Katharine Hawthorne
Mainframe
ODC Theater, San
Francisco
Dec 5th, 2015
Katharine Hawthorne’s
newest full-length contemporary dance, Mainframe,
is an ensemble work. It has a cast of ten – five dancers and five old-school
computers. The computers serve multiple functions throughout the piece - as seats,
dance partners, props, set design elements, platforms and companions. And the
sixty-five minute piece is all about the convergence of and the intersection
between human behavior, machines and technology.
Before the main body of
the dance began, Mainframe offered an
introductory segment to set the mood. A see-through scrim was hung at the very
front of the stage, with columns of light set against the back wall, and four
of the five dancers present in the space. Through geometric, linear, pulsating
movements and circuits, it felt like the dancers were in a real-life, full-size
version of a video game, complete with players, routes and strategies.
Then the scrim dropped
to reveal a single, early model computer, bathed in a spotlight and situated
directly center stage. Dancer Gary Champi approached this object with equal
parts curiosity and cautiousness, a narrative that would inform much of the
dance that followed. In this pas de deux of discovery and greeting, he searched
for signs of life and reaction in this
rectangular box. And by the end of the
initial interaction, we weren’t sure what he thought about this odd new entity.
Was he frightened? Was he intrigued? Was he interested? As Champi pondered this
addition to his environment, he was joined by the rest of the cast who
resurrected the geometric, linear movements from Mainframe’s opening: shape-based poses and mechanized isolations,
some almost inspired by puppetry.
Pictured: Suzette Sagisi Photo © Ben Hersh |
Mid-way through the
work, Hawthorne devised a series of gestures, each the manifestation of a
command. From everyday computer functions to obvious physical instructions to
high-level existential directives, it was a fantastic sequence, both
conceptually and as performed by the dancers. As Mainframe moved towards its final chapter, one of the computers was
taken apart. And the process of dissection revealed a prism of feeling. There
was intrigue as to the internal components of the machine. There was
disappointment as to what was not found. There was joy in the unexpected.
Choreographically, Mainframe had some stunning and poetic
moments. Hawthorne’s work is always incredibly athletic and innovative, but Mainframe took that physicality to a new
and exciting level. It was almost as if the suspension and release foundation had
received an extra dose of contemporary technique. Multiple relevé phrases found
the dancers balancing (at length) on one foot while the working leg shifted
from position to position. Turned out grand rond de jambes soared through the
space. And this cast was certainly equal to the task.
The dancers’
relationship to one another was another striking force in Mainframe. While they spent ample time in close physical proximity
or sometimes even in contact, there was a purposeful distance, disengagement
and disconnection. In most instances, it was the computers who were their dance
partners, not each other. Seemed a befitting cultural observation – we are so
often around others, yet at the same time, completely disassociated. Engrossed
and enmeshed in technology rather than in human relationship.
As the lights dimmed on Mainframe, Champi and the computer
danced a final duet, steeped in emotion and feeling – the curiosity and
cautiousness from the beginning had given way to joyful attachment. While it
seemed a hopeful note to end on, I wonder if Hawthorne was challenging the
audience with this final image. Was this actually a happy ending? Or did it reveal
a void and sadness; a lack of human interaction?
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