Photo by Jen Philips
Saint Mary’s College MFA in Dance Program presents
Fragments
Dance Mission Theater, San Francisco
January 26, 2019
Review by Ashley Gayle
On an evening in late January of 2019, the Saint Mary’s College Cohort 4 presented their latest choreographic works within a program at Dance Mission Theater. Hosted by Andrew Merrell, Fragments showcased pieces that ranged in style and emotion. I really enjoyed the presentation, especially after reviewing their work back in June 2018 and seeing thoughts continue or take a new direction.
Alex Beaty started the show with a great, full body dance. With a cast of five dancers, the piece “Undefined” started with dancers slowly crawling in and out of the space with very parallel pathways, then gradually picked up the pace and moved into gestural phrases. There was a lot of peeling in and out of the space, hints of unison phrases that were very satisfying, plus highlights for each dancer that included a lift or fall, which added to the storyline. As the group movement progressed with directional changes and stepping patterns, Beaty closed the loop by having them break away into the beginning sequence of crawling out of the space.
The dancers were dressed in simple clothes, all using an earth tone color palette, yet still having very individual looks, which made the feeling of looking at five individuals read well. The piece felt very thought out and realized, plus the movement vocabulary was interesting and energetic. I would challenge Beaty to develop more relationships between the dancers, highlight more of the individual characters and build a narrative that could cycle through the piece. As much as I loved it, I didn’t walk away with any thoughts or questions, which I do hope Beaty will consider developing, as the piece is full of potential.
For the second piece of the evening, Taylor Santero choreographed a duet titled “Summit." It started with one dancer on the floor, rotating around herself in a singular spotlight. Eventually another dancer walked in slowly. The space was entirely silent for about 2 minutes, and there was an eerie feeling in the air. After some time investigating their worlds on their own, the two dancers eventually connected through a mirror image sequence. After another drop to silence, one walked away as the other ended with the lights fading out. Both dancers were dressed in nude attire, and both had a sort of wet look to their hair. I would challenge Santero to be clearer with the direction and intention of the piece, because it never felt fully realized to me. I wasn’t sure of the storyline or what the audience was suppose to take away from the piece. The work had a lot of drama, so I would ask Santero to really bring their idea to full life if this work gets presented again.
For the first solo of the night, Lisa Tenorio performed in her own work titled “A Horizon Full of Sails.” I was excited to see this piece, as it seemed like a sequel to the dance film she presented back in June. It started with Tenorio on her knees, looking around the space, swaying side to side as we see a white sheet hung up behind her. She went in and out of dance movement, which was accompanied by farming gestures and very pedestrian feelings of a woman out in her village. We hear tribal music, water splashing, and light drumming, which all helped set the scene. She eventually rose, danced with the sheet, and ended with singing. Overall I really enjoyed the beauty of this piece; it was relatable and clear. Tenorio’s movement had an ease to it which I wish we saw incorporated into the piece more often. My only suggestion is maybe rethinking the interaction with the sheet. How can she make it more useful and exciting in relationship to the overall flow of the piece?
For the last piece of the first half, we saw Andrea Pardi’s “Somewhere On Earth,” which had a cast of 8 dancers. It started with a group of dancers upstage, dressed in brown unitards, shaped as a big tree with branches wrapped around some of the standing dancers. We heard popping sounds, and a male dancer broke through dirt with a beautiful solo incorporating floorwork and gestures that lead him to the tree. A woman appeared, and the two connected with one another in a very primal way, ending with a strong embrace full of affection. They are both tempted by the tree bearing apples, so after a struggle with temptation, they grab one. The piece ended with them almost being tempted again, yet decide to back away slowly.
I really enjoyed the clarity of the piece, and it felt very much like the story of Adam and Eve. I also appreciated the movement vocabulary of the dance phrases, very raw and full of emotion. I enjoyed having the “live” moving tree, but it was also a disappointment in the sense that I expected it to grow into something more instead of mostly being a static prop. I would invite Pardi to put her own, unique spin on the classic Adam and Eve story, so the ending isn’t predictable and offers the audience a fresh perspective.
