BWW Reviews: Companies Compete for an Evening Length Production at DanceNow Festival at Joe's Pub

Thursday evening's DanceNow Festival at Joe's Pub, October 10th, 2013, was an evening teaming with glamour. Down-turned lights, delectable food, fine drinks, and all eyes glued to the small stage on which ten companies performed, separately, five minutes of uniquely prepared work. With the exception of Take Dance, who opened the show with an excerpt from SOMEWHERE FAMILIAR MELODIES, a commissioned work by Joe's Pub in 2013, the artists had to use their five minutes to capture the audience with a well-rounded and completed theme. At the end of the show, the audience was then asked to vote. Who among these nine companies would be the winner of an evening length work presented by Joe's Pub in 2015? I certainly have my own opinions.

While I was impressed by the level of commitment to the task from all companies, there were a few who greatly stood out for me. LOST, a premiere piece by BIGMANARTS, choreographed and performed by Lawrence Goldhuber, greatly captured the audience's attention. Goldhuber begins on stage, the lights come up, and he is wearing a large tarp-like suit with words that look as if they have been carved into it. At first the audience begins to laugh. Here is a large, balding man wearing an enormous suit, looking frightened as he peers out to the audience against the backdrop of chilling percussive-style music by Geoff Gersh. At first it seems as if it's supposed to be funny, but, as Goldhuber continues to perform, one realizes that he is exactly as the title states: he is completely lost. His facial expressions, body language, and movement describe it all too well. At the end of the piece he wrestles out of his giant suit jacket and stomps on it, as if putting out a fire. The surface content of being lost is very much present, but the audience members must also ask themselves what is the metaphor that Goldhuber is working to convey. There are many ways to be lost: lost in your environment, lost in regards to who you are, what you believe in, who you think others are, etc. I truly felt that Goldhuber excelled at the task of creating a wonderfully thought out and cohesive piece.

Another piece that stood out to me was THREEISM by b&company dance, choreographed by Bryan Strimpel. Three dancers start on stage, all wearing plain gray-colored clothing, facing the audience and executing a series of arm movements. This evolves into more full-bodied movement; however the thematic use of the arm movements continues throughout. The dancers play off each other and they are perfectly timed, as if like a machine of beautifully coordinated human bodies. There is nothing in the world quite like a perfectly orchestrated group of dancers who are so connected that they move as if they are parts of a whole. The movement and training of each dancer spoke so loudly that the muted costumes and lack of set were appreciated. In a show where many of the pieces containEd Loud costumes, set, props, and lights as elements to further create a cohesive theme, THREEISM proved that, sometimes, it really is all about the dancing.

ETOILES, a premiere piece quite the opposite of Threeism, was performed last by Harlem Dance Club. Choreographed by John Doyle, ETOILES very much demonstrated today's introduction of hip-hop and club-dancing into concert dance. Of course the space-theme, the glitter and star unitards, excessive make-up and big hair were all elements to please the crowd. Booty- shaking, seventies disco, pop and lock, and breaking all took place on the stage, however, with a frontal focus, sharp formations, and committed expressions from the dancers, this was very much a concert dance piece. Surely the unitards were helpful in that area as well, and ETOILES was a wonderful finish to a great show.

Photo Credit: Junichi Fukuda by Jennifer Jones

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