Review: WORKS & PROCESS UNDERGROUND UPTOWN DANCE FESTIVAL at Peter B. Lewis Theater At The Guggenheim Museum

Electric bass pounds as Bland’s company artists arise, some enveloped in or holding layers of fabric and thread. The dancers appear ready for battle with erect posture and piercing gaze. Presented in Guggenheim’s Peter B. Lewis Theater is Works & Process; a curated creative process facilitating artists to experiment from the studio to stage. The showcase amplifies artists with backgrounds ranging from underrecognized cultures to large organizations. This evening’s program includes two creative individuals: Stefanie Batten Bland with Company SBB and Lloyd Knight.

Bland presents highlights of “Embarqued: Stories of Soil” which explores the idea and meaning behind a living monument in material and Bland’s relationship to soil. “In 2016, I discovered the African American trail on Martha’s Vineyard,” says Bland in her artistic statement. “It opened up my[self] to…finding self inside of monuments, voyage, time periods, arrival, the survivors I hail from and the complexity of American identity.” Bland views materials as an extension of personality. Her exploration of layers of history mixed with her own self-identity is evident in the dancer’s ferocious commitment to momentum and unraveling investigation. Her company is veraciously vocal, using language and volume to tell her story. As one dancer fights being enveloped by fabric, a fight for survival appears. The threads hold SBB Company together during “Embarqued: Stories of Soil,” igniting feelings of survival and the importance of community representation.

Knight shares a 30-minute work-in-progress intimate solo inspired by the two most important women in his life: his mother and Martha Graham. Created collaboratively with filmmaker Jeremy Jacob and choreographer Jack Ferver, Knight’s solo is a virtually immersive experience combining cinematography, personal monologues, and his own stylized extension of the Graham technique in one. The opening visual of THE DRAMA shows a figure standing on a cliff overlooking the wide ocean. As the figure walks, the mesh fabric they wear undulates in the wind, sending the audience into a state of wonder and tranquility. The following camera angle is a close-up revealing Knight’s face, completely still.

Knight floats onstage in a parallel bourree. Graham repeats, “Dance is communication…and so the great challenge is to speak clearly, beautifully and with inevitability.” Knight’s projection acts as a mirror to his real-life self. The devotion a dancer must endure through injury and exhaustion is prevalent in Knight’s daring movement choices. In a final collapse, Knight grabs his microphone to speak to his identity, his devotion, and commitment to what it means to be an artist.

A moment of pause and reflection occurs when Knight sifts through photo memories in a segment of the projected video, speaking to each photo and the memory recall he has along with them. “Art can make a life and change a life,” says Knight. A testament to his childhood and obstacles, Knight’s vocal and dance reflections are deeply vulnerable. Knight’s essence and commitment to complete honesty of one’s self and past self is a true gift for the audience to explore.

Embarqued: Stories of Soil (highlights)

Company SBB // Stefanie Batten Bland

Conception, Choreography, and Direction by Stefanie Batten Bland

Music by Paul Damian Hogan

Costumes by Shane Ballard

Creative Collaborators & Performers: Jamal Abrams, Emilie Camacho, Raphael Kaney Duveger, Jennifer Payán, Latra A. Wilson

Process Collaborators: Oluwadamilare Ayorinde, Yeman Brown, Jennifer Payán, Junyla Silmon, Latra A. Wilson

 

THE DRAMA by Lloyd Knight, Jack Ferver, and Jeremy Jacob  (in-process)

Written and Performed by Lloyd Knight

Choreographed by Jack Ferver

Video by Jeremy Jacob

Music: Stay On It by Julius Eastman

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