Above: Jillian Hollis of Heidi Latsky Dance, rehearsal photo
Tuesday June 25, 2013 - Heidi Latsky Dance in performance at Baruch Performing Arts Center. I met Heidi and her dancers just a few days ago at a rehearsal and I pushed things around on my schedule so I could attend her performance tonight. She presented the two works I'd seen in rehearsal: SOLO COUNTERSOLO and SOMEWHERE.
SOLO COUNTERSOLO opens with six dancers clad in simple black outfits standing in a row in "dark light". The music by Chris Brierley seems jittery and anxious but the dancers hardly move until the pace slows to a deep adagio; this evolves into a soulful turbulence and later into music that is best described as 'starlit'. To this sound tapestry, the dancers move in and out around Heidi, who seems to dance in her own world. Tempos vary but the movement isn't always rigidly aligned to the beat: at one point everyone moves faster and faster, and later there is a simple, stylized procession. A mystical trio for women, a dynamic male duet, a meditative quartet, Heidi dancing with the two boys: all of this flows naturally. Heidi continues to express her own private passions in fluid combinations as the dancers swirl around her is restless pirouettes. A gorgeous wing-like motif for the arms seems to be a signature element (it's also used in SOMEWHERE) and gives an expansive, ecstatic quality. As the piece draws to a close, step-dancing takes on a new look, to a bouncy beat; but the work in fact ends with a silent coda.
Aided and abetted by her generous, tireless dancers (Meredith Fages, Saki Masuda, Jillian Hollis, Brynt Beitman and Gregory Youdan), Heidi has crafted a "dance about dancing" that is physically demanding and very rewarding to watch.
Heidi Latsky: winged victory
After only the briefest of breaks, the dancers were right back onstage for SOMEWHERE. Much as the song "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" is both melodically and lyrically resonant, the idea of hearing ten versions of it in a row might seem too much of a good thing. But the settings - everything from boys' choir to disco to barbershop quartet - showed such a variety of pace and feeling that it made for an engrossing soundtrack. I took a special liking for Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's charming version with ukelele in which the vocalist plays with the words to delicious effect. And of course there was Judy Garland's classic version of the song.
In this work Heidi's company of dancers were joined by performers with physical disablities; steering clear of anything maudlin or overly sentimental, Heidi gave them beautiful and expressive movement which added to the emotional power of the piece. Thus Robert Simpson opened SOMEWHERE seated with his back to the audience, the "wing" motif used with simple clarity. In the far corner, Greg Youdan's solo echoes Robert's phrasing. Meredith Fages and Brynt Beitman have distinctive solo passages, as does Jerron Herman who dances with electric animation. Greg and Jerron have a smooth, linear duet and Saki Masuda and Jillian Hollis dance vividly in-sync. Sign language expressed at high velocity marks the duet for Alexandria Wailes and John McGinty, followed by Ms. Wailes' remarkably lovely signing solo as she kneels before the seated Mr. Mc Ginty. Heidi's adagio solo flows seamlessly into a strikingly intimate duet for Jillian and Jerron in which they stand stock still, only their faces meeting as they express a dreamlike connection. They embrace tenderly as the light fades.
Jillian Hollis and Jerron Herman
A reprise of '...Over The Rainbow' accompanied the curtain calls and then Brynt Beitman suddenly burst into an impromptu solo. Perfect way to end the evening.
Heidi had a full house for this first of three shows (repeats are this Thursday and Friday) and it was great running into Cherylyn Lavagnino, Jill Echo and Take Ueyama.