Having the stress of keeping my purple suede Louboutin’s free from rain was not the best way to start the evening. Having to wait on a chattery ticket line when I already had one in hand was equally frustrating (especially when you’re covering an event). Walking into the Hudson Theatre’s crowded reception area with cheap wine selling for $10 a glass and teenage girls wearing more make up than Amanda Lepore, just made me cranky. I felt like I was wearing Chanel No. 5 in a room full of Patchouli; the guests, especially, young choreographers, producers and dancers, were somewhat unrefined. But, I love dance and forgave this relatively new event for it’s lack of social grace fairly quickly. So there I was, patiently observing, because the ceremony was running 30 minutes late.
The evening was set up to present Dance Teacher Magazine Awards to people who have been leaders in the dance education community (The Juilliard School’s Director of the Dance Division, Lawrence Rhodes, was this years Lifetime Achievement Award winner). Having tagged onto the end of Gil Stroming’s 3-day Summit, there would also be performances by Capezio A.C.E. Award winners. But what was especially enticing was watching the gate-keepers of dance media (Karen Hildebrand, Wendy Perron, and Karla Johnson) in their out-of-office element.
Realizing no one wants to read a review of what Wendy is like sitting in an audience (I would, but then again I’ve been an admirer since her days as a dancer and critic) I diverted my attention to the important stuff going on stage. The first dance piece to be presented was Us by young choreographer, Kate Jablonski. I was struck by the controlled staccato movement that the dancers started with, individually breaking away by removing a dull cap and freeing themselves with fluid movement. They became colorful (literally, because they paint themselves) against the solid and stubborn motions. For a group of students ages 11-17 I was amazed by their commitment and uplifted by the execution. What made this piece especially endearing was a conversation I had with dancer Lizzy Bensfield’s mother prior to the performance; she spoke with such generosity about the teacher, students, and the experience of being in New York City I was nervous to see the work and running the risk hating it. Jablonski and her dancers made it easy by painting a journey of self discovery for the audience to enjoy.
During a snippet from Singin’ in the Rain featuring Gregg Russell and Mike Minnery mimicking the movements of “Moses Supposes” I couldn’t help the feeling of warm nostalgia. In a commercial dance world, it’s refreshing to sit back and watