The Review

'Avec Nous' Not Unified By Poetry

Published On 10/14/2007 11:41:35 PM

By RACHEL M. GREEN
Crimson Staff Writer

With pieces ranging from the thought-provoking, to the entertaining, to the downright bizarre, the Green Street Studio’s contemporary dance production of “Avec Nous” was an intense experiment—the dancers performed to poetry rather than music. But although it presented an interesting premise, the Central Square show was not uniformly successful and at times evoked feelings of discomfort with its raw emotional content and powerful subject matter.

The opening piece, “The Council,” was one of the most successful numbers of the evening. Choreographed by Nathan Andary of Andary Dance, the piece opened with the stunning image of a solitary dancer in the spotlight. The main focus was on the interaction between the soloist, Jun Lee, and the rest of the dancers who formed the “council.”

Lee was the highlight of the piece, with her incredible emotional expression and uninhibited motion. The corps dancers were also impressive, managing a high level of unity of motion, which was surprising given that they were not dancing to music for much of the number. The piece concluded with a high-energy sequence of pair dancing and an impressively coordinated series of floor movements.

“STAM” was choreographed and performed by Karen Krolak to a poem that she also wrote and recorded. Krolak, wearing only a bed sheet which she held up with one arm, performed sinuous and sensual movements offset by the wild expression of her face. The dance successfully reflected the poem, which explored the paranoid and self-destructive feelings of the speaker, but was unimpressive in terms of actual choreography. More of a dramatic statement than an enjoyable work of art, the piece was dominated more by Krolak’s crazed facial expressions than her dancing.

Krolak also choreographed and soloed in “Attraversiamo,” the most peculiar and least successful piece of the evening. Krolak, who appeared in torn jeans and an orange plaid jumper with a string of stuffed socks sewn on the back, appeared to portray the frustration and self-doubt of a dancer in today’s society. Krolak’s interaction with the spoken words of the soundtrack varied from worriedly trying to “shhhh” the recording to singing along with it, repeating the words over and over again.

The actual choreography, which took a backseat to the bizarre costuming, sound and acting, consisted of Krolak’s character flailing wildly, gnashing her teeth and slapping herself. In the middle of the piece, three coquettish and startlingly sane-acting girls entered and performed a flirtatious sequence of steps, serving to highlight the difference between themselves and Krolak’s disheveled appearance and uncontrolled movements.

The vocal accompaniment ended with the sentence, “Dance is just below poetry on the rungs of the ladder of cultural priorities,” seeming to sum up Krolak’s persona’s frustration and bringing new meaning to the rest of the poem. Although the choreography was energetically and whole-heartedly carried out, its bizarre nature prevented the piece from making any meaningful impression.

“A Space Carved Out,” choreographed by Ruth Bronwen and performed by Catherine Murcek, was the most pleasant piece of the evening. The soundtrack consisted of peaceful vocals and strings, as well as a prayer-like poem. The choreography, which switched seamlessly between alternately violent and flowing movements, gave the piece a sentiment that was at once intensely focused and serene. Murcek’s earnest expression and effortless executions made the piece a pleasure to watch.

“Moon Chaser” provided a refreshing and amusing conclusion to the performance. Choreographed by Bronwen in collaboration with the dancers, the piece featured a band of flirtatious, pixie-like figures, who teased and played with each other using both set choreography and improvisation. The use of the curtain across the back of the stage was the most creative and also the most humorous part of the piece; during a solo or duet, a gesturing hand or foot would appear from under the curtain, suggesting further frolicking behind the scenes. Again, Murcek’s energy and visible exuberance shone and made her stand out from the rest of the dancers.

Although “Avec Nous” had many artistically successful moments, the performance was dominated by its jarring emotional content. The show’s choreography often went unnoticed on account of the bizarre nature of some of its pieces.

—Reviewer Rachel M. Green can be reached at rmgreen@fas.harvard.edu.

Ta Dah!!

Well, we did it.

I always breathe a heavy sigh of relief after a show and then sleep the day away. I got so wound up with this show because this was a deeper connection with my choreography than I have ever had before.

The dancers were absolutely stunning and I received numerous compliments and comments on them and the work that we presented this weekend. We had 2 sold out shows and success was earned and achieved!

We kept the camoflauge costumes and it worked out perfectly. In fact, it assisted in the anger and aggressive nature (some said violent at the Question/Answer sessions after the shows) of the dancers and the choreography. I felt that the costuming really supported the intensity within a moment of oppression where conflict arises between a person and a value or expectation. Then there is the emotional residue after that moment has come and gone----is it really ever gone?

