Choreography Renaissance in Harlem

The level of creativity shown at E-Moves in Harlem this evening makes me lost for words!  Camille A. Brown, Adia Whitaker and Kyle Abraham are amongst the choreographers keeping  the audience anxiously excited tonight.  Innovation and creativity is at its peak at Harlem Stage Gatehouse in Program Two: Ten from Ten.  Here, choreographers of color is a terrific theme as it brings together elements from the African Diaspora and the Harlem Renaissance, from which an enhanced black culture brings us jazz, funk and soul to mainstream entertainment.

As a result, I am seeing a new wave of functional artwork performed at E-Moves as it celebrates its tenth anniversary and showcases “cutting edge choreographers.”  Choreographers in tonight’s program are very distinguished, many with backgrounds from substantial New York companies such as Bill T. Jones, Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, and Ronald K. Brown.   The Harlem Stage Gatehouse is packed and filled with warm energy, which usually leads to a good show, and this proves to be true tonight!

Between an Arrow and a Fall
Choreography by Edisa Weeks

The dancer walks on the stage with a strong expression on his face to begin Between an Arrow and a Fall.  Theatrical skills distinguish Edisa’s work as an imaginative with creativity to spare. Picture yourself lost on Mars with a crowd of aliens around you, and the only thing you can do is dance!  This is what Between an Arrow and a Fall makes me think of.  On stage, there is a video showing a live recording of the dancer.  The live recording makes Edisa’s movement appear to be heavenly and very distant.  Picture a dancer dancing in a place between Heaven and Earth! After a few minutes of the dramatic solo, the dancer leaves the stage with the acoustic sound of bells ringing in the background.  The improvised technique resembles that of Limón. Improvisational acting and dancing combined gives the audience the illusion that the dancer is fighting against himself.  His mission is to destroy the force that is imitating and destroying his movement.  The presentation can officially be described as interesting because the world of modern choreography hasn’t seen anything so divine as Between an Arrow and a Fall.

El Hombre + (e/m) = Reloaded
Choreography by Erick Montes

What a lovely drag performance we get treated to with Erick Montes’ (El Hombre + e/m) = Reloaded.  Erick opens his performances as a lady singing the blues in Spanish as he flaunts his blue dress.  The picture is very enchanting.  All of his turns, leg extensions and dips (all done in high heels) are fierce skills to put on Erick’s resume.  Erick dances while he speaks to himself saying, “ No!”, “ What?”, “ Oh, No!”, and “ Uh, huh!.  This sassy dancer shows off his ability to coordinate intense movement with a theatrical performance.   A video visual is also added to this performance, so that the audience can see Erick act as a full time drag queen.  This video includes footage of Erick behind the scenes as he puts on his makeup and hair, at which point, the audience becomes uninterested.  I don’t know what to think when he, once again, begins a monologue in Spanish, but as soon as he strips his clothes down to his cherry underwear, I am quickly back on the road to being highly entertained.  Now, the silver streamers come out and strobe lights beam as Erick begins to dance in his cherry undies!  I can relate to this section because of the free spirited movement.  Just when I get the feeling that Erick is going to surprise us with another quick change, he does just that by abruptly covering up with a black skirt before working the stage with his ballet and modern technique.  Bravo Erick for your solo drag performance!

And They Forgot to Love 

Choreography by Judith Sanchez Ruiz

And They Forgot to Love reminds me of women in love.  Judith Sanchez Ruiz’s movement in this piece reflects femininity, beauty, emotions and serenity.  Judith is dressed in a black lace dress and wears contrasting red lipstick. The sexy vintage dress is perfect for the context of the piece. Her movement is tense and frustrated, yet free at the same time. The dance has a stop and go pattern that builds up tension and increases the quality of each moment in the dance.  The choreography speaks to me personally, something that I value and love about dance.  A dance fan sitting next to me is inspired by the imagery as he mentions that Judith reminds him of Heidi Ma Williams from Tattoo Ballerinas.  As the piece comes to an end, we hear, “Worried about being a mother!  Worried about my need to dance!”  Her inner thoughts spoken out loud is remarkable and effective in stirring up emotions in the audience.

Mary
Choreography by Camile A. Brown

Camille Brown’s, Mary, is one of the most highly anticipated programs of the night.  Her backdrop is a beautiful collage of pictures of her grandmother in remembrance of her spirit. Camille matches the warmth on stage with a dashing flesh tone dress. There is no undercover talent here as Camille shines like a star on stage.  With the use of breath, her movements seem effortless. The lines created on her body are clean and exact, and the theatrical choreography draws me in emotionally and spiritually.

The choreography speaks about a black woman’s hard work.  Strongly portrayed are signs of weakness, strength, happiness, regret and sorrow.  Each movement speaks the words of her story.  Camille opens the eyes and ears of the audience as she vividly reads us a story about her grandmother through dance.  Bravo Camille for a beautiful performance and for waking up the spirit of your grandmother on stage.

A Brake 4 the 5
Choreography by Adia Tamar Whitaker

The Adia Tamar Whitaker Company is a company that is always fun to see. The dancers bring so much energy on the stage with the movement, songs and costumes. Just the variety of body types and skin tones creates a beautiful picture to watch.  The piece opens with the dancers stomping, singing and using a stick prop as a tool to bring more rhythm on stage.  A tall man dressed as a skeleton from head to toe leads the dancers.  His height alone entertains the crowd and his movement is fun to follow.  After a slow paced intro the dancers loosened up and start a party on stage.  They are whining their waist, stomping feet, singing and laughing in the space. The unique costumes are made up of sequins, vintage clothing and feathers.  It is very eccentric.  As a person of Caribbean descent, watching this piece reminds me of Carnival in Trinidad!

I walk out of Harlem Stage Gatehouse content with the fabulous work produced in our community. Every artist has a different message to deliver to the audience with a terrific approach. Tools of technology and popular concepts such as drag performance bring a modern day twist to dance performances. Caribbean/Black culture exploited in dance is always a pleasure to see.  I have much respect for these artists because they are all qualified choreographers in my eyes.  Many dance fans in New York City, Harlem, Brooklyn, and myself included cannot wait to see more work produced from these innovative artists.

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Careitha Davis
Performance: EMoves: Ten from Ten
Choreographer: Edisa Weeks, Erick Montes, Judith Sanchez Ruiz, Camille
A. Brown, Adia Tamar Whitaker
Venue: Harlem Stage Gatehouse
Date: Thursday, April 16, 2009 at 7:30PM
www.iDANZOnline.com

Click Here To Become a Member of iDANZ Today!
iDANZ – The Social Network Where Dancers Live!

Share on Facebook