Tuesday, October 29, 2024

RAWdance 20th Anniversary Home Season

RAWdance's Stacey Yuen and Juliann Witt
Photo Maximillian Tortoriello Photography

RAWdance
20th Anniversary Home Season
ODC Theater, San Francisco
October 26th, 2024

Discerning choreographic intention takes practice. And even with a lot of practice, it’s still pretty tough. Sometimes it’s obvious what a dance is about – whether it be from program notes, onstage remarks or steeped in the history of the piece. But more often than not, it’s a bit of a guessing game. Viewers weighing movement choices, score and other theatrical elements in an effort to solve the artistic puzzle at hand. This process also begs a deeper question, does it matter whether you figure out what the dancemaker intended? To some, I’m sure it matters a great deal and for a variety of reasons. Though for this audience member, I’m not sure it does. When I comment on a work, I’m sharing how I experienced a particular dance in that moment in time. While that may match the choreographic intent, it may not.  

These were the questions percolating as I took in the Saturday evening performance of RAWdance’s 20th Anniversary Home Season at ODC Theater. The collection of world premieres joined two works by co-Artistic Directors Wendy Rein and Ryan T. Smith with two pieces created by RAWdance collaborators. The program, Smith shared, was designed to cast a gaze on the future of the company, and it looks like the years ahead are going to be filled with joy and innovation.

Now back to choreographic intention. Social Circle, created by Rein and Smith, looked to etiquette. From the courtly gestures to careful gaits to delicate footwork, the hoop-skirted and crinoline-clad quartet were the picture of grace and elegance. The soundscore sang with instructions on how to comport oneself, dos and don’ts, and the foundational patterns of various dances. But as the piece wore on, it became clear that Social Circle wasn’t about following norms, rules and conventions, rather it battled against constraints and injected newness into a rigid system. Movements began to shift off-balance. Tempo increased from demure walking to full-out running. Heads and loose flinging hair swung back and forth. The upper body revolted as fully as was possible. 

One aspect of the score provided an additional narrative layer. Broken chords certainly repeated on a loop, although they alluded to a specific compositional format: an Alberti bass line. This type of structure, famed in eighteenth century classical music, uses broken chords to create fluidity. But in addition, it introduces a home anchor note, while allowing the other notes of the chord to shift and change. Consistency and experimentation present in the same moment – a perfect sound match for Social Circle. The quartet was also a great opener for the celebratory evening, though it went on a little long.

Refer choreographed and performed by company artists Kelly Del Rosario and Erin Yen was all about fun, camaraderie and entertainment. A non-contentious dance battle, b-boying, b-girling and breaking took center stage. Each had a turn showcasing their own robotic, angular and occasionally inverted movement, but they were also learning and copying each other. It was a dynamic, physical conversation and it was just terrific. 

Up next was Good Grief, a quartet from Nick Wagner and Stacey Yuen that began with a decidedly sacred, ritualistic tone. Dressed in drapey beige costuming, long embraces, bows and grounded rolls and spins imbued the early phrase material. Dancers leaned into each other and contracted in reaction to stimuli and impulses. Arms moved in a swinging pattern, only to be interrupted by body percussion. Unison played a huge role, though canon made an appearance as well. And the end of the work featured the addition of water, which again felt both ritualistic and cleansing. Good Grief was enjoyable and well-executed, though I don’t know if it defined itself enough from other modern dance compositions, at least for this viewer.

Off to a party-filled excursion with Rein and Smith’s second premiere, Escape, a group work for five set to a beachy soundscore complete with seagulls. Slowly, methodically and choreographically, the cast broke out of their business attire to reveal vacation leisurewear. As each shed their day-to-day skin, they were lifted into the air, seemingly taking flight away from the grind. A poolside quintet unfolded, full of recognizable gestures, like cleaning sunglasses. Beach towels evolved into active dance partners, facilitating sliding and spinning. But Escape wasn’t all party party. A tender mirroring sequence spoke to ‘being seen.’ One solo felt steeped in solitude and loneliness. And a children’s copying game, which began in fun, took a mean, rather nefarious turn. 

Escape was a work of Dance Theater, combining movement, scenework, props, costumes and sound. And because of that lens, it felt like it needed a bigger, or maybe just different, venue than the ODC Theater. I could imagine a big open space: piles of sand everywhere, deck chairs for the audience, bird-like figures suspended from the ceiling. I hope the company continues developing Escape - it has good bones.



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