The performance was a success and I am looking forward to performing the piece in NYC and again in Boston. We have to secure our other dates of performance from now until then.......I will keep you posted!

Photo Credit: Jonathan Daisy

The dance goes on

O.K., it is a challenge to work out all angles of a dance piece. I have considered the seemingly simple: costume, dance phrases, dance motifs.... but now I am deep in the thralls of figuring out the minutia of every decision and every moment the dancer is involved with in the piece! I LOVE IT!!!

A special thanks goes out to my dancers for all of their input as to what they are experiencing and to Rachel, Celeste, Kim, Gina and Lauren for taking extra time to discuss the inner workings of the piece. A choreographer tends to face the challenge of creating and figuring out a dance piece alone. I am fortunate to have had the interest and involvement of my dancers and also the feedback from fellow choreographers Karen Krolak, Ruth Bronwen and Tommy Neblett to help bring out the essence of my new piece, "The Council".

I have added a new section that is a solo involving dancer, Lauren Tymon and I have added 3 sections of fencing to add a metaphor and a literal sense of being caged (by emotion, fear, power, people).

Now I have to make the fences!! Our show goes opens in 1 week. HA!

Hydroponics, Phonics and a couple of Neurotics

I just finished a wonderful and exciting afternoon in Providence, RI with a friend of mine who performs regularly in New York City (Joan Merwyn of Joan Merwyn Movement Theater).

She and I were discussing the dance/art scene of New England and New York, being in love, and having a professional company while drinking wine over a delicious hydroponically grown arugula salad decked with walnuts, green apple and HUGE shrimp at a little cafe on the East Side.

I discussed, also, with her my new piece that Andary Dance Boston is performing in October. I realized through our conversation that the combative elements within the context and content of the choreography is where I will find the "hook" or idea for this piece. The idea, explained below, is what I will funnel the title and the costuming of the dancers through.

Our discussion wandered, as any good conversation goes, to the political going on's of our nation and I mentioned that I have been so consumed with the news media and the coverage of the war on terror. I stated, "We are fighting a war on terror by being terrorists....HELLO!!" It hit me that the idea of war/combat is the hook for my piece and that it is relative, on some level, to the fighting that is happening in Iraq.

My personal endeavors against the war on racism, sexism, heterosexism (oppression) has created a similar relationship one has for going to war. You believe in something so strongly that you have to fight for it and nothing can stop in your way. The voices of oppression can be, and often are, consuming forcing someone to fight back out of anger, disgust, upset, rage. Don't these elements belong to the relationship someone has with war.

I marched in a peace march opposing the decision to go to war a few years ago and remember hearing the members of the UN stating (through NPR's live broadcast) their votes against their country supporting the war. The anxiety I had then about going to war is still prevalent now that we have amassed thousands of dead soldiers, grieving families, wounded soldiers whose quality of life is forever changed, rising gas/oil prices, the credit crunch.....need I go on?

I have decided that the dancers will wear varying forms of camouflage and that the title, a working title at this point, is "Bombarding Contentions".

When you see the piece....let me know what you think. I will be asking the dancers in Sunday's rehearsal.

Reciprocated Respect and Love

The bond a dancer has with the choreographer can be wrought with love, devotion, frustration and commitment.

That commitment is reflected in (I feel) the process of the dance making and also the final outcome--the performance. Some choreographers use the term, "dancers are a dime a dozen" and discard a dancer as if they are worthless. While the statement is true, I feel that I have worked hard to pull together the right group of dancers for this project!! I respect my dancers and their lives and work well with each of them. In turn, each one has reciprocated that level of commitment and devotion inherent in the dancer/choreographer relationship.

In today's rehearsal, the dancers' performance made me certain that our show in October is going to be spectacular. For me to say (as the choreographer), one month before a show, that our performance is going to be good is a feat in and of itself. I run rehearsals hard to the very end and will continue up to the last week before our concert.

In this rehearsal, I witnessed for the first time (after 3 months of work) my idea materialized through movement and space. The energy that the dancers created amonst themselves was deep and brought my idea and artistry to a level that was very meaningful for me. You should have seen me today: I was hopping around the dance studio and there was one moment that I ended up running all around the dancers shouting "Good!" "Great." "Keep that!!" "Great decision!"

