Fourteen featured choreographers were panel-selected
to participate in the second annual “Breaking Ground Choreographer’s
Showcase,” presenting new, contemporary works over the course
of two evenings. Conder/dance founder and artistic director
Carley Conder says the selections were carefully considered
for content, structure, movement vocabulary, and performance
quality. Opening night featured a stylistically diverse roster
of eight pieces that were loosely focused on human relationships
and the human condition. Most of the selections were thoughtful,
well crafted and generally well performed.
Highlights from the show’s first half were
“Inevitable Connection” choreographed by Deborah DeVries and
“People Mania” by Liliana Gomez. “Inevitable Connection,”
a duet danced by Deborah DeVries and Lucio Abruzzi emphasized
the individual element of the dancers’ relationship to each
other and to the audience. The business casual costuming acted
as a pleasantly blank canvas for Devries’ lush, pliable, kinetic
descriptions of mutual support as the dancers alternately
rested on and physically supported one another. Devries and
Abruzzi danced beautifully; this piece won the greatest audience
response on opening night.
Another first half highlight was Liliana
Gomez’s “People Mania,” a mod all-female ensemble piece danced
by members of Dolce Dance Company, including Gomez herself.
Black dresses with side slits over brightly colored trunks
gave the dancers a slick, stylish look and showcased the pure,
exciting movement.
“People Mania” also did wonders to
ease the impact of “Hot Seat,” a solo choreographed by Martha
Howe that seemed both out of place and unnecessary in the
context of this show. “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder blared
as one dancer snapped her fingers, head-bopped, mugged relentlessly
and waved her hands in the air. But the discomfort was only
temporary and the rest of the show provided far more pros
than cons.
Post-intermission highlights included an
excerpt from “The Feeling of What Happens Next” by Holly Woolridge,
“Hopscotch,” by Greta Schoenberg and “Submersion” by Carley
Conder. Holly Woolridge’s “The Feeling of What Happens Next”
drew the audience into a fevered late-night glimpse of one
woman’s solitary state of mind. While dancers alternated between
innovative movement and stillness, a television set continually
displayed static from a platform upstage. The work’s protagonist,
a female dressed in white, sat rapt in front of the television
set; as the piece progressed she temporarily joined the others
on the floor only to return to her previous seated hypnosis.
The piece skillfully addressed an individual’s perceived sense
of isolated ennui that cannot be abated by the efforts of
others in close proximity.
“Hopscotch,” a short film by choreographer
and long-time friend of Conder, Greta Schoenberg, was set
among the colorful alley murals in San Francisco’s Mission
District; it was the most obscurely memorable selection of
the night. Soloist Nol Simonse, a fair, tattooed male with
a black Mohawk wearing a red one-piece mechanic’s suit transfixed
the audience as he made his way through finely articulated
tactile phrases of movement. It seemed nearly impossible that
Simonse’s entire part was improvised, an impressive fact subsequently
revealed by the ending credits. With “Hopscotch,” Greta Schoenberg
painted an abstracted relationship of the individual to his
surroundings as he carved out an organic path throughout a
gritty, urban backdrop. The audience was both spellbound and
sympathetic to Simonse’s character as the film unfolded, although
there was no particular plot or resolution. The accompanying
musical score by Gojogo and Mega-Mouse was expertly mixed
and lent yet another moody layer to this sensual feast of
a film.
Carley Conder’s “Submersion” focused on
one relationship, rather than on two people dancing; it was
a subtly woven portrait of an intimate human relationship
at its best. Dressed in serene blue costumes, the duet partnered
each other through time and space, describing an abstract
path of enviable togetherness. Conder’s movement managed to
somehow recall emotional subtleties such as forgiveness and
unconditional love without requiring the dancers to emote;
fortunately, theatrical facial expressions and literal gestures
are not always necessary to get us where we live. Through
her sophisticated and understated presentation, Conder seemed
to comfort us with a gentle reminder to appreciate whatever
really matters to each of us—what is left when all other worldly
circumstances are stripped away.
This year’s Breaking Ground concert was
a thoughtful snapshot of contemporary dance and choreography,
but also spoke to the impact of the connections we make daily
in the courses of our very human lives.
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