Coming back from intermission, we got to experience a unique piece by Grace Maxwell with a trio of dancers. We saw a work area with a table and two chairs seating two dancers, plus another seating area with one dancer on her cell phone. The main dancer is clearly working on her laptop, coffee in hand, when the male dancer comes to her area and instantly starts doing small things that are incredibly annoying, like putting his cup down right in front of her, or hitting her with his elbow. It started with a sense of humor as “Why Can’t We Be Friends” plays, however it quickly shifted to become overly annoying, then quite unbearable, as Maxwell picked up the pace of the repeated gestures as the music shifted to a screeching sound. Eventually the scene shifts, the main dancer spirals into a freak out, the other two dancers “watch her,” the third dancer using the flashlight on her phone to catch it all. It’s revealed that there are golf balls in the cups, but when the main dancer opens hers, it’s just eggshells. The piece ends with her trying to put the eggshells back together, an endlessly hopeless task.
I think Maxwell did a great job using repetition and making a piece so relatable to the world we live in. I appreciated the range of emotion in the piece and her ability to take a very simple everyday occurrence and turn it into a statement. I think one thing I would have enjoyed is more connection to the spiral down of the main dancer and the ending. I think there was a lot of build up in the beginning, and it would have been nice to dive into the end just as much.
The next piece of the evening was a trio choreographed by Katie Ginn, titled “A natural or involuntary series of changes.” It started with 2 boxes onstage with a diagonal relationship, and we see two dancers with tissue paper wrapped around them. They dance alongside each other, then a third dancer enters from the audience, behaving as mostly an observer for quite some time. The movement is slow, lots of circling, a bit of weight share. There seems to be an imaginary divide between them. Eventually there is some interaction with the observing dancer, who may catch them when they fall or initiate movement, then eventually releases tissue paper on them. The piece ends in silence as the observer leaves the stage and the two dancers float on. This piece definitely felt like a continuation of the work Ginn showcased in the June showing. With that in mind, I thought this held true to her previous statement. I do wish there were more emotional moments or dynamic shifts that could spark more energy into the work to keep it engaging. There were moments when it fell flat for me and I couldn’t grasp her direction.
For the final duet of the evening, the audience was able to enjoy “Waiting for Translation” choreographed by Melisa Cervantes. Dressed in burgundy layers, the two women immediately captured the viewers’ attention with a strong presence and vibrant movement quality. The space was exposed and highlighted the dancers’ trajectory with a very diagonal relationship with one another and the stage. Cervantes’ choreography offered lots of contact and weight share, clear shapes, and investigation of the body. Both dancers had a very raw energy that sparked the space. The only thing I would suggest for Cervantes to think about is the relationship between the dancers, which felt a bit unclear to me. I think a moment to break from the vibe that was established could have effectively offered something different, a direct message to the audience. I also left wondering what final statement Cervantes wanted us to walk away with?
To end the evening, choreographer Sonia Chapa presented a solo titled “Embrujo,” a lovely Flamenco piece danced gracefully by one of her dancers. I appreciated the simplicity and poise of the work, which was filled with so much joy, beauty, and passion. The movement vocabulary offered sharp accents accompanied with a gooey softness rotating in and out of the dancer’s body. Chapa’s choreography utilized the space extremely well considering it was a solo, and felt very full in terms of story and emotion. It was refreshing to be able to just enjoy pure movement without feeling the need of a trick or “wow!” moment. However, my one suggestion to Chapa would be to consider breaking the flow once or twice to find stillness or a simple energy shift that could give the piece a second layer beneath what she’s already instilled.
Ashley Gayle is a dancer, teacher, and choreographer residing in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is co-director of Visceral Roots Dance Company. For more info visit www.visceralroots.org.
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