Wednesday November 17, 2010 - Down to this neat SoHo venue (above photo by Kokyat) for the first night of the AWARD Show where TAKE Dance were among the entrants. It's a choreographic competition in which the audience has a say in who wins. Tonight's competitors:
Julie Bour – Compagnie Julie Bour
Eunkyungkim – gogovertigoat dance and/or performance
Yin Yue
Takehiro Ueyama – TAKE Dance
By definition:
"The A.W.A.R.D. Show! premiered at Joyce SoHo in 2006 and it has now expanded into a national program with events taking place in six cities this year–NYC, Chicago, LA, San Francisco, Seattle and Philadelphia. This dance event alters the definition of "public funding" by granting $10,000 to a regional choreographer with the help of the audience's vote. Each night for three nights, four different choreographers present their work, followed by facilitated conversation between the artists and the audience, feedback, and the selection of one company to advance to the final round by popular vote. The event culminates on Saturday, when the three finalists perform again for a panel of judges that teams with the audience to determine the grand prize winner."
I've never been to one of these evenings before. It's an interesting concept but my feeling is that it really boils down to how many friends and/or family members can each choreographer call upon to vote for his/her work? I wonder how many people with no connection to any of the entrants were actually present. Although we were called upon to keep an open mind and cast our votes based on what we saw rather than who we came to support, I wonder if anyone changed their mind in the course of the evening. As for myself, I didn't have to think twice before voting for Take Ueyama. His work was far and away the most pleasing to watch (and to hear); interestingly I do not consider the piece he offered (the final movement of Linked) to be one of his most impressive works (though always enjoyable to watch) nor is it typical of his choreographic style. But he was right to choose it for it showed off his terrific company of dancers to best advantage.
The other choreographer/performer who made a distinctive impression was Yin Yue who remained nearly stationary throughout her long solo entitled Torn. The score by Daniel Dorobantu was dark and moody, and the dancer's gestures and facial expressions profited from fine lighting.
Trois by Julie Bour is a trio for three women (the especially excellent Chen Zielinski, with Casey Loomis and Jacquelyn Elder). It's a pleasant enough piece to watch and the girls danced well; the music was faceless however and after a while the work starts to feel too drawn out.
The title I Loved You Because My Mythology Told Me To seemed so pretentious and the work proved to be an annoying example of the kind of dance piece I especially dislike: gimmicky (the dancers carried apples in their mouths), musically incoherent (no fewer than ten composers spliced together) and - worst of all - full of spoken (shouted) words (namely, 'I love you!') which simply killed it dead. Dance for me is a silent art form; the dancers speak with their bodies...and the language is universal.
Take's Linked seemed like a breath of fresh air after the preceding works. His dancers looked great. They are great: distinctive, passionate, beautiful...and silent.
There followed a 40-minute Q and A session with the choreographers. In general, I find interactive discussions of dance works superfluous and usually avoid them if I can: the choreographer has said what he/she wants to say thru the dance. To start hashing it over after the fact often de-mystifies a work or reduces its effectiveness. Watch, listen, enjoy...or not.