Each one of them, through the past 3 1/2 months have demonstrated their devotion, commitment and love to this project--to me.

Some Feedback

This past Tuesday we showed a couple of the movement phrases from the 3rd section of our new piece to Karen Krolak, Monkeyhouse Dance Co, and Tommy Neblett, Prometheus Dance Co (both from Boston). The feedback was very helpful in taking some of these phrases to a new depth qualitatively.

We will go into rehearsal on Sunday and focus more on the "breath" in the movement to ascertain a free flowing sense throughout this fernetic section!!

I cannot wait to get into rehearsal with the dancers.

Ahhhh...now we're getting somewhere

Rehearsing my work over the summer has been cumbersome and I have had to navigate through the life schedules of 8 others while balancing my own needs. I moved this summer, resigned from my job after being there for 7 years and travel 1.5 hours to and from Boston for rehearsals twice a week. If you think that is bad, can you imagine what my dancers’ lives are like? Oi Veh!

Admittedly, I took on this responsibility knowing that it may provide some difficulty and I also chose to employ 8 dancers during the summertime for this piece! HA!

I tend to be very flexible when stress abounds and work in a manner, choreographically, that is efficient and effective. But, this summer has been challenging. As a choreographer I know that there are some pieces or some dance experiences that need a lot of time to develop the idea or concept at hand. This piece is one of those experiences, because of the subject matter, is very demanding. Fortunately, my dancers’ willingness and commitment level to me, the process and the piece definitely worked in my favor. Together we have navigated through the schedules and the rehearsal process to gain a deep experience and anticipated performance of this piece.

Not knowing what my dancers' lives would be like when embarking on this summertime experience, I came into the rehearsal process well-planned with the idea/concept, movement phrases and the homework that the dancers will be doing thought out and given to each of them. The homework entailed: going to the beach--because it is summertime--and laying in the ocean water allowing the waves to separate their bones and muscles and tendons and to really feel that separation, read a few documents surrounding the definitions of racism/sexism/heterosexism, read a thesis paper on the appropriation of those -ism's, and direct/provide metaphors and discussions supportive of the readings and the concept to be experienced through the rehearsal process. Not a bad set of work to do at home, huh?

We had the bulk of the dancers together in yesterday's rehearsal and we really plowed through the choreography. I got to see that the decisions that I made choreographically 3 months ago do make sense and make a cohesive thought.

I am definitely excited for the upcoming rehearsals when we can really make finite more choreographic decisions and also the experiences of dancing together through this piece. I want the idea that I started with to come through (not so much through performance as the audience member experiences it, but through the experience of the dancer and how they perform it).

I have a unique approach and technique to dance and dance-making and continue my excitement about involving my dancers in and through that process. I feel, from them, that they are equally excited about experiencing rehearsals and the choreographic process in the same way.

Each rehearsal has provided a rich experience for the dancers. Unfortunately, not all of them have been at every rehearsal. Some of them came into this project already committed to workshops and dance institutes to attend over the summertime. Each dancer communicated these issues and conflicts up front and I am grateful for that. Their respect and hard work in the rehearsals has been exceptional. When they have been in rehearsal, they are fully engaged and look forward to the next rehearsal and what it will involve.

I was intentional about choosing which dancers to work with at the audition a few months ago. I reflected on: a. their individual abilities b. their dance experiences listed in conversations and their resumes c. their performance at the audition gave me some way of defining how the overall individual would relate to the rehearsal process and its flow.

I was at a party recently and a dancer, not one of my Boston dancers, in the community said that she likes a rehearsal process where you “bang out” the choreography in just a few rehearsals. This is a common thought in the community of dancers and it was evident that her personal life has a stronger hold on her involvement in dancing than the process of dancing and dance making. As a choreographer with a unique style, I prefer to allow the process to unfold and give it the respect that the piece itself requires. Of course, this is contingent upon the content of the piece (movement vocabulary, intentions of movement, conceptual matter, understanding of all of the above, etc).

Knowing that there are different types of dancers and knowing the type of choreographer/artist I am....I seek dancers/artists that are involved in the process rather than a final product. I feel, against all the difficulties that the summertime has offered, that I have found that attitude/approach in these dancers. Again, I am imbuing my personal technique and movement aesthetic that will take a dancer time to learn and embody.

We are definitely getting somewhere close to the final product in our rehearsals and I am excited to see and feel the synergy developing amongst my dancers and the choreography.