I’m a Jersey boy, loud and proud.  It wasn’t until I moved to London at 19 to study dance did i begin to question or understand my heritage.  I would tell people,”oh ya know, I’m 1/4 French, 1/4 Italian, a little German etc.. and my English friends would say, “Are you baking a cake? A little of this a little of that? What are you talking about? YOU’RE AMERICAN!”

So what is it to be American?  Martha Graham asked this question over 80 years ago, and never found an answer.  The Martha Graham Dance Company revisited this question with their newest work in collaboration with SITI Acting Company, American Document (2010) and through this mind blowing, brave new work came to many beautifully interesting and thought provoking conclusions that Martha herself would have been proud to see come to life.

The stage is bare except for a drum and a briefcase.  The curtain is raised long before the house lights go out, and, without warning, an actor walks on stage directly to the briefcase, takes out some paper work, dons a pair of glasses and begins to read to the audience as actors and dancers begin to harmoniously fill the stage with the all too familiar shapes and floor patterns specific to the Graham vocab.  You can barely tell which are the actors and which are the dancers.  The execution is totally flawless.

American Document (2010) unfolds through poetry of Walt Whitman, writings of Jack Keroac, letters from soldiers of the Iraqi War, being followed by gorgeous selections of choreography that intertwine each monologue or conversation, seamlessly flowing from one minute into the next until you reach the emotional end of a very probing ride.

American Document (2010) makes you surrender to the hidden thoughts we all have, surrender to answering questions maybe we’re too afraid to ask ourselves, surrender to accepting that, good or bad, Americans are a people of a rich diversity with blood on our hands and love in our hearts. We are a social contract and we are a melting pot of immigrants.  Illegal or not, we are all American.   Quite honestly, I am afraid to say anymore about some of the sections without giving too much away.  American Document (2010) is absolutely not to be missed.  It is a PHENOMENAL and important contemporary work.  It is sure to be a new masterpiece for the Graham repertory.

The next selection of the evening is Sketches from ‘Chronicle‘ which I discovered from the artistic director, Janet Eilber’s post intermission speech, is a piece that was created in a response to an invitation to perform in Germany during the turbulent pre WWII era when so many of her friends, people she knew and artists she respected, were being persecuted.  She declined the invitation…  Well this season at the Joyce, this work ferociously stands up to its meaning and its devastatingly reverent history.  I have never seen such power, such unity, and such strength as I see in these women. Jennifer DePalo is fiercely insane in her control and abandon; not to mention, her army of women are nothing short of Goddesses of dance in Steps in the Street and Prelude to Action.   Watching these ladies perform this piece, I can only imagine that it must be a real privilege to be apart of such beauty, power, and grace.  Their artistic interpretation and scientific precision is incomparable!  LOVE LOVE LOVE!!

What is it to be an American?   What is it to be a Graham dancer?  The answers can only be found by experiencing WHAT IT IS in which this outstanding company has to offer.

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Dante Puleio
Performance:  Martha Graham Dance Company
Venue:  The Joyce Theatre
Show Date:  June 8, 2010
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Fall for Dance is a wonderful, relatively new program (founded in 2004) that features excerpts from the works of over twenty-five international dance companies over a ten evening run.  This is a great opportunity for the public to be exposed to a wide variety of dance, and perhaps develop an affinity for certain artists, resulting in continued patronage. Tickets are only $10, making Fall for Dance a fantastically affordable event.

This year Fall for Dance is recognizing the 100th anniversary of Ballets Russes by including eight pieces that are the classic works or contemporary works inspired by repertoire from Les Ballets Russes, including Noces with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal.  Les Ballets Russes is historically one of the revolutionary dance companies created by Serge de Diaghilev in the early 20th century. Diaghilev revolutionized the theater with his blending of various art forms into the production of a dance performance, incorporating the works by top notch choreographers, painters and composers such as Vaslav Nijinsky, Michel Fokine, Leonid Massine, Bronislava Nijinska, Pablo Picasso, Leon Bakst, Igor Stravinsky, Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy.  Fall for Dance follows the path set out by Diaghilev by bringing together diverse dance artists into one performance, to the annual delight of audiences in New York City.

Martha Graham Dance Company

Diversion of Angels

The Martha Graham Dance Company is as inherently American as Coca-Cola.  The dancers make such clean shapes, articulate expressions.  Guttural contractions spur movement.  Figures dance in patterns of shapes repeated like video game animation. Ladies wear lovely dance dresses designed by Martha herself, elegant, free flowing skirts that wrap modestly around to cover the legs. The men are topless wearing shiny tan tights, eye candy better than Dove chocolates-thank you, Martha!   With fingers touching at the breastbone, palms open, elbows extending upwards to reveal the inner softness of the arms forming the shape of a heart, I fall in love with the Graham dancers. This classic Graham piece is indeed all about love, featuring three women dancers in bright colors of red, yellow and white- highlighting certain aspects of the female life experience.  The woman in white embodies a mature person enjoying her golden years, gracefully gliding about with a smooth air of poise and sophistication.  The lady in red displays moves that are passionate and romantic.  The girlish dancer in yellow spritely darts about with evervescent leaps.  The women in this ballet are graceful and powerful, and I am grateful to Martha Graham for bringing such positive, classy images of women to the stage.  Diversion of Angels is a lovely work worthy of its place in the repertoire of American dance.

