Works in Progress @ 92nd Street Y

Sunday September 7, 2008 - After yesterday's torrential hurricane-induced rainstorms, this was one of those perfect late-summer days. I took the A train down to 96th and walked across Central Park to attend a performance of dance works-in-progress at the 92nd Street Y. Above: Laura Ward, one of the seven featured choreographers (she also danced!)...

PREVIEWS
Works in Progress By:
Matthew Keefe
Lonné Moretton
John-Mark Owen
Avichai Scher
Eryc Taylor
Kate Thomas
Laura Ward

You never know, when you attend evenings like this, what you are in for. None of the choreographers' work was known to me and perusing the list of dancers I saw no names that I recognized. What the programme revealed was a wonderful collection of choreographic 'voices' along with the great asset of musical variety being offered and a very impressive level of dancing. There was no lull in the evening nor any moment when the attention wandered away from the dancers and the dance.

Lonne Moretton's IN TABERNA immediately set the 'barre' very high; using parts of Orff's CARMINA BURANA (but not following that work's implied narrrative) Moretton had the benefit of seven very attractive dancers who - clad in simple black leotards and long skirts - looked superb as they moved thru the flowing steps. The work has a nice lyric sweep, the all-female cast thriving in the open space as they meld into groups and motion passes from once to another.

In EMINENT DOMAIN, Eryc Taylor used music of Forsythe collaborator Thom Willems for the creative process; if I understood correctly, the work awaits a commissioned score. Well, it's already very exciting just as it is. Four women on pointe move powerfully thru the angular combinations; the piece has a slightly punky feel. The dancers were so assured as they reveled in their technical security.

Avi Scher's duet NO MATTER WHAT was beautifully danced by Victoria North and Reid Bartelme. Using music from the film MARIE ANTOINETTE Avi created fluid movement in a lyrical duet which progressed to a more expansive section as the score took on an almost Oriental feeling. Avi was fortunate to have such strong dancers to delve into his partnering sequences. The youngest of the seven choreographers tonight, Avi is starting his own Company. (Photo of Avi & Rachael Prince by Ashley Judge).

Of the seven works, the strongest emotional connection of the programme came from Kate Thomas who fashioned a very moving work APPALACHIAN SUITE using the music of Mark O'Connor. Sadness and the sense of loss pervade this piece as four women in black convey the emptiness of widowhood in a community where the dangers of coal mining cast a shadow over everyday life. Two men - survivors or ghosts? - later join the women in partnered passages. Thomas's choreography ideally mirrored the poignant sound of Mark O'Connor's soulful violin.

Using the music of Handel with its rhythmic variety (recit-aria-allegro) John-Mark Owen appeared in his own work, DELIRIO AMOROSO. A big guy, John-Mark stood still in profile as the three women moved about him; then he began to gently roll his shoulders creating a counter-force to the music. As the tempo varied, we watched an up-close display of the mechanics of partnering.

Laura Ward also appeared in her own ballet BETWEEN THE CHANNELS - and what a powerful dance personality she displays. Ward chose the most intriguing music - from Fa Ventilato: Eric Satie vs Richard Wagner (!) The four women on pointe begin as a group but each woman is dancing in her own sphere. It's like four solos being danced simultaneously. Then a series of duet passages in which the women mix and match as the music pulsates. Ward's work kept me spellbound and so did her own dancing. And I really loved how the music left a post-echo of the opening phrase of LOHENGRIN. Brilliant!

Matthew Keefe's THE DAY AFTER OK was the one light-hearted item on the programme; it struck me as a modern-day take on Balancine's TARANTELLA. In contemporary street clothes, Brttany Fridenstine (on pointe) and Pedro Gamino are by turns flirtatious and ironic; as the piece progresses the partnering becomes increasingly complex and fun. The dancers were excellent...and so charming.

There was a question-and-answer session at the end where we got a sense of the personalities of the choreographers (although Eryc Taylor couldn't be there) all of whom rightly expressed their gratitude to the dancers. I only regretted that none of my blogging friends were there because I would love to have read their reactions.

The evening left me feeling truly rejuvenated. I was walking back across Central Park just at that illusive/elusive moment when evening falls with the jewel-like lights of the City surrounding the darkness of the Park. Hanging in the sky was a perfect half-moon and the old Janis Joplin song came to mind: "Half moon in the nighttime sky...seven stars: heaven's eyes...seven songs from the seven seas..." 

Don't you just love New York?

Comments

[sophie b]

Hi Philip,

This looked like a really interesting program and I'm sorry I couldn't make it! After standing on line for Fall for Dance tickets I was a little tired out. Can't wait to read about it!

[Philip]

Wish you could have been there, Sophie! Have you started school yet?

[Laura Ward]

Thanks Philip!

I tried to send you an email- but I keep getting a failure message. maybe your acct is spamming me?

I wholeheartedly (greatword) approve of your use of the photo- and thanks for blogging! you got it!

[sophie b]

I started school last Tuesday - it's going well so far! I sent you an email with details about some stuff in the dance program I thought you might find interesting.

[Philip]

Laura, BETWEEN THE CHANNELS and Fa Ventilato's score still lingering strongly in my mind.

Thanks for the e-mail, Sophie...let me know when you are performing!

[Laura Ward]

you should hear the whole Fa (Fuckintosh) album. i think there are 10 or 11 tracks. lots of humor and darkness. dig it!