Dance Theatre of Harlem (Notre Dame, IN)

Last weekend I had the opportunity to catch the Dance Theatre of Harlem perform at the University of Notre Dame’s DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.  The troupe did two performances that day and I was thrilled to see that the evening one was a sellout.

There were three segments in this program.  The first was a medley of Stevie Wonder hits titled “Higher Ground”.  The messaging in the lyrics resonated strong emotions to match the dancing imagery.  The first song demanded the audience “Look Around” and “you’ll see human history”.  The next song chosen was written in 1974 and feels still relevant today.  These lyrics are potent:

But we are sick and tired of hearing your songTellin’ how you are gonna change right from wrong‘Cause if you really want to hear our viewsYou haven’t done nothin’

The choreography is a mix of classical ballet and diverse dance disciplines so their style is modern and interesting.  As the show progressed there was a notable lack of cohesion in group numbers particularly in the title song which closed this segment.  When the soloists hit the stage in “Heaven is Ten Zillion Light Years Away” everything improved dramatically.

From that point the first segment continued improving.  “Village Ghetto Land” included a broken glass is everywhere ballet.  “Saturn” featured a sweet duet with stimulating lifts and jumps while the words conveyed “people don’t even know what they’re dying for”.  This tune from Mr. Wonders’ classic Songs In the Key of Life album had a ripped from yesterday’s headlines moment declaiming “We can’t trust you when you take a stand / With a gun and bible in your hand”.

A video opened the second section which gave context to the next dance.  Hazel Scott was a Trinidadian jazz and classical pianist who had her own television show in 1950.  She was the first black American to do so.  I had never heard of her as some of the artistic directors of the troupe also noted.  She was famous for being able to play two pianos at one time using two hands.

Ms. Scott was an outspoken critic of segregation and racial discrimination.  Of course she had to testify at the McCarthy era’s House of Un-American Activities Committee.  Her weekly show was cancelled one week later and she was essentially erased from what the video described as Beyoncé level famous.

As mentally engaged as I was after this introduction, the choreography honoring this woman was underwhelming.  The progression took us from her “Trinidad” beginnings to a lacking passion “Harlem” followed by “Hazel Herself”. This particular song especially perplexed as the fast almost staccato like piano seem to have no connection to the movement of the dancer.  A few more numbers followed in this recently premiered piece.

Thankfully the final section was a triumph and, not incidentally, showcased more dancers in solo pieces.  “Black Works IV (The Barre Project)” by William Forsythe was an exuberant piece with an electronic composition by James Blake that was evocative, moody and nicely atonal.  The choreography here was remarkable both for the ability of these dancers to count the complicated time structure as well as show off their excellent skills.

While the program as a whole was a mixed bag there was much to digest making the evening an emotional success.  “We cannot advocate for people in other lands what we don’t have here”.  Only those with blinders on cannot empathize with those words from “What America Means to Me”.

The Dance Theatre of Harlem is touring through May in various locations in celebration of its 55th anniversary season.

www.dancetheatreofharlem.org

www.perfomingarts.nd.edu

MOMIX (Joyce Theater)

MOMIX

I have long wanted to see the dance company MOMIX as I heard about their visually arresting shows.  Artistic Director Moses Pendleton presented VIVA MOMIX as part of their three week holiday run in NYC.  The experience was indeed dazzling.

This program is a celebration of the company’s 40th anniversary season.  The selections included works from all six of their shows plus a world premiere.  They accurately bill their style as “illusion, beauty, magic, fun and inventiveness”.  The wonders are ceaseless.

VIVA MOMIX consists of sixteen dances spread over two acts.  “Solar Flares” opens the show complete with something akin to pool noodles.  Props are a major element in many of the dances and they are impressively incorporated.  “Table Talk” was a acrobatic routine which featured, as you might expect, a table.

“Marigolds” began as flowers which converted into red dresses.  “Aqua Flow” can be described as a chandelier turned whirling necklace.  Literal dummies were used in the group dance and final number “If You Need Some Body”.  The creativity is worth savoring.

Especially welcome are the splendid backdrops and bewitching lighting which sometimes showcases the dancers and other times plays tricks on the eyes.  Shapes are revealed.  Animals emerge.  A fantastic example of this artistic melding occurred in the black-lit illusions of the amusing “Snow Geese”.

