Dance Review: Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet

Frame of View by Didy Veldman:
This was by far my favorite piece for the evening.  Elements of humor, irony, and short stories intermingled between the group of nine dancers.  The set was used to the fullest extent.  There were surprises on so many levels, such as "how can you use a door?" and "can you partner someone through a door?"  Watching the dancers act differently when they are around each other compared to when they are alone; watching how they choose to hide or express their feelings for one another.

One of my favorite moments was the solo in which Ebony Williams glides onstage sitting on a chair and dragging a table with her. Throughout her solo she moves the furniture around her.  One specific moment within this was when she was pushing the table forward and dragging the chair behind her with her ankle. I don’t know why, but that shocked me.  As dancers and choreographers we have all encountered the issue of "the chair dance" and the overuse of CHAIR choreography to the point where almost nothing could possibly be new.   I thought it was genius the way the furniture was somehow made to slide around smoothly on a marley surface allowing far more movement possibilities than the average chair dance.

Another one of my favorite moments was when Ana-Maria Lucaciu is partnered by "the door," an effect created by another male dancer pressing himself through the stretchy fabric at the center of the door that the audience would not have expected to be fabric.  You can see the features of his face and body as he partners her through the door, even putting his arm through the mail slot and lifting her.  I was not the only one who loved this concept.  The audience around me expressed their ooh’s and aah’s as the door became personified and the female dancer gets pulled over the door to the other side.

There was also a duet that focused around slowing down a physical conflict between a Nickemil Concepcion and Harumi Terayama.  It is said that comedy is simply tragedy slowed down, and, this duet is an excellent example.  The two "slowed" dancers not only move their bodies in a slow motion, they also show their expressions with step by step detail in a remarkable display of comic ability. I can only imagine how much they made each other laugh in rehearsals. This duet would not have been complete without the role of "the outsider" played by Jon Bond who watches the fighting couple and every once in a while interjects to sprinkle some yellow confetti between the dancers.

I loved the way the three doors on the set were used.  I remember being instantly impressed when Soojin Choi entered through the door on stage right and at this one moment she leans into the space while her right ankle holds onto the door frame, then she quickly pulls herself through again and shows off her long lines and flexibility.  She was beautiful in the partnering sequences, appearing to just fly over the floor when the other men partnered her as a group.

Overall:
The music throughout the concert was a blend of colors that I’m sure would invite any sort of audience member to enjoy. The sets made use of interesting lighting, smoke effects, and the set for "Frame of View" was amazing. The audience has the rare privilege of watching a skilled technical crew strike the set of the last dance and quickly prepare the stage for the next one, all while listening to music. This by itself is almost a dance. The three pieces for the evening fit together well and every seat at the Cedar Lake theater is a great seat. I would encourage any kind of dancer, improv artist, actor, choreographer, and theater buff to see this show. I also have full confidence that even if you are not an artist you would be moved by this, or any performance by Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet whether it’s through laughter or tears, contemplation or relaxation, or simply to give a standing ovation at the end of the show.

Cedar Lake does an excellent job of encouraging participation from their audience members. If you go to their website you can watch the ongoing media coverage of "Project 52 – 1 year. 52 minutes. Every Monday."   I enjoyed watching the quirky solo by Oscar Ramos involving layers of clothing on a table, hearing what Jubal Battisti had to say about the rehearsal s and improvisation, and watching Ana-Maria Lucaciu prepare for the pointe dancer role in Memory/ Measure.  There are also videos on the main website showing the rehearsal process of Frame of View and featuring some of my favorite parts like Soojin Choi rehearsing with her doorframe and three different dancers practicing the slow-motion fighting couple and outsider part.  That’s another thing that I love about the program for Cedar Lake is that you get to see different dancers perform the same parts in different casts that they trade off on each night. You know what that means – go see them again and again until you have seen all of the amazing Cedar Lake dancers perform! You’ll never get bored!  Even though everyone in the company is amazing it’s still nice to see the differences they have as movers that change the piece to custom-fit each cast.  As a whole I think the company is a good mix of different looks and movers from a diverse background – just read their amazing bios!  The programs also give information about when the next pre-performance discussion will be and you can call 212-244-1150 to hear the choreographers talk about the works in their own words.

It’s an odd thought to have, but when the performance was over (and leaving me wanting more) I imagined what it would be like to bump into any one of these dancers on the street or the subway. You can just tell that these dancers aren’t just dancers when they hit the stage, they are artists 24/7, constantly taking care of their bodies, going over new choreography in their heads on the way home and before they fall asleep, and learning from each other through the rehearsal process.  For anyone who wants to be a better performer, come watch and learn from the best!

Photography by Paul B. Goode