Lukes’s “Saint Quentin” draws inspiration from the unorthodox works of American composer Henry Cowell, who was arrested under California’s anti-sodomy laws in 1936 and imprisoned in one of America’s most notorious One of the most notorious prisons. For MMC performances, pianists George Lykogiannis played Two actions in one setis one of the works written by Cowell during his time at San Quentin, during which time he continued to compose works, teach music students, and even conduct the prison orchestra. However, this backstory doesn’t prepare you for Lux’s choral movement, which is the perfect partner for music that expresses bold tenacity and transcendence.
for towards the sunWith music composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto, Finlay expresses both a celebration of nature and a lament for the natural treasures we have lost and continue to lose. The work is inspired by Glacier National Park in Montana and the ice and waterways of Greenland, which are threatened by climate change. Lukes’s ensemble visualizes the energy of Cowell’s unusual music, while Finlay’s orderly and precise placement and movement paint a detailed, stunning landscape – one that is cold, raw The beauty and fragility of the landscape. exist Break the rulesGuy similarly fills the stage with dancers, often clustered together and moving in consistent abstract patterns. Gay’s vision, however, called for more fluidity and taffy-like elasticity within and between bodies in various configurations—quartets, quintets, solos, duos, and more.
All three works pose considerable challenges to the performers’ skills, coordination and expressiveness. Overall, these tests were met. But then Gudi arrived holy flight—or, as she prefers, dvine flights~. Please imagine what my keyboard cannot recreate: lowercase letters d in the lower left corner of the capital letter D.
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| Scene from holy flight (Photo: Molly Ore) |
Performers: Foreground: Charlene Longchamp, Alyssa Marten, Ariadne Viloria, Kelly Dresner, Hidden: Isabelle Julien, Background: Elias Colado
Charlene Longchamp (dark-skinned dancer) wears white pleated sheer linen pants and orange cropped top, arms raised, slumped backwards Isabelle Julien (hidden) Alyssa Marten In arms, the latter wears an orange sheer top and white sweatpants with a glittery net covering half their heads: Ariadne Viloria (backstage) orange top and white bottoms, Kelly Dresner in a white top with thin straps and pink buttons. Everyone was in a shallow lunge position, arms stretched out towards Charlene, who was falling.
Elias Colado, purple sleeveless top and white bottoms, in a flexed position in a spin with arms crossed.
It’s clear that as the show approaches, Goody’s work will figure prominently, and rightfully so.
This ensemble work is rooted in real-life intimacy, in the love and intense complexity between Goody and her sister, who died of lymphoma more than a year ago. If you don’t know this history and happened to see it dvine flights~you might question the sequence in which the dancers lift and carry the wooden coffin on which lies the motionless body. Nothing else in the look of the work suggests death or provides any platform for it. The work celebrates the rigor and excitement of black dance, evoking the rhythmic and percussive styles of black people in West Africa and the Midwest. In doing so, Goody unexpectedly and magically unifies the intention and spirit of the program’s previous dances, heightening their relevance.
In the world of Gudi’s imagination, the stage is full of vibrant colors, the background projections suggest hazy memories of city blocks, and the bustling dance declares that “life is here.” Life is rich. We are a rich and generous people.
The students’ dance movements are full of powerful release and ripples of joy, dvine flights~ It’s a tribute to a loved one, a fever dream, and a declaration of victory. For those of us who are alive, it is the continued flow of life into the future that we create because we are able.
Eva O Asantewa
infinite bodyDecember 8, 2024