I (finally) recently saw the superlative Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert film.  Swifties should be delighted by “Man Fan”.  They will recall similar enormous undulating capes with long spines and fabric allowing for spectacular evolving imagery.

The new work premiered for this performance was “Floating”.  Three couples are intertwined on a slanted mirrored platform.  As they change positions and shapes they appear to be floating in their ecstatic combinations.

MOMIX can be easily enjoyed by casual dance fans, children and those who might want to sample a professional dance performance.  The eye candy is unending and the smiles these staged dances illicit are deservedly earned.  “Daddy Long Legs” is a cowboy number which naturally includes lengthy limbs.  You’ll have to see for yourself how this effortlessly performed number ropes the audience into applause.

MOMIX tours the United States throughout the year.  For 2024 they are featuring their Alice in Wonderland themed show.  They also have a few dates booked for Italy in late spring.

www.momix.com

Complexions Contemporary Ballet 2021 (Joyce Theater)

As New York’s stages continue to fill up, it is gratifying to see audiences back in full support of their favorites or taking in a new work.  I was beyond thrilled that Complexions Contemporary Ballet returned for a two week stint at the Joyce to a packed house on opening night.  Their artistry and their athleticism are on full display in this entertaining and thought provoking dance.

Program A contains two parts.  Snatched Back From the Edges is a world premiere piece conceived and created during the height of the pandemic.  The program  notes the challenges of gun violence, racial inequality and social struggles.  The dances contained here are “inspired by the pain, tenacity, and advocacy for change – that inner strength that continues to propel the world forward – through it all.”

The company’s dancers are multi-national representing Italy, Australia, Canada, Columbia, Japan and all corners of the United States.  This diversity is further represented by color and size.  There is not a cookie cutter approach to the formation of this unit and the variety makes for exciting combinations and interesting juxtapositions.  They are all, however, supremely fit as the choreography is intense, angular and energetic.

Seven sections make up Snatched Back From the Edges.  The pieces are accompanied by music and spoken word, including Terrell Lewis’ Fear.  “Fear used to be my ball and chain” is followed by “I have now changed.”  Everyone of us has changed over the past two years.  The words and the lyrics underscore the aggressive and occasionally slinky dance movements.  We are asked to think not simply revel in the beautiful lighting and gorgeous bodies.

“The Future” is a song from Aloe Blacc (born Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III) which nicely sums up the introspective yet positive outlook of the piece.  “There is a light at the end of this road / And I know there’s still a long way to go.”  The chorus then intones “the future belongs to me” and “it’s gon’ be a beautiful thing to see.”  Choreographer and co-founding Artistic Director Dwight Rhoden created a work that allows us to feel and think while taking in the visual splendor and movement.

The second half of this show is a reprise of 2020’s Love Rocks containing eight Lenny Kravitz songs.  I saw the premier of this dance and it should be considered essential to this company’s repertoire.  The dance is a glorious feast for the eyes and ears.  If you love to watch transitions these are inventive, varied and fun.  The prancing in “I Belong to You” and the gazelles in “Fly Away” are witty and command attention.  This is dance as sport.  How can you tell?  When the dancers pause, even for a moment or two, their breathing makes it clear.

Each dancer brings his or her personal style to this type of choreography.  The musicality of Vincenzo di Primo suggests every note runs through his body.  Jillian Davis remains an arrestingly tall, graceful and angular presence.  It is difficult to look away when she is on stage.  Jarrett Reimers, in his second season, was a standout as well notably in his duets.  While every dancer gets their time in the spotlight, Thomas Dilley, Brandon Gray, Terrence Matthews and Aidan Wolf were especially memorable.

Was this the tightest performance I’ve ever seen from Complexions?  No.  When everyone is spot on and nails the choreography perfectly, the imagery is unrelentingly cool.  This is muscular, sexy, ultra-flexible and aerobically challenging dance.  Complexions’ dancers work hard and the result is two hours of awe inspiring visual delights.  This is dance for everyone to enjoy.

Complexions Contemporary Ballet will be performing two different programs at the Joyce Theater through November 28, 2021.

www.complexionsdance.org

www.joyce.org

Black is Beautiful (Complexions Contemporary Ballet)

Dance companies have been shut down for a year now due to the pandemic.  One especially exciting troupe, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, is presenting a new series of four dance films entitled “SNATCHED BACK from the EDGES.”  The first one in the series, Black is Beautiful, was released in conjunction with Black History Month.