Tangueros del Sur

Romper el Piso (excerpt)

With choreography by the Artistic Director Natalia Hills, this world premiere tells the tale of tango in earth riveting steps.  The dancers emerge dressed in earth tones, as if dressed in the leather and wood that if pieced together, create the drum.  United in rhythm they circle up stepping in time; the group becomes the embodiment of a drum.  The whole of the work is presented exceptionally, with a simple yet fantastic stage design that dramatically underscores and supports the development of the dance.  This performance would be a wonderful gift or date opportunity filled with passionate displays of physical romance.  The music is superb, certainly something one might plug onto their iPod while riding the NYC Subways.  The stage experience is unbeatable, as the pulsating music is played live by musicians onstage.

A glamorous woman dances a seductive tango with a man, who rips away her black dress at the end of the dance, to reveal that the flashes of hot pink satin we thought were just underskirts are actually of a slip dress.  The woman now in pink is approached by a new dancing partner and a new sultry dance begins.  The fast footwork in these tangos is impressive as it is dangerous, some seriously spiky sharp stilettos kicking and strutting about weaving and darting about other legs and feet.  These dances will leave you craving more hotness than a single serving of Doritos Nacho Cheesier! This company offers a fresh perspective on tango, apart from the overly sexualized and bare-all takes on tango recently popular in shows such as “Burn the Floor” and “Dancing with the Stars.” Here the tango feels real, shown from its organic beginnings to its sophistication and popularity among socialites; this dance is meant for everyone.  The dancers in this company are stylishly sexy with class, engaging the audience with intent gazes, and powerfully owning up to the dance. Even the final bows are utilized choreographically incorporating dance and a glimpse into the dancers’ celebration of that moment shared onstage.  Bravo, dancers!

 
Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company

Softly as I Leave You

Softly as I Leave You is a must-see work with psychologically intricate choreography by Lightfoot Leon.  Lightfoot Leon is actually two people, husband and wife, and perhaps it is from this beautiful living relationship that such beautiful art is created.  Centerstage is a closet-like box in which former Alonzo King’s LINES dancer Drew Jacoby seems trapped.  She slides down one side, bouncing side to side, morphing grotesque movements into graceful geometric presentations.  A captivating duet that captures the importance of what’s not being said, this piece forces you to look in between the lines to discover the meaning of the movement. Though a duet, this piece is emotionally riveting as the action happens more through solos, enhancing the subtlest interactions between the dancers.  One dancer’s still presence on stage is highlighted in the lighting, creating suspense and landscape for the other’s intensely focused solo:  Drew Jacoby slowly pacing the stage as partner Rubinald Pronk demonstrates the dexterity of his limbs.  One poignant moment in the ballet is when Drew Jacoby and Rubinald Pronk are seemingly trapped together in the box, lifting each other alternately supporting, though visibly estranged.  Left alone in the box, Rubinald Pronk sinks defeated as Drew Jacoby steps out of our lit view into an unknown future of unseen space, and lights fade on the stage.  Softly as I Leave You speaks to the soul with a beautiful blend of music by Arvo Part and Johann Sebastian Bach.  At the conclusion of the ballet, I sense the audience’s heart-wrenching reactions. . .  I am sitting a few seats behind Artistic Director and Founder of Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, Christopher Wheeldon, who looks pleased with the presentation of the piece, all the while accepting well deserved compliments from those around him.

Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal

Noces

Noces features music by Igor Stravinsky, and choreography by Stijn Celisin.  The curtains rise as four long lonely pews are seen angled about the stage with one man sitting hunched over at the end of each. The stage looks skeletal with no wings exposing the rope and chain riggings backstage, chandeliers dangling and a backdrop with the appearance of an empty church.  The dance features abstract depictions of societal views of the marriage ritual.  Incredible staging organizes twelve couples occupying the space, moving about chaotically then aligning in perfect formation.  Intense and provocative, the women wear incredible individualized costumes inspired by wedding gowns yet looking as if they just stepped off a runway.  The dancers’ faces are painted like sinister clowns and at times the men seem to be manipulating their partners like puppets.  The piece is powerful and full of unanticipated twists and well-coordinated movement of set pieces. . .  a definite must-see!

This Fall for Dance program is wonderfully arranged with a wide variety of dance.  There is certainly something for everyone, and the performances are indeed priced for everyone!  It is a real treat to see such different dance forms within the same evening.  Fall for Dance is a hot ticket, so make sure you keep your calendars marked for when tickets go on sale next year, because they will go fast!

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Lea McGowan
Performance: Fall for Dance 2009
Choreography: Martha Graham, Natalia Hills, Lightfoot Leon, Stijn Celisin
Venue: City Center, New York City 
Performance Date: Thursday September 24, 2009
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