~ Author: Oberon
Wednesday June 12th, 2019 - At New York Live Arts, Women/Create! is holding forth this week. This is a festival of mix-and-match programs of danceworks from seven prominent female choreographers: Karole Armitage, Jacqulyn Buglisi, Francesca Harper, Jennifer Muller, Helen Simoneau, Carolyn Dorfman, and Katarzyna Skarpetowska. This evening's presentation showed us choreography by Harper, Muller, Simoneau, and Skarpetowska, with the last-named performed by The Richmond Ballet.
Above: from Kate Skarpetowska's Akwarium, dancers from Richmond Ballet; photo by Steven Pisano
It was Kate Skarpetowska's piece that opened the evening: her ballet Akwarium was premiered by Richmond Ballet in 2018. Set to music by Robert Henke and J.S. Bach, it felt like a breath of fresh air tonight.
Kate told me after the show that this was her first dancework to be made on pointe, and she displayed a real affinity for it. Using classical ballet vocabulary with imagination and flair, Kate put her twelve dancers thru their paces in choreography that challenged them whilst also making them look fresh and vibrant.
Fluorescent "fish tank" lighting on the back wall was a brilliant little touch, and the dancers in shades of sea-green/blue sustained an aquatic look. Kate Skarpetowska has such a sure sense of structure that the ballet seemed to flow from first note to last. The music of Robert Henke has a metallic ping to it, like silver hammer strikes into which piano passages are woven; the effect was sometimes dulcimer-like. A Bach Allemande provided a contrast to the Henke, but also seemed right at home.
The twelve dancers swept thru the choreography, their comings and goings and circlings all expertly managed by the choreographer. Along the way, solos, duets, and trios give each dancer from the ensemble opportunities to shine; the Richmond dancers displayed confident virtuosity and a lovely sense of community.
Above: Cody Beaton and Trevor Davis of Richmond Ballet in Kate Skarpetowska's Akwarium; photo by Steven Pisano
Small details - the women "trembling" on pointe, a solo performed in a pool of light, a passage danced to the sound of silence - were captivating. In lieu of a big finale, Akwarium ends rather quietly, with the men asleep in the corner of the stage. My only complaint was that Ms. Skarpetowska didn't come out for a bow at the end so that we could shout our approval.
Above: Seiko Fujita in Jennifer Muller's The Theory of Color; photo by Steven Pisano
Dear Jennifer Muller always comes up with something special; she is a choreographer of boundless imagination and a keen sense for music. Tonight her ballet The Theory of Color unfolded beautifully in five color-coded movements, each with saturated lighting. Against well-chosen music - veering from impressionistic to dramatic - by Matthew Schoening and Rufus Cappadocia, poetic texts written by Ms. Muller were read which describe the emotions and the icons associated with each color. A dozen dancers, some of them longtime Muller associates, did the choreographer proud with spacious, vivid dancing.
Above: Sonja Chung and Seiko Fujita in Jennifer Muller's The Theory of Color; photo by Steven Pisano
Red comes first: to deep, dense music, Sonja Chung dances a glorious solo as Ms. Muller's voice tells us: "Red is rage. Red is roses." Sonja is joined by Seiko Fujita for some in-sync passages and eye-catching partnering. Both women are brilliant dancers, making me scrawl the word "Wow!" in my notes.
Blue is a moody, slow-jazzy trio in which spacious dancing alternates with pauses. Shiho Tanaka and two men (whose names I need to clarify) gave their dancing a strong emotional quality.
In Violet, Sonja Chung and Elise King were each partnered by gentlemen quite new to me - Isaac Kerr and Darwin Black, respectively - in duets that have a mysterious, sensuous quality. Stretchy, languid arabesques were a motif here, with cello music at once restless and soulful.
I had just met Mr. Kerr recently as he is also appearing this season with Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre. His lithe form and impressive height, along with his strong dancing and stage presence, make him more than welcome on the New York dance scene.
Green got my ire up against the current administration in Washington DC; their casual disregard for our damaged planet continues to alarm: "The earth is crying," as the reader tells us. The music is pulsing and, eventually, almost ecstatic. Seiko, Shiho, and their colleagues made magic out of Jennifer's movement motifs here.
Yellow made for a sunny, upbeat finale. Seiko Fujita's solo illuminates the animated music with its gentle sway. The full contingent of twelve dancers now take over the stage, with airy lifts and propulsive, space-filling dance. Yellow ends - fittingly - with Seiko alone; she's been a Muller muse and really knows how to hold the stage, making every move count.
Dancing in the Muller were Kaitlyn Ezell, Davione Gordon, Andy Jacobs, Anna Levy, and Kisara Nonaka: all faces new to me. Kudos to Mr. Muller for another impressive addition to her dance catalog. And lots of love to Seiko, Shiho, Sonja, and Elise...I always love seeing them!
Above: Francesca Harper and Gregory Hamilton in Ms. Harper's Unapologetic Body; photo by Steven Pisano
Following the interval, Francesca Harper presented an excerpt from a work-in-progress: Unapologetic Body, which will premiere in 2020. Ms. Harper is again collaborating with songwriter, vocalist, and former Patti LaBelle comrade Nona Hendryx (their Radical Beasts in the Forest of Possibilities was recently part of the Limón program at The Joyce).
Unapologetic Body is a deeply personal work from Ms. Harper. This multi-media presentation takes place within a square floor space framed by bright white light. Light cubes and a light-cord are additional elements of the staging. Ms. Hendryx is onstage, running the music from her computer. At a central table, dancer Gregory Hamilton sometimes seems a foil - and sometimes an ally - to Ms. Harper.
A film shows a domestic dispute, with a child in seeming danger. We can only guess at the story behind this vignette, which is unsettling to say the least. Then Ms. Harper and Mr. Hamilton begin to move about the space, rearranging props, sitting, speaking to or evading one another; they seem restless and uncertain. At one point, Ms. Harper rests on the floor in a sort of womb-outline of illuminated rope; here she seems safe...but it doesn't last. Eventually, the couple do some dancing together - beautifully - but it is theater rather than dance that holds sway in Unapologetic Body.
If the full story does not come clear in this excerpt, one thing is for certain: Francesca Harper is a gorgeous woman, and a compelling presence.
Above: Frankie Peterson and Savannah Spratt in Helen Simoneau's Moonlight Parade; photo by Steven Pisano
At the start of Helen Simoneau's Moonlight Parade (from 2015), my interest slumped: not another dancework to the sound of static and a pulse! Please...no!
But the choreographer was only playing with us, for after an initial pool-of-light solo, the mood changed in a perfect volte-face, and Moonlight Parade became a thorough delight.
Music by Michael Wall and Andy Hasenpflug is beat-y and delicious...and later, it sounds a bit spaced-out. The choreography is quirky, sporty, and sexy in a tongue-in-cheek way. Four women and one guy fill the space with movement that's animated, laced with solo bits and duos, pose-striking, and an overall sense of kids dancing for the heck of it.
Teigha Bailey, Catie Leasca, Emily Lopez, and Savannah Spratt (a Limón luminary) joined the lively Frankie Peterson - who exudes starry confidence - for this hugely fun finale to the evening.
~ Oberon