Dance Review: Unforgettable Buglisi at the Joyce

 

Tuesday night in NYC was a snowy mess and the last thing any dance advocate wanted to do was to go and see modern dance; however, I am so glad I made it out.   Buglisi Dance Theatre has some of the best dancers I have ever seen as well as some of the most unexpectedly, powerful works. 

The show started with Frida (1998).  A trio made up of the rightfully infamous force, Terese Capucilli, the gorgeous and unforgettable Helen Hansen, and the powerhouse Jeanene Winston. The three of these ladies make time stand still, make you forget yourself completely and they draw you into a world where you hold your breath, and leave you on the edge of your seat until the curtain comes down and you are left with the invaluable experience of watching the most brilliant and unique piece of moving art.  It was one of the most captivating pieces of modern dance that I have had the pleasure of seeing.  I think I actually made audible sounds during certain moments.  It really was incredible!  The costumes were flawless, and the dancers intention and focus were direct and never let you go for a second.  The intensity of each women completely encapsulated the passion of Frida Kahlo’s art, the reading of her letters and diary entries, while the women were dancing, left such an impression on me that I feel I could almost recite everything I heard. "I live on air and expect things as they come."  The dancers movement all came from the very core of their bodies, I think I held my center the whole time I was watching them. I could literally go on for days about how despite the fact that the piece is basically 3 solos, is so well crafted that your eye always knows where to look, the lighting, the projections of Frida’s work, every aspect so important, and so perfectly designed I was blown away!   I am in LOVE!!!!

Then, as it always seems to happen to me, I fall in love too fast and too hard and find myself broken hearted:  Interplay No. 9-1, a New York City premiere, and a total disappointment.  After watching 3 masters of their craft give a mind blowing performance, out comes the high school dance squad for a skip in the gardens of Schonbrun (I’m not kidding, that’s what it said in the program).  I can’t even begin to describe what this piece was missing.  We will start with the dancers. At one point I was thumbing through the program in hopes to discover that these were, in fact, pre-professional dancers; but alas, they were not.  I was surprised to find they were in fact company members of the same company that the three previous women were in.   What a disparaging difference . . .

Anyway back to the piece.  Remember that time when you were injured, but you still had to go to class to watch?  Well remember how half way through barre you started to doze off, and tried fighting that feeling all the way through center adagio and managed to pull yourself together for the last few minutes of allegro? Right!  That was me during this piece last night.  It was like watching class, and to prove my opinion is right, before I even had a chance to say anything my friend I brought with me turned and said . . . .  "What, is this 2nd period lyrical jazz class we’re watching right now?"  "No, just some kids in the park" was my reply, and I meant it; . . . but, at least at the park I could leave when I got bored . . . .  which was 15 minutes ago.

Intermission. Some guy with antennas for eyebrows was name dropping for the entire time without letting me get a word in edgewise, and then proceeded to tell me what a nice conversation we just had, and if by conversation he meant he loved the monologue he just gave me….. then ok but otherwise, really??

Okay, I’m back in love again . . . .  Suspended Women (2000).  An extraordinary and moving work of art. 13 women running, suspending, falling and magically reappearing on another part of the stage to do it again and again.  It was totally enthralling and hypnotizing.  Imagine 13 beautiful women wearing 13 beautiful dresses, every color imaginable with petticoats and crinoline dancing together and in canon and in groups until you are dizzy and drunk on their perfection and beauty.  Then there is a shift in the music, and 4 men appear and most of the women flee like ants.  The men throw the remaining women around and around disappearing and reappearing and disappearing again, and the resurgence of the women is breath taking.  The music and lights are the icing on this multi tiered delicious cake.  I could have watched that piece for hours, and as the curtain fell I knew what it was like to be truly left wanting more; thus, I can only imagine that being Buglisi’s point:  women should always leave you wanting more . . . . .   And they did!   Phenomenal piece. Thank you Jacqulyn Buglisi for that experience.

The evening closed with Buglisi’s World Premiere.  Wild Mannequins & Wing Walkers.  It started out very promising with an impressive opening design of smoke, hanging mannequins, dancers, in various positions on stage, striking a pose.  The music begins followed by several women reading various pieces of text about the history of the female form.  The text spoke about how after the civil war, to be overweight was fashionable and preferred and that being overweight represented wealth, so on and so forth.  It was making a great statement on today’s fashion industry and it’s impact on the female form.  Then all of a sudden, for no apparent reason that I or anyone else I spoke to could understand, the piece started talking about Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt.  Now I understand their impact on women’s history, but it felt random and unclear in its direction, and besides the direction of the piece, the choreography got strange too.   Three duets all basically the same choreo, but sometimes together, sometimes in canon, I could never tell what was supposed to be happening.   It got very muddled and unclear for me.  It took some digestion. You know sometimes you see a piece and you need to think about it before you know if you like it?  Well that is what this was for me, and I have thought about it and decided, no I didn’t really like it.  It lacked the focus, direction, and clarity that the other 2 pieces of strength had.  It lacked any innovative choreography, and it didn’t seem to follow through with the original theme.  I was left a little confused.

Overall it was a good night of modern dance.  I saw two amazing pieces that I will never forget, and, despite not liking the other 2 works, I would still go back and see them again.  I have a great deal of respect for her work and her dancers.  I am looking forward to seeing more of her older works AND newer works in the future.

One more note, I realize this blog/review is a bit of a departure from my other reviews, but Buglisi’s work takes on much more serious concepts than that of Parsons or The Trocks, and, using phrases like OMG seemed a bit out of place when talking about this true artist’s work . . . .  But, don’t worry.   I’ll be back with hairflips and LMAO soon enough!  Thanks for reading and keep up the Pilates!  You’ll need it if you wanna audition for Buglisi Dance Theatre!

Photo by Nan Melville photo of "Frida" 

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Dante Puleio
Performance:  Buglisi Dance Theatre
Venue:  Joyce Theatre, New York City
Performance Date:  February 3, 2009
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