The film was choreographed and directed by Artistic Directors Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson.  The piece is in response to the challenges faced in America.  Themes of isolation, racial injustice, fear, loss, power, pride, activism and love are examined through the lens of today’s generation.  Rather than a dark tale, however, the work is brimming with hope for the future while celebrating the resilience of a people’s past.

Black is Beautiful features the words of four poets from the United Kingdom: Terrell Lewis, Aicha Therese, Mr. Reed and Poetess Jess.  Mr. Lewis begins the film.  He is the founder of the U.K.’s Da Poetry Jam.  From anger associated with the murder of George Floyd last year, he wanted to “combat the hate with love.”  The film is essentially a combination of spoken word and the art form of ballet.

The messages are often uplifting as in art “always had the power to heal.”  Guidance is offered for moving forward amidst the powerful energy of young people today who “want their voices to be heard.”  How best to proceed?  “Let’s move intellectually.” A “journey requires a single set of shoes” expressly recommends a course to achieve that desire for unity.

As should be expected, the high quality of the dance and choreography from this company is evident.  In combination with the deft filming and editing by Jacob Hiss, the overall impact is thought provoking for the eyes and ears.  This short film is a nice way to appreciate a dance company and a meaningful way to  artistically engage in Black History Month.  One of my favorite lines helps us understand all of our roles in encouraging forward progress:  “The library is here… educate yourself.”

Black is Beautiful is running on You Tube via the official page of Complexions Contemporary Ballet.  The next three films in the series will be announced at at later date.

www.youtube/complexionscontemporaryballet

www.dapoetryjam.co.uk

www.complexionsdance.org

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/complexionscontemporaryballet/2020/programA

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/complexionscontemporaryballet/2020/programC

Seclusion Smörgåsbord VII

The seventh entry into my Seclusion Smörgåsbord series features dance and a funeral.  While a death entertainment may sound like a bad idea during this pandemic, this one is a comedy of sorts.  If you might want to stage your own memorial service, this also may provide some inspiration.

Wooden (HERE Arts Center)

This Laura Peterson dance was filmed on November 12, 2011.  In Wooden, nature (and possibly evolution) is invoked.  The first part is “Ground” which is followed by “Trees.”  Sometimes when I watch dance, the movement and storytelling becomes impenetrable.  Both of these pieces contained memorable visuals and striking movements.  Bodies on the ground barely moving.  Lights go off.  The bodies are in another location when the lights go back on.  I felt as if I were watching the rise of animate forms from Earth’s history.

Trees began more straightforwardly.  The dancers were symbolic.  Their limbs were branches, erratically changing positions.  The lighting design and shadow work was exceptionally additive to the environment.  Dissonant sounds like computerized rhythmic noises accompanied this dance.  Near the end of this one there was some very energetic unison choreography.  The meaning escaped me but it was likely challenging to dance.  Both pieces were a bit repetitive for my tastes and I found myself losing interest.

HERE Arts Center’s Facebook watch parties are on Wednesday nights.  Next week:  “In Nick Lehane’s Chimpanzee, an aging, isolated chimpanzee pieces together the fragments of her childhood in a human family. Bleak reality bleeds to vivid memory in this physically expressive puppet play. Inspired by true events.”

www.facebook.com/hereartscenter

Allegro Brillante (New York City Ballet)

In replacement of its spring season, the New York City Ballet is streaming some of its classic performances over the next six weeks.  Tuesdays will feature ballets from its founders, George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins.  On Fridays, they will showcase contemporary works.  Each video will run for 72 hours on their homepage, Facebook or You Tube.  Allegro Brillante premiered on March 1, 1956 and this specific performance was taped on January 18, 2017.

Of this ballet, Mr. Balanchine said this particular piece showed “everything I know about classical ballet in thirteen minutes.”  This is crowd pleasing ballet with choreography that beautifully embraces the music of Tschaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 3.  Lead dancers Tiler Peck and Andrew Veyette along with four couples swell with the flourishes, flow with the softer sections and leap with when the music demands.  This short highly entertaining work is definitely something to try if you want to experience a taste of classical ballet.

Justin Peck’s world premiere Rotunda from this past February is this weekend’s free streaming dance from the New York City Ballet.

www.nycballet.com

Wild and Precious Life (Playing On Air)

Sheila (Debra Monk) has passed away.  Apparently she was a wild spirit filled with life.  This fifteen minute play begins at her memorial service.  A close friend is reading the recently departed’s favorite poem which has to do with the title of this comedy.  First, however, there are some tears.  The Reverend Sandy takes over and reads an unopened letter from Sheila to her friends.  She has an instruction from the great beyond which results in mourners getting into a fight filled with ridiculous revelations.

