The Plank Panel take in Dances for a Small Stage 20 (Program B)
Your Legion Hall-braving Panelists:
*Maryse Zeidler:* who likes to gossip and is not that old!
*Joel DeStefano:* who proves that he’s more than a drunk boyfriend dragged to a dance thing.
Who took in Program B of *Dances for a Small Stage*, part of this year’s "PuSh Festival":http://pushfestival.ca/index.php.
*Maryse:* Well, it was another sold out night of *Dances for a Small Stage*. I must begin by acknowledging that this always popular series is a must-see for everyone in Vancouver. The dance community has a chance to get together and gossip; the average dance fan gets to see some of Vancouver’s best choreographers experiment with new pieces or redevelop old ones; and dance virgins – mostly boyfriends attending with their dance-fan girlfriends – get to drink while watching pieces that are only about 10 minutes long… and are (for the most part) _fun_! At most of the DSS shows I’ve been to, many of the choreographers take advantage of the cabaret atmosphere to try something different.
Prior to their move to the Legion on Commercial Drive, the series used to take place at a tiny bar with a tiny stage around the corner from the Dance Centre (hence the title of the series). As popularity increased, the series moved to the Legion, but has kept to its namesake by curtaining the stage to make it smaller. Judging by the disappointed throngs left outside, it seems as though it may be time for "MovEnt":http://www.movent.ca/, the producers of DSS, to find a bigger venue yet again.
I found Program B of DSS 20 to be an eclectic mix of choreographers, with a heavy influence of youthful up-and-comers. Amber Funk-Barton, Josh Beamish, Shay Kubler, ChengXin Wei… these are all the next generation of Vancouver dancers and choreographers who are grappling for their share of the scene. The pieces were beautiful and fun, and mostly superficial. It made me think of Jill Goldberg’s "review":http://www.plankmagazine.com/review/dance/risk-youth-today#comment-806 of Amber Funk-Barton’s last piece – these early pieces are still craving further development in themes, interpretation, and meaning.
What did you think Joel?
*Joel:* I wouldn’t say that they were superficial as much as they appealed to the sentiments. The “meaning” of the pieces didn’t seem to concern me so much. Dance, as an abstract and visceral form has the ability to shift and question how we respond to it. For example, the meaning of “shimmering” was beautifully enacted by Cori Caulfield in her piece _Aureole_. Her movements wonderfully embodied the hypnotic seduction of flickering light, with its continuous variation on a simple theme. Another example is Tedd Robinson’s _Relic_ which read with the simple absurdity of a zen koan: “It is much easier to fan Buddha when you are not carrying him on your back.” So, I suppose there was a certain amount of superficiality if you want to call it that, but there seemed to be some criticality with a refreshing lack irony and cynicism so common to us old folks.
*Maryse:* “Old folks”? Speak for yourself, pal.
Maybe superficial isn’t the right word. Perhaps it wasn’t so much lack of depth as much as lack of variation. Simone Orlando’s _Corral_, created in collaboration with Josh Beamish, was certainly a prime example of a work that, for me, just didn’t go anywhere. I don’t necessarily mean thematically, but the pace and emotion stayed the same throughout. It made me feel like I was watching the waves come in… Not an unpleasant effect, but just, you know, _lacking_ somehow.
Interestingly enough, it was Shay Kuebler’s _Disquiet_ that really gave me what I wanted from the evening. Not only is Kuebler a mesmerizing dancer, bouncing around the stage as though made of rubber bands, he also manages to convey his feelings about living in modern day society.
I just find it interesting that amongst all the emotive contemporary dancers, it was the b-boy who managed to convey any real feeling.
OK maybe that’s a bit harsh. All in all, it was a really fun evening, and I did enjoy the pieces. Another noteworthy piece was Chengxin Wei’s _…Of His Cello_. Besides the fact that I could watch Wei dance for hours, this simple, slightly sentimental work was worth putting down my beer for a few minutes and focusing (as best I could) on the stage.
*Joel:* You just have a thing for b-boys Maryse - accept it. It might help this feeling of lacking you’re talking about.
I suppose it depends what you want to get out of the show. With Amber Funk Barton’s _(Untitled)_, it was just fun to watch her show off her new moves with her unique urban style and energy. It was a great way to open the show. WOOO!
Now, if you asked me what Wen Wei Wang’s _Lost in Transformation_ was about I’d be at a loss. But it was a mesmerizing combination of object theatre and mask work accompanied by a disquieting score by Giorgio Magnanensi. The performance struck me the same way David Lynch’s films do. There’s a combination of seduction, dark humour and the grotesque all piled into one. I think the mask just kinda freaked me out.
There were quite a few uses of romantic art-song as accompaniment. I’m not sure if this was a pre-chosen theme, but like the music, the dances had a direct emotive response that appealed directly to the senses. I think that Crystal Pite’s _Pink Navigator_ probably epitomized this contemporary romantic sentiment. With a Brahms Intermezzo as a backdrop and its faerie-like choreography and costuming, the dance came across as a neon opium dream.
So, I suppose we didn’t see the sublime, nor did any of the works strike me the same way say a documentary on the genocide in Rwanda would, but the performances did have enough depth to keep my eyes glued to the stage. For an evening of entertainment and innovative dance, the program was spot-on.
_Program B, seen on 24 January 2009. Dances for a Small Stage is produced by MovEnt, presented through the PuSh Festival. Artistic Producers: Day Helesic and Julie-anne Saroyan. The Commissions: Tedd Robinson (Ottawa), Naomi Stikeman (Montréal), Wen Wei Wang, Simone Orlando. Also Featuring: Cori Caulfield/Coriograph Theatre, Shay Kuebler, Amber Funk Barton/the response. Chengxin Wei/Moving Dragon. For more information, take your drunken boy friend_ "here":http://pushfestival.ca/index.php?mpage=shows&spage=main&id=61#show.