Ok, I don’t how most of you may feel about contact improv, I know how I feel about it…. eew, don’t touch me, Hello?  Swine flu!!  But, I have to say, when guided by a charming, intelligent, and beautiful dancer such as Jill Johnson of the Forsythe Company, it is a completely different experience.

It is a nasty, cold, rainy, Saturday morning, and to be honest, I may still be feeling the effects of my Friday night, so I am not looking forward to three hours in a dance studio after spending the last 40 hours of my week rehearsing…. but I schlep my way down to Baryshnikov Studios anyway.  (I mean what is it with these dance studios being all the way over on 10th Avenue anyway?)   After getting myself warm and ready, she pops in some music by Ray Charles and begins with some basic body crossing exercises that she says stimulates both the right and left side of the brain.  We carry this idea of cross body/brain stimulation into circular exercises focusing on how to relate the hips to the shoulders, elbows to knees, and hands to feet.

We work on this through an individual group improv exploring new pathways for ourselves and extending this idea into folding our bodies, using this for getting down to and up from the floor.  Through all of these different exercises, she plays a variety of music ranging from Korean rap music to even Justin Timberlake.  Before I know it, I am partnered up with a very talented dancer and we are flying through the studio across the floor creating some beautiful and fun movement using everything we have worked on…. and BAM… It is 1:00pm and the workshop is over.

Hearing Forsythe one never really knows what to expect, but what you can expect is an excellent caliber of whatever it is you’ll be doing.  Although I am not a fan of contact improv, I am definitely excited and now inspired by Jill Johnson’s workshop, and I highly recommend checking her out when she’s in your neighborhood!  She is just what the Doctor ordered; after Jill’s class, I am feeling refreshed and magically cured of my ails from dancing all week (and partying all night).  Take 2 of these and call me in the morning!

Workshop Fee: $40
Student Discount: $29.99
(Use code STUD online www.smarttix.com or by phone 212-868-4444)
Group Discount (3 or more): $25 each (Group reservations can only be made by phone 212-868-4444)
This workshop series continues through June 2010.

FUTURE DATES
Dec 12, 2009, 1 PM – 4 PM
Jan 23, 2010, 3 PM – 6 PM
Feb 13, 1 PM – 4 PM
Mar 13, 1 PM – 4 PM
Apr 3, 1 PM – 4 PM
May 15, 1 PM – 4 PM
Jun 5, 1 PM – 4 PM

 
iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Dante Puleio
Workshop:  Forsythe Workshop with William Forsythe protégé Jill Johnson
Instructor:  Jill Johnson

Venue:  The Studios of Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC)
Review Date:  Saturday, November 14, 2009
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Not many people choose to do a solo show and there’s a reason for it.  It’s a masochistic endeavor, physically and emotionally exhausting, and if the show fails, there’s no one to blame but yourself.  Perhaps it’s French performer Pierre Rigal’s past as a competitive athlete that has instilled in him the necessary discipline, physical endurance, and appetite for self-punishment to do a solo show.  Factor in his studies in mathematics and cinema, and the result is a virtuosic hour-long performance of meticulously calculated movement displayed in a mesmerizing visual environment.

The entirety of Press takes place within the confines of a box, a small room, a cubicle. Although obvious associations arise, the box serves more as a visual element and facilitator of movement than as a metaphor.  It’s brilliantly designed to clarify focus.  It’s the only space that’s lit.  Nothing exists outside the box, amplifying what goes on inside the box, and drawing us into his performance.

Rigal stands in a black suit, a model of perfection, like a Hugo Boss ad.  The ceiling is just above his head so that he can reach up and touch it to facilitate his spiraling turns.  His movements are controlled, precise, perfect.  Then for a moment he starts to go haywire like a robot malfunctioning.  It’s the first hint of distress.

Nihil Bordures’ electronic sound score creates an eerie mechanical atmosphere, like that of a boiler room.  There’s a feeling of uneasiness and impending danger.  With a thunderous sound, the ceiling presses downwards and stops right at the top of Rigal’s head.  At this point it is apparent that the ceiling will continue to "press" down in intervals until the inevitable crushing end.

Each time the ceiling stops, it’s at a height precisely planned to correspond to the dimensions of Rigal’s body and offer acrobatic opportunities.  With it at head height, he stands on his head, feet on the ceiling, and hands in his pockets.  It’s a surreal image of a world turned up-side-down. Reoccurring clever moments like this infuse the hopeless situation with humor.

The second press stops at shoulder level and with his head bent forward, Rigal creates a convincing silhouette of a headless man.  He’s a magician with movement.  Later he runs frantically in one spot, slipping and getting nowhere, Fuerza Bruta style only without a treadmill, just a slippery floor and a mastery of movement.

The space is compressed further, leaving a horizontal gap, a claustrophobic sideways world. Then the ceiling retreats, suggesting that perhaps he’s not doomed to being crushed.  But how else could it end?  It finally descends completely, and like the lowering of the curtain, the show is over.

Pierre Rigal’s performance is riveting from start to finish.  His movement quality, and maintained intensity is awe inspiring.  It’s not until he comes forward for the bow that he relaxes and shows any sign of being human.  With heavy breath and dripping sweat, it’s like he just came through hell, and in a way, he did.

Pierre Rigal in "Press," Photography by Frédéric Stoll

iDANZ Critix Corner Official Dance Review by Julie Fotheringham Performance: Pierre Rigal, Press Venue: Baryshnikov Arts Center, New York City Date: September 10, 2009 www.iDANZ.com

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