There is another message from the beyond and a very thought provoking monologue at the end.  How should one lead their life while they have the chance?  A character considers their admiration for the magical Sheila and what she represents.  The six member cast was directed by Michele O’Brien and features original music from San Francisco’s Misner & Smith.  This taping is a quick and breezy entertainment with an agreeable dosage of heft at its conclusion.  A ten minute Q&A follows the performance.

Wild and Precious Life can be found on Playing on Air’s website.  Past shows are also available on iTunes.

www.playingonair.org

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake

 

Subtitled “The Legend Returns,” Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake is back in New York for the third time.  Twenty years ago this show ran on Broadway and won three Tony Awards for costumes, direction and choreography.  This is my first encounter with this production.  The accolades are deserved.  This hybrid ballet and wordless musical theater piece is awesome.

Mr. Bourne’s version of Tchaikovsky’s ballet is famous for changing the swans to men.  The original story is one of a prince and a princess.  She has been converted into a swan by an evil sorceress.  That detail (and others) are eliminated here to make way for an exuberant and modern take on this story.

In the first scene, the Prince is asleep in his bedroom.  Above his head appears a half naked man from his dream (the future swan).  There’s no mystery about the Prince’s internal leanings but he dutifully attempts to fulfill his birthright expectations.  He will date “The Girlfriend,” a ditzy blond prototype.  Katrina Lyndon is brilliant and hilarious in the part.  A trip to the opera house is a clever show within a show conceit.  Ms. Lyndon steals the scene with her crass behavior in the royal box.

Speaking of royals, the Queen (an excellent Nicole Kabrera) has no husband and seems to be interested in her guards.  She is a cold mother.  Sub-zero temperature.  A scene occurs in the Prince’s Private Quarters and she recoils at his display of weakness.  They dance but the effect is a combination of touching and heartbreaking.  She demands he keep a stiff upper lip and remain resolute and unemotional when facing adversity.  She concludes her visit as the Prince is looking in the mirror.  Mom pulls his shoulders back to the required posture.

I have never seen Swan Lake before and I have seen few classic ballets.  In this staging, the storytelling and acting are so strong that the main characters emerge as multi-dimensional emotional beings.  The wit and modern spin go into full speed when the Prince heads to a seedy nightclub called the Swank Bar.  He leaves dejected and forlorn, walking to a city park.

On a bench under a streetlight, the Prince writes a suicide note.  Under a beautiful full moon, he approaches the lake.  A very muscular male swan appears.  The Prince is mesmerized.  The dancing ensues.  More swans appear.  The choreography accentuates swan movements most notably in numerous arm positions.  (To be honest, I am not a ballet aficionado and this segment went on a little long.)  The lead swan appears to be the alpha of the bunch.

After intermission, media stand behind red velvet ropes.  A Royal Ball is about to occur.  Shots are poured and consumed.  The dancing is hot.  Princesses from many countries are present.  When the Italian Princess dances, there’s no mistaking which one she is.  “The Stranger” appears.  He is The Swan only now clad in black leather pants.  The ladies are agog.  The Queen is agog.  Their male escorts are irritated.  The Prince is, to say the very least, jealous.

This party is filled with tensions everywhere.  Erotic tensions between men and women and also between men and men.  The entertainment soars.  If The Swan at the city park appeared to be the alpha, the Black Swan that swoops in and oozes sex appeal confirms the initial diagnosis (and then some).  In the performance I saw, Max Westwell performed The Swan and The Stranger.  He was outstanding.

All of the principal dancers were excellent.  As The Prince, a sublime James Lovell delivered a beautifully nuanced character study.  The inner turmoil was transparent and distressing.  The final scene is a visual and emotional masterpiece.

While Matthew Bourne’s conception for this Swan Lake is arresting, the execution is superb.  The direction and clarity of storytelling is superior to the vast majority of Broadway musicals.  The spectacularly large yet simple set design frames the grandeur of royalty.  The costumes are playful and gorgeous.  Both were memorably designed by Lez Brotherston.  Paule Constable’s lighting is also top notch.

