New York Reside Arts, New York, NY.
June 26, 2025.
I AM A DANCER 2020, carried out at New York Reside Arts from June 26-28, which marked the 50th anniversary of the Felice Lesser Dance Theater (FLDT) firm, explores dancers’ experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic with dwell dance, projected video and an eclectic soundtrack.
The common facets of the pandemic have been shared by all: mask-wearing, navigating shortages and standing in lengthy strains. However the contours of the expertise have been distinctive to everybody, whether or not it’s medical, skilled or psychological. Dancers have been hit onerous when the studios and instructing jobs have been paused. For dancers, going to the studio will not be solely a spot to coach, however to socialize, community, safe gigs and jobs, and customarily is an anchor round which all else revolves. When this was not attainable, dancers have been confronted with a myriad of obstacles as they weighed the prospect of adjusting careers, and the best way to keep in form when motion was inhibited by the small areas of dwelling in an condo.
The collage of movies took entrance and middle stage as they have been projected on an infinite display screen upstage. There have been too many movies, and the dancers on movie (Melanie Adam [a principal dancer from the original 1975-76 company], Stephanie [Lyon] Albanese [FLDT’s principal dancer from 1989-2000] and Andrea Kron) weren’t efficient narrators. Their dulcet tones have been harking back to a really affected person elementary college instructor making an attempt to get the category to maintain up, and grew monotonous. Whereas a few of the tales have been harrowing and captured the challenges of being a dancer in the course of the pandemic, they grew much less and fewer attention-grabbing on account of an absence of non-public connection past the display screen. When the dancers appeared with any kind of video, they have been dwarfed by the projections relatively than being offered a powerful backdrop or a method to enrich the motion.
The extra attention-grabbing tales have been advised by the dancers themselves, particularly Justice Jackson, who tragically misplaced his brother – an individual who tremendously impressed him – throughout COVID. A solo carried out by Jackson, a sinewy and delicate mover, following the video embodied the emotion behind his story.
The strongest a part of the present was the dance sections carried out by the forged of gorgeous movers: Jackson, Mackenzie Allen, Amina Konaté, Kristin Licata, Héloïse Ponsonnet, which have been coupled with expressive lighting by John Salutz. Lesser’s classical ballet vocabulary flecked with up to date and trendy is mushy and alluring.
A swirly dance carried out by a trio in pink (Konaté, Allen and Ponsonnet) was punctuated by arabesques and jetés, and demonstrated the stable strategy of the dancers. The leafy lighting sample on the ground gave it a romantic feeling. The massive shock right here was the pointe sneakers. The times of Karole Armitage’s explorations with trendy ballet on pointe have given approach to quirky gestures, launch method and socks. It was enjoyable to see the bodily looser up to date vocabulary combined with trendy ballet and pointe work.
The musical choice was culled from an array of genres: Handel’s Messiah and “Sound an Alarm” from Judas Maccabeus; an excerpt from the primary motion of Johannes Brahms’ Cello Sonata in F (Opus 99), and the second motion of Alessandro Marcello’s Oboe Concerto in D minor, recorded by oboist Diane Lesser and organist Kent Tritle. American composer Richard Einhorn and European pianist and DJ Dave August additionally contributed brief items to the rating.
Extra dancing was wanted on this work, and Salutz’s lighting would have continued to raise these moments to convey the piece collectively in a extra cohesive means.
By Nicole Colbert of Dance Informa.
