-era movements with the beautiful lines of concert jazz dances.
Pinocchio by Jasmin Vardimon
Pinocchio by the Jasmin Vardimon Company at Sadler’s Wells was incredible this evening.
What is it to be human? To dream, to strive, and to love. Tonight I felt the aspiration, sadness, loneliness, and love… both on stage and deep inside myself as I laughed and cried with Pinocchio.
Absolutely loved this piece of dance theatre: a wonderful choreography that brought a marionette to life, and even more amazing dancers who executed the movements.
So stunning was the movement quality that I had to rub my eyes multiple times to truly believe I was seeing real people. Nobody could possibly move like so?! No dancers could possibly partner so well and be so coordinated?!?!?! Especially memorable scenes include: chapter 1 when Pinocchio first came alive, chapter 4 at the Marionette Theatre (insane puppet work whereby two dancers controlled a third “puppet” dancer), chapter 6 at the Inn (especially the human ceiling fan and the two lovers who were portrayed by four feet), and chapter 13 when Pinocchio was taunted and bullied (and when I cried and others audibly gasped). Other beautiful moments: the Fairy and the start/ending scene with a chain of dancing toys.
Creative set design that floated in the air. Expressive lighting design that enhanced several key scenes.
Wish I had come yesterday and seen the show a second time.
Vamos Cuba!
Vamos Cuba!
A night out with Cuban music, singing, and dancing at the Peacock Theatre, London, presented by Sadler’s Wells.
She: A Choreoplay
SHE: A Choreoplay
The Vagina Monologues of dance. So glad to see this production back in New York for two days. Powerful movements by Jinah Parker, Sarah Elaz, Yuki Fukui, Brittni Genovese, Evelyn Hoelscher, and Kerime Konur. Emotional storytelling by the entire cast especially Bridget Barkan.
Thank you for bringing attention to the critical issue of sexual violence against women and girls. Look forward to seeing you all on Off-Broadway next spring!
Fall for Dance: Day Seven
Finally saw Abraham.In.Motion (and Connie Shiau) perform at the NY City Center. Tonight’s world premier of “Drive” didn’t have (at least to me) the charged political statements or the emotional pains that I had read much about in Kyle Abraham’s work. Artistically, I loved the style, the body language of the dancers, the sharpness of the movements, and the responsiveness to the music. I felt connected to the dancers and the scene — set through lighting, movements, and music — that reflects New York.
Abraham.In.Motion is presenting “Dearest Home” in Purchase on Oct 20-21. Should I go see it???
Also loved Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart’s US premier of “Streams” choreographed by Andonis Foniadakis. Smooth flowing movements with sharp emphases. Like ocean waves approaching a beach. Something is always happening. Something is always building up. You never know what to expect, when the waves would collide, or how the waves would break. The dancers could be going in 13 different directions and, BOOM, they were suddenly in unison creating a big splash on stage. Everything then fades away, and we await the next wave of approaching dancers.
This contemporary-themed evening closed with Ballet BC’s “Bill” choreographed by Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar. 16 dancers in nude full body suits with their hair dyed in white. There was nothing to focus on except for the 16 bodies. And boy were they gorgeous! Incredible movement quality from each of the dancers, but it’s the group’s synergy, slight contrasts between the dancers, and interactions that made this piece so mesmorizing.
Finally, saw Sara Mearns in yet another dance genre… learning to hip hop with Honji Wang!
p.s. Had a serendipitous conversation with former MOMIX dancer Taz Loft tonight. Meeting interesting people and fellow dance lovers: That’s why we live in this city! Also, MOMIX!! 😍
American Cinema
Day Two of the Battery Dance Festival (Performance 7 of 7)
My favorite performance tonight goes to “American Cinema” by the Nadine Bommer Dance Company.
The first thing that struck me about this choreography was the movement quality. The five dancers donned nude-colored costumes and moved like wooden puppets on stage. The amount of details that went into the movement quality was stunning. The dancers’ arms would bound slightly at the end of a movement. Their legs would buckle ever so slightly as they stood. No photography can do this piece justice. You have to see the movements to understand how “real” the puppets felt.
Second, I loved the narrative. The piece is titled “American Cinema” and performed mostly on a set of vintage red velvet “movie theater” chairs. Accompanied by rock music by the Ween Brothers, the choreography evoked memories from the golden era of the American cinema. We never found what what movies the dancers were watching, but each song brought out a different story about our five characters. A flirtatious teenage girl. Boys asking girls out on a date. Making out at the movies. Interlaced with traumatic adolescence events, a boy and a girl finally got together, and so did two other boys.
A wonderfully imaginative and playful piece of dance theatre. Bravos, Nadine Bommer Dance Company!
“American Cinema” by Nadine Bommer Dance Company (2008)
Choreography: Nadine Bommer
Dancers: Jamison Goodnight, Delphina Parenti, Sammy Roth, Gaya Bomer Yemini, Maor Shiry Zuriel
Photography: Jason Chuang
Seeing You
Finally saw the amazing Christopher Grant and Lauren Yalango-Grant in the immersive theatre Seeing You. Playing in Chelsea under the High Line until July 30th. Go see the show!
I bought my ticket more than six weeks ago, and have been eagerly awaiting the experience. Even though I’ve already seen various photos online, I was still taken by dramatic dance scenes. They were emotional and drew attention to numerous heavy topics. They were also creative and technically daring — such as lifts on a moving table.
When we first entered the performance space, we were free to move around and observe the characters: American soldiers, their family, and loved ones during World War II. A sister joked with her brother, and told him to come home (and survive the war). A wife revealed to her enlisted husband that she’s pregnant. And so on.
The entire production takes place in one continuous large space on a single floor. You are never more than a few steps away from a cast member. There are no walls, and so you can easily see and move between the actions. Up to this point, everything felt like an intimate version of “Sleep No More.”
However, as we we soon found out, this show had much much more.
Air raid sirens went off, and the audience members were ushered into bomb shelters. We learnt to protect themselves. Bombs don’t usually kill directly, but their shockwaves could still incinerate our vital organs. We covered our eyes and ears. (As I grew up in Taiwan, an island under the threat of a Chinese attack, this actually brought back childhood memories.)
Throughout the evening, we were lead through a sequence of distinct themes and heavy topics.
Helping with the war efforts. Donning radioactive suits and conducting nuclear research. Uncomfortable subplots began to emerge. In a townhall meeting, audience members were asked how many Japanese civilians we were willing to kill, to save American soldiers. What about the Japanese art teacher in New Jersey? What about the black private wanting to fight the war alongside his white company members? Same-sex romance? Inter-racial love?
The topics are explored through dance and movements. The deliveries are just as unique and varied as the themes.
A duet performed on a clothing rack. Dancing in a cafe in Hoboken. Dancing on and under a bed. A dinner that turned into a dance but ended in shattered plates. A bloodbath on stage. A grand tribute to the troupes. A “Shadowland”-style choreography of the battles.
The most dramatic scene was when the American soldiers and loved ones took turns dancing on a moving table that circled the entire production space until it slammed into… none other than the Japanese art teacher from New Jersey.
For a truly immersive and engaging theatre experience, check out Seeing You!