The movie Billy Elliot about a boy who wanted to be a dancer ends with his performing The Swan in this show.  This artistic company tours the United Kingdom and internationally with a number of different productions.  If given the opportunity, I won’t wait another twenty years to see the next one.

Matthews Bourne’s Swan Lake is being performed at New York City Center through February 9, 2020.  In the United Kingdom, his New Adventures company is now touring The Red Shoes and a Nutcracker! revival is planned for the 2020 holiday season.  Who knew there was a show made out of the movie Edward Scissorhands!  Can we beg for a revival?

www.nycitycenter.org

www.newadventures.net

COMPLEXIONS Contemporary Ballet (Joyce Theater, Program C)

After having seen and reviewed Program A from COMPLEXIONS Contemporary Ballet, I happily returned for Program C.  The first half of this performance was titled Essential Parts.  These seven pieces were a compilation from the company’s repertoire and included one world premiere.

“Dear Frederic” was choreographed to brisk piano sonatas composed by Frédérik Chopin.  This dance was performed by the company.  My interpretation saw members in a dance class showing off their skills.  Displaying the athletic range of this group, this excerpt from 2007 was a fine opening.  “Testament” followed with an urgent a cappella rendition of “Amazing Grace.”  Daniela O’Neil and Craig Dionne were clutching each other with intensity and heightened urgency.

“Elegy” was the only premiere and featured the spectacular Jillian Davis in a solo piece set to Beethoven.  The mood was somber and reflective.  The final image before the lights went down capped off a beautifully introspective piece.  “Woke” from 2019 was next.  The company was back on stage to perform this segment and I will await another full production in the future.

Brandon Gray then danced “Wonder-Full” from 1994.  This solo featured the Stevie Wonder song, “All in Love is Fair.”  Mr. Gray begins the dance with an open shirt.  Mr. Wonder’s lyrics remind that “love’s a crazy game” and relationships are win or lose propositions.  By the end of the dance, his shirt comes off and becomes a symbolic prop with which he dances.

An excerpt from “Bach 25” from Program A followed.  The final dance in this half was called “On Holiday.”  This 2010 work wowed the audience.  Billy Porter longingly and plaintively sings Billie Holiday’s “My Man (Mon Homme).”  The lyrics provide direction for the dance such as “Two or three girls/ Has he/ That he likes as well as me/ But I still love him.”

Dwight Rhoden choreographed each selection in Essential Parts.  The assortment nicely displays his styles.  This type of dance is athletic and accessible.  This is a company to put on your list if you want to experience a dance performance.  Frankly, it seems impossible not to love this troupe.  At a minimum, the music and the technical quality of the dances with their muscular athleticism are bound to impress and hold your attention.

The second half of Program C was “Love Rocks” featuring the music of Lenny Kravitz.  I saw this world premiere as part of Program A and it was sensational again.  In my notebook I wrote that the transitions were “so damn fun to watch.”  This time around the duet between Larissa Gerszke and Craig Dionne stood out for me as particularly mesmerizing.

COMPLEXIONS Contemporary Dance has performances scheduled in the following U.S. cities in upcoming months:  Escondido (CA), New Brunswick (NJ), Storrs (CT), Park City (UT), Columbus (GA), Irmo (SC) and Detroit (MI).

www.complexionsdance.org

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/complexions/programA

COMPLEXIONS Contemporary Ballet (Joyce Theater, Program A)

Extraordinary athleticism and a palpable yearning for love and human connection permeates this dance program.  COMPLEXIONS Contemporary Ballet showcases three programs in its 26th season.  I saw a performance which featured the music of Bach in the first half and Lenny Kravitz in the second.  The evening is wildly entertaining and, especially for casual dance admirers, a whole bucket of mesmerizing fun.

“Bach 25” opened the program.  This piece was created for the company’s 25th anniversary.  In a Talk Back after the performance, choreographer Dwight Rhoden explained that Bach was his favorite composer.  The music is “danceable, full of colors and speaks to movement.”  I particularly loved watching the musicality of the compositions celebrated by the dancers.  Piano notes punctuated through the choreography.  The music was vibrant as was the dance.

The choreography is muscular, angular and purposely aerobic.  Leg positions reach the sky in multiple standing formations.  Three men slide across the floor in full splits coming to a stop simultaneously.  There are repeating movements and unending combinations of solos, duets, groups and full company dances.  Transitions are frequent and occasionally struck me as witty and playful.  The overall impression was a coolly modulated surfeit of romantic athleticism.

