Z Space, San Francisco
October 3rd,
2014
When describing dance
performance, I tend to use the verbs ‘reviving’ and ‘restaging’ interchangeably.
But actually there is a huge difference between the two. Classical and
contemporary companies restage work all the time – there may be a new cast, or
it may be in a new space, though for the most part, these are restatements of existing
repertoire. Revivals take things a step further. Yes, they may also have a different
cast and be on a different stage, but revivals breathe new life into a work.
Joe Goode Performance Group’s fall program (presented with Z Space) is a shared
program of revivals – two distinct works that are still on an artistic journey.
The evening opened with Goode’s
iconic piece from 1987, “29 Effeminate Gestures”, performed by Melecio
Estrella. The work begins in striking extremes. Estrella starts in the audience
wearing mechanic overalls and a trucker hat. He slowly makes his way onto the
stage space where he destroys a chair with a chainsaw. Estrella then moves
upstage left,
converts the top of his jumpsuit into a belt, and in his newly
revealed shimmery purple tube top, begins the circuit of “29 Effeminate
Gestures”. While these initial scenes seem opposed, the genius of the work is
in their fluidity. As the solo continues, the original set of gestures remains
but they are also simultaneously morphed into another state of being. This
process is seamless and continuous with no defined moment of transition. It
happens right before your eyes yet it is impossible to pinpoint the instants
where the experience changes.
Pictured: Melecio Estrella in "29 Effeminate Gestures" Photo: RJ Muna |
An ensemble work, 2008’s
“Wonderboy” is a vision of what the present day and future can be, a comment on
the space between reality and imagination and a discussion of fear. Under
Goode’s Artistic Direction, each of these themes are explored and examined
through the eyes of a boy, a puppet created and constructed for this project by
collaborating Director of Puppetry, Basil Twist. The concept is cool; the
communication is clear and the construction is clever, and it is in this last area
that the piece makes one of its most significant achievements. “Wonderboy” is
definitely a narrative tour-de-force, though its structure, form and style speak
to the evolving nature of dance theater itself. Goode’s dance theater thinks
outside the box with a unique combination of movement, scenework, text, music,
humor and depth. And in “Wonderboy”, the absurdity and bizarreness that is
typical of many dance theater works is not at play and it is not missed.
Successful dance theater should not be defined by a list of characteristics and
tenets, but by the trajectory of each individual work and Goode’s “Wonderboy” bravely
marks its own path. On the whole, the piece was very dance-y, and that was
terrific – Goode’s movement vocabulary and choreography is compelling and the
dancers are phenomenal. But, the many choreographic segments were very alike. This
entire group also has an incredible (and rare) musical talent, which rightly finds
its way into much of the company’s work, including “Wonderboy”. But the musical
interjections are starting to blend together. From one piece to the next, it’s the
same harmonies, the same vocal tone, the same dynamics, the same tempi, and so
how the music relates to each specific piece is getting a little lost.
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