Above: Torrey Harada in Amanda Selwyn's THREADS; photo by Christopher Duggan
Author: Oberon
Friday April 8th, 2022 - Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre presenting THREADS at New York Live Arts. THREADS is my seventh Selwyn production, and I enjoyed every second of it. Everything meshed perfectly: the music, the movement, the setting, the costumes, the lighting, and - most importantly, of course - the dancing. The members of Amanda's troupe are both athletic and poetic: each has a unique dance personality. And they are also part of the creative process: as a work is being built, the dancers bring forth phrases and gestures of their own which are developed, modified, and sometimes turned inside out before being woven into Amanda's overall choreographic vision.
THREADS is presented in three "acts" with brief pauses in between. Each act contains several short sections. Scene and costume design are by Anna-Alisa Belous, with sound design by Joel Wilhelmi and lighting by Dan Ozminkowski. The stage decor consists of hung sheets of sheer fabric and illuminated glass bobbins which are skillfully rearranged by the dancers between numbers. Each movement has its own colour setting.
Part I is entitled Attachment:
Any dancework that opens with a solo performed by Manon Hallay (above, photo by Nir Atrieli) is off to a brilliant start: entitled "Limited"; this dance finds the beauteous Mlle. Hallay tethered at her ankle by a coil of black fabric. A mover of silken poise and a wafting extension, Manon set a very high 'barre' of expectation for entire evening.
"Spiders", a duet for Torrey Harada and Oscar Antonio Rodriguez (above, in a Nir Arieli photo), has a sexy undercurrent which the dancers subtly explored. Torrey has appeared in many of Amanda's productions, and she's looking wonderfully lithe and lovely this season; Oscar's powerful physique and strong partnering skills made him a valuable presence throughout the evening.
In "In the Shadows of Ourselves", to the sound of the guitar, we meet three of the Company's wonder-women...
...Min Kim (photo by Nir Arieli), whose work with Lydia Johnson Dance is always a delight, shines just as brightly in Ms. Selwyn's productions...
...Evita Zacharioglou (photo by Nir Arieli), a petite dancer who can be delicate one moment and dynamic the next ...
...and Lauren Russo (photo by Nir Arieli), who reminds me of actress Holly Taylor, is a distinctive beauty with a lovely stage presence.
In "Ghosting", Misaki Hayama and Michael Miles (above in a Nir Arieli photo) are joined by Ms. Russo as the guitar takes on a rockin' feel.
From the moment I saw it in a studio rehearsal a couple of weeks prior to the performance, "Disconnect" was the section I liked the most, partly because the three woman are bound together by a long 'rope' of black fabric, thus immediately putting me in mind of the Norns in Wagner's opera GOTTERDAMMERUNG. But these dancers are lovelier by far than any Norns I've ever seen. Manon Hallay, Ashley McQueen, and Torrey Harada (in a Nir Arieli photo, above) were really engrossing to watch: they are are so different from one another, but so compelling in their movement, and their sense of sisterhood.
Above: Ashley McQueen and Michael Miles, photo by Nir Arieli
The first large-ensemble segment is "Fireball" in which all of the Company women are joined by Oscar Antonio Rodriguez, Michael Miles, and John Trunfio. This is followed by "Unwinding", a pas de quatre for Mlles. Hallay and McQueen and Mssrs. Rodriguez and Miles.
David Hochberg (above photo by Nir Arieli) joined Mr. Trunfio and five women for "Sparks", which brings Section I to a close...
...the tall, handsome Mr. Trunfio formed a spirited partnership Evita Zacharioglou (photo by Nir Arieli).
Part II is entitled Protected. It begins with "Cobweb", danced to hypnotic effect by Ashley McQueen (photo above by Maria Baranova); of all the many dancers I have seen over the years, Ashley is one of the most successful at bridging the river of movement that flows between the realms of ballet and contemporary dance.
Oscar and Michael join all the women for "Building"; here I found myself concentrating on Lauren Russo (photo by Christopher Duggan); there's something wonderfully candid and...real...about her dancing.
Misaki Hayama (above, in a Nir Arieli photo) is a gorgeous dancer I first encountered at Roberto Villanueva's BalaSole concert in 2018...
...Misaki shown radiantly whenever she was onstage tonight...(another Nir Arieli image, above).
"The Paths We Weave" brings together the full Selwyn company for the first time in the evening. The interaction between the dancers, their effortless management of complex combinations, and the shifting partnering motifs make the ensemble passages in THREADS so enjoyable to watch, though at times it's a question of who to focus on, since they are all so unique and appealing.
In the slow, evocative "Hatched", Ms. McQueen (above photo by Nir Arieli) and Mr. Rodriguez are seated and wrapped in shrouds. This dreamlike slow movement was a highlight of the production. The full company now return for "Minefield"; and they stay altogether for "Craters".
"Snowglobe" made a wonderfully lyrical impression with its cello theme; Torrey Harada and Michael Miles (photo above by Maria Baranova) were very finely matched with their smooth movement and expressive faces.
Another duet, "Ensleeved", finds Min Kim and Oscar Antonio Rodriguez (photo by Nr Arieli) linked by a fabric sleeve. As the music bloomed from the deep cello, the couple's partnering became increasingly intense.
The full company join for the finale of Part II: "Outlines". The stage is full of movement...and fabric.
As Part III - Propulsion - opens, the poignant sound of the violin introduces the solo "Ascension" danced with great clarity of line and of detail by Torrey Harada (photo by Maria Baranova). It's always wonderful to see a choreographer gifting her individual dancers with solos; Torrey's dancing was luminous.
"Chain" was another favorite section for me tonight: this percussion-driven quintet brought together Oscar Antonio Rodriguez, Min Kim, John Trunfio, Ashley McQueen, and David Hochberg. Photo above by Christopher Duggan.
Mlle. Hallay was back for a romance-tinged duet with Mr. Rodriguez entitled "Treading Carefully", with the piano and cello creating the atmosphere.
"Cause and Effect" commences with Mr. Rodriguez (photo by Nir Arieli) picking up the beat; Ms. McQueen joins him. A men's pas de quatre gives way to an ensemble section for the women.
For the finale of THREADS, entitled "Mending", the full Company (photo by Christopher Duggan) are clustered onstage, each having a place of his/her own. A big beat develops and the movement really gets going. As I watched this dancework heading for its final moments, I wrote "...the sheer physicality of it all!"
Cheers to Amanda for presenting another winning production, and to all the dancers for their generosity of spirit and boundless energy.
A gallery of more images from THREADS may be viewed here.
~ Oberon