EIGHT/MOVES
Season 2
ODC Theater, San Francisco
September 12th, 2025
Consider the sophomore experience – a second year typically associated with high school, college and university. Sophomores are not new to their particular game, but at the same time, they haven’t been around forever. They have some footing under their belt, and simultaneously, they are still learning to navigate complexities. Sophomore year is an epic journey filled with curiosity, risk-taking, triumphs and important lessons.
EIGHT/MOVES, a newer addition to the San Francisco contemporary dance scene under the Artistic Direction of Mia J. Chong, is having a great sophomore season. After debuting last August at Z Space, this past weekend the company moved to ODC Theater for their second offering. A triple bill of work from different choreographic perspectives, the evening joined two world premieres with an encore from last year’s inaugural performances.
While not at all necessary, throughlines were definitely present in the program. First was that all three pieces shared urgent commentary on climate and the environment. Second, each dance featured clouds as a theatrical device – Chong’s Wasteland, clouds of plastic refuse; Tsai His Hung’s The End, clouds of ash and dust; and Steam, by Chong and KT Nelson, billowing clouds of smoke. Last, all three works were captivating, topical and well-danced by the entire company, though there was one that stood out from the group.
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| Douglas Gillespie and Lani Yamanaka in Hung's The End Photo Natalia Perez |
Hung’s world premiere duet The End was a full throttle ride from beginning to blackout. Danced by Douglas Gillespie and Lani Yamanaka, everything about the movement was primal and desperate. Ash fell from the rafters center stage while masses of sand and dirt emanated around the couple. Angular movement abounded. Legs flew into extension; arms pierced the air. The physical syntax was grounded and extreme. There was rage. There was anger. And while the program notes don’t make any specific reference to environmental concerns, the ash combined with the desperate, palpable urgency gave an undeniably apocalyptic tone. I immediately wanted to see it again.
The lights went up on the premiere of Chong’s Wasteland to reveal plastic material strewn about the stage serving as both scenic design and props. Dancers would swim and slide through the piles of waste, their costumes evolving as pieces of the plastic were added and layered. Kinetic, precise and gestural movement phrases unfolded amidst and within the created landscape. A solo for Crystaldawn Bell stood out for its engagement with the vista. As she brushed against the plastic, movement would initiate at the point of contact. A hip jutted forward, a leg floated to the ground.
I remember enjoying Nelson and Chong’s Steam when I first saw it last year, and I continued to enjoy it at this second viewing. The threatening smoke that seeped onto the stage from the wings. The breathing and short of breath motifs. The floaty suspensions. The robotic pulsing. Engaging and unique, the dancers performed the choreography flawlessly. But I do think that Steam was more powerful and effective in a huge, cavernous venue like Z Space. In ODC’s smaller theater, the largess and ominous nature of the smoke didn’t read quite as well.
While very different compositions, Wasteland and Steam shared commonalities. Far beyond the fact that both were sextets. Each had riveting movement. Each had a terrific cast. Each took an important topical dive into our current climate crisis. And in each, the physical vocabulary occurred within that particular container. Though for me, I didn’t feel many instances where the movement actually felt reflective of the container. Amazing choreography and penetrating concepts, no question. But the connective tissue was a bit tenuous.
