The Thick Rich
Ones
CounterPULSE,
San Francisco
June 28, 2013
Like any art
practice, contemporary and modern dance has gone through and continues to
embrace different trends - structural works void of story (“dance for dance’s
sake”), genre fusion, site-specific collaborations, technological injections of
‘new media’ and one of the most popular, dance theater. And while trends, or
the notion of ‘being trendy’, may come across as negative to some, it doesn’t have
to be that way. Trends can also lead to clearer discernment. Being surrounded
by a particular choreographic style actually makes it easier to tell what’s
good and what’s not. The Thick Rich Ones’ “Minced Meat” definitely falls into
the good, if not great, category. With this production, Artistic Directors and
co-choreographers Jochelle Pereña and Ashley Trottier have reminded the viewer
(and the dance community at large) that when dance theater works, it really
works. “Minced Meat” is filled with the expected dance theater characteristics:
bizarre absurdity, deranged humor, repetition and artistic collage. But most
important, the seventy-five minute piece has a deep and purposeful egalitarianism,
which, in the face of the odd and the campy, makes it relatable, comforting and
familiar.
As the
audience entered the CounterPULSE theater, they were welcomed to a party full
of craziness, comedy, shocking displays and intimate interactions. The stage
and costume design suggested late 1960s/early 1970s, almost like a scene plucked
from Sondheim and Furth’s “Company”. The cast mingled with the patrons,
introducing themselves and chatting while serving champagne and hotdogs. And so,
from the very beginning, the porous line between the audience and the performer
had been replaced with a more egalitarian notion of engagement and participation
(of course at differing levels). As the lights dimmed and the dance
‘officially’ began, the established egalitarianism continued. New party guests
arrived and we were introduced to a kooky cast of characters. Though each personality
was completely over the top, the group represented the wide spectrum of individuals
you might encounter at any typical gathering: the fun social butterfly, the
quiet loner, the pretentious snob, and the over-imbibed. Similarly, if you
broke down the narrative themes (which had all been made highly theatrical in
true dance theater fashion) to their essence and core, what emerged were relevant,
applicable issues that anyone can connect with: fickleness, jealousy, envy,
need. Pereña and Trottier had woven the thread of relatability through the
prelude, the setting, and really every seam of “Minced Meat”. A conceptual
triumph, the audience was not only imagining themselves at this party, they
were truly present. This is how you make successful dance theater.
Pereña and
Trottier’s choreographic acumen and the company’s technical abilities shone in
two separate quartets, one for the women and one for the men. Both had creative
choreography that was steeped in narrative strength. The four women danced a
variation utilizing Graham-inspired pleadings; innocent and tortured at the
same time. At one moment, the methodical, meditative series spoke to a soothing
calm, yet the sudden deep contraction also had a jarring, violent quality. An
empty table became a canvas of individual and collective discovery in the men’s
quartet. Their movement reflected and revealed a complex self-awareness
alongside a sense of camaraderie; alone and together, they were searching for
something. Satisfaction? Enough? Happiness? Maybe all of the above.
Pictured: Katherine McGinity, Ashley Trottier and Jochelle Pereña Photo: Weidong Yang |
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