COMPLEXIONS prides itself on blending methods, styles and cultures from across the globe.  That diversity is reflected in its company.  The current lineup include dancers from the United States, Australia, Italy, Canada, Columbia and Japan.  The variation in the dancer heights are particularly interesting especially when used in embracing that difference in full stage visual tableaus.

Nine Lenny Kravitz songs are used for the second piece, “Love Rocks.”  This dance is a world premiere and this presentation was its second in front of an audience.  Mr. Rhoden met the artist when he was doing choreography work with Prince many years ago.  This work is in response to his observation that the “world is a funky place and needs so much love right now.”

In this new piece, rock music inspires even more muscular and more aggressive movement.  There is a thematic vein throughout in which dancers intertwine, connect, couple and go it alone.  The women prancing and preening during “I Belong to You” made me laugh out loud.  “Fly Away” memorably incorporated funk on pointe.  Love Rocks delivers a message from Mr. Kravitz’s lyrics:  “you can have it any way you want it.”

The fun quotient then makes room for some pointed criticisms.  The song “It’s Enough” is utilized to express outrage.  “What’s that going down in the Middle East?/ Do you really think it’s to keep the peace.”  Mr. Kravitz implores “It’s enough/ In the system, you cannot trust/ It’s enough, it’s enough/ When the whole world is corrupt.”  While we all may need a little love in this world right now, we also have to have our eyes wide open.  “We must all unite” is a concluding message from “Here to Love.”

The technical elements of this program are additive to the enjoyment of the dancers.  The lighting design by Michael Korsch is evocatively dramatic in its use of spotlights, especially during Love Rocks.  Christine Darch’s costumes were sleek, appropriately sexy and reflected the modernity of the company’s ballet.

Naturally the dancers of COMPLEXIONS Contemporary Ballet are the primary reason to savor this extremely entertaining evening of dance.  The choreography is an absolute workout and they are an impressive group of artists.  A number of them stood out for me as they each will speak differently to the viewer.  I could not take my eyes off Jillian Davis, the tall, elegant, angular gazelle with a riveting stage presence (pictured above with her excellent partner Khayr Fajri Muhammad).

If you are interested in attending this show but cannot see this Program (A), try another date.  In Program C, Ms. Davis has a world premiere solo piece entitled “Elegy” featuring the music of Beethoven.  Musical theater fans curious about branching out into the world of dance should give this company a try.  For the last quarter century, dance lovers have embraced this arresting fusion of musical styles.

COMPLEXIONS Contemporary Ballet is performing three programs at the Joyce Theater through February 2, 2020.  The final performance of Program A featuring Bach 25 and Love Rocks is this Saturday, January 25th.  The company will be performing throughout the United States, Latvia and Lithuania this spring followed by a seven week tour of Germany this summer.

www.complexionsdance.org

www.joyce.org

The Unknown Dancer in the Neighborhood (Under the Radar Festival, The Japan Society)

Glimmers of hopefulness can be found in this unique theatrical event.  Disheartenment, however, permeates The Unknown Dancer in the Neighborhood.  This contemporary dance theater piece is a commentary on individual lives amidst the ambiguously indifferent and disconnected mobs in a gloomy metropolis.  Early on we hear that “hopeless people talk about hopeless things.”

Suguru Yamamoto is a young playwright and director from Japan.  His signature style uses projected words to communicate his character’s thoughts.  This use of texting alludes to the millenial generation’s preferred method of communication.  He then adds movement, photography, lighting and minimal props to tell the story.

Wataru Kitao performs all of the characters in this one person show.  His first is that of a gorilla who is beating his chest and scratching his rear.  He quickly transitions to a photographer taking pictures at a zoo.  A “trashy couple” is in the way of his photograph.  They are comparing the gorilla’s butt to a pomegranate.  A “fat stupid kid” is overly excited by the gorilla and knocks down an elderly man.  There are “no apologies from the snotty kid’s stupid mother.”  Within the first few minutes of this show, the state of our society is put on trial.  “This kind of action should be purged.”

In a series of escalating scenes, characters will interact with each other.  The story will broaden from the zoo animals to a girl being called ugly.  The “old codger” is followed.  He goes to a strip club.  An analysis is offered about the similar nakedness found in strip clubs and zoos.  Some dry humor is squeezed into this ever-changing tale.

