Post:Ballet presents
“Hi-5”
Z Space, San Francisco
November 20th,
2014
Post:Ballet’s “Hi-5”
program, running this weekend at Z Space in San Francisco’s Mission District,
is all about newness. New dance, new casting, new accompaniment, new
collaboration and most notably, the company’s first ever evening-length fall
concert. In just five short years, Artistic Director Robert Dekkers, the
performing artists, and the entire Post:Ballet family have built an arts
institution that was so needed in today’s contemporary landscape – one that
holds onto technical excellence while being unafraid of risk. The results have
turned each Post:Ballet production into an anticipated event, and have endeared
the company to dance aficionados and newcomers alike.
For this debut fall
engagement, Dekkers arranged the “Hi-5” program from the oldest work (his first
for Post:Ballet) to the new world premiere. 2010’s “Flutter” is one of my
favorite pieces; not just from this troupe’s repertory, but overall. I never
tire of it and each viewing has the power to surprise. Opening night’s
performance was no exception with Jeremy Bannon-Neches, Christian Squires and
Vanessa Thiessen taking on the dynamic trio (of this group, I’d only seen
Squires dance “Flutter” before). And, for the first time ever, the
accompaniment was performed live by The Living Earth Show. “Flutter” is such a
contemporary work, yet at the same time, its structural design and construction
speak from history. The three dancers are in constant motion, moving both
independently and interdependently, like a three-part invention. Within the
unison and canoned sequences, unexpected and gorgeous deceptive cadences
abound. And if you look closely, you will see some genius fugal patterns in
Dekkers’ choreography including instances of augmentation, diminution and
inversion.
Up next was 2011’s
“Sixes and Seven”, a delicate, specific solo full of intricacies. Again having
seen this piece before, I was struck by how new casting has the capacity to
change a work, not only providing an opportunity to see company artists in
different roles, but also revealing new aspects of choreography. Tetyana
Martyanova brought a fresh articulation and intonation to “Sixes and Seven”. As
she approached each step, whether large or small, her attack was strong, yet
elegant.
The physically stark “Yours
is Mine” is not brand new – Dekkers choreographed it this
summer for Atlanta
Ballet and it was also featured earlier this week in DanceFAR’s benefit gala.
But for much of the San Francisco audience, “Yours is Mine” was a new
experience. It begins with a competitive, animalistic trio (Bannon-Neches,
Squires and Aidan DeYoung) who, when faced with a change in their environment,
react combatively to that altered circumstance. Acrobatics and martial arts
inform the choreography and blend seamlessly with the contemporary (and even
some traditional) physical vocab. Just over half way through, Raychel Diane
Weiner enters the picture and at once, everything changes, drastically and
dramatically. Her hypnotic energy places the men into a trance-like state; like
she was casting a spell on them with her presence and with her movement.
Pictured: Raychel Diane Weiner with Jeremy Bannon-Neches, Aidan DeYoung and Christian Squires in "Yours is Mine" Photo: Natalia Perez |
Closing the “Hi-5”
program was the world premiere of “Do Be: Tassel”, the first installment of a yearlong
collaboration between Post:Ballet and The Living Earth Show. This piece is
theatrical, unexpected and incredibly post-modern. One of the primary tenets driving
the post-modern genre (in dance, at least) is how the line between life and art
is porous and blurry. “Do Be: Tassel” aptly captures this sentiment. The stage
is transformed into a living/dining room scene and the cast begins the piece posed
amongst that set. A movement phrase of different postures evolves, which is
communicated in several forms - sometimes the cast is in unison; sometimes
dancers only do half of the sequence before moving on; or occasionally someone
joins in part-way through. And while dancing, the ensemble is also in the
process of taking off their costumes, and so, “Do Be: Tassel” unfolds in
various states of dress and undress. Towards the end, the cast furiously throws
clothing out of suitcases and chooses new items to wear. This disorganized moment
is both delicious and poignant because process is messy. The space between life
and art is not neat and tidy; it isn’t tied up in a perfect package. “Do Be: Tassel”
breaks facades, digs beneath the surface and is committed to sparking a
conversation about this reality.
Post:Ballet in "Do Be: Tassel" Photo: Tricia Cronin |
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