The darkness of an uncaring world looms everywhere in Nagai, “the most dangerous place in Japan.”  At a train station, a young girl falls onto the tracks.  A boy tries to help but no one will join him.  Trains are packed with people and their indifference.  Mr. Kitao even plays the train noting, “because I am a train, delivering is my pleasure.”

A woman from the strip club is stabbed.  There is a massive hostage crisis in the town’s library which does not end well.  The “ugly” girl will send an insulting text about her mother.  Bleakness is pervasive.  In Nagai, “everyone is equally worthless.”

This commentary illuminates a worldview but confusion unfortunately emerges.  There are many indiscernible characters.  Stream of consciousness words are spoken or projected for reading.  The flow is non-linear adding another layer of disconnectedness.  Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the dance choreography sometimes felt incongruous with the text.  The movement is certainly emotional.  This piece is very conceptual.  The disparate elements simply did not come together for me.

I could appreciate the vision and themes being explored in The Unknown Dancer in the Neighborhood.  Fully embracing this multi-media dance theater production was challenging.  Fans of experimental work may find a treasure of interesting concepts to admire here.  However, the muddled and shifting focus combined with the show’s length pushed me away rather than pulled me into the story.  The creatively assembled perspectives of a bleak view of humanity could not withstand the tedium of this production.

The Unknown Dancer in the Neighborhood is part of the Public Theater’s Under the Radar Festival.  The show is being performed at the Japan Society through January 14, 2020.

www.publictheater.org

www.japansociety.org

BrandoCapote (The Tank)

Truman Capote interviewed Marlon Brando in 1957.  The legendary actor was in Japan filming Sayonara.  Hilariously, we overhear one of the movie’s sales pitches.  They are using “real Japanese actors.”  This conversation is one level of the multi-media piece BrandoCapote.  On the flip side, this dance play is a commentary on men and toxic masculinity.

Scenes from Mr. Brando’s films are cleverly projected onto fans and umbrellas.  As the interview took place in Japan, the Noh style of theater is casually referenced here.  The actors wear kimonos.  Movie scenes such as a violent outburst from A Streetcar Named Desire are repeated.  A voice-over makes the excuse that “he worked hard for us” followed by “it was just a different time.”

Snippets from unforgettable movies such as On the Waterfront, Julius Caesar and The Godfather are interspersed with repetitive movements.  Meanwhile, Mr. Brando claims that he is not an actor.  He is a mimic.  The line drawn on stage is the connection between father and son.  The violence is passed down through mimicry.

In BrandoCapote, that overt mimicry is an integral part of this dance.  Brando’s son Christian murdered his sister’s boyfriend in 1990.  She hung herself five years later at the age of 25.  This piece aggressively compares the violence society accepts (or even celebrates) in popular entertainment to the collateral damage it causes in real life.

Occasionally the phrases “let me start over” and “let me get this right” are heard.  What is on the stage, however, suggests that this inherent violence is an unbroken circle.  Juxtaposing the effeminate Truman Capote against this backdrop paints a vivid picture of the vast spectrum of manhood.

Is BrandoCapote a play?  Yes, in some respects.  Brando is asked, “are you religious?”  His reply: “I don’t believe in imaginary friends.”  The movie scenes are carefully chosen to set the mood.  The dance suggests many things including violence, repetition and cleaning sequences.  Abstract is the name for this world.

Sara and Reid Farrington conceived this expressive and specific piece.  She was the writer and he directed.  There is a vast quantity of creativity on display in this seventy minute amalgam of performance art and oddly awkward yet nostalgic glimpse of men.  Brando was THE actor of his generation.  Lines are boldly drawn to the issues still being faced today by abusive men.

The performers play various family members but that’s a loose concept.  Using Noh theater as a guide, both humor and horror make appearances.  The technical projections are frequent and nicely varied.  The choreography by Laura K Nicoll is precise and rhythmic.  There are many pauses when you hear the tape or film reels rewind.  These glitches become movements by the cast which are impressively timed and jolt us from one segment to the next.

BrandoCapote is ambitious, non-linear, memorable and wholly original.  It also is a play, a dance and a historical  multimedia exhibit.  The entire production feels long as the messages and imagery are often repeated.  Patience is advised.  Not all of the segments connected in my mind such as the rearranging furniture.  However, the sheer mass of creativity and research in the creation of this work is commendable.  A most unique dissection of the American male psyche.

BrandoCapote is running at The Tank through November 24, 2019.

www.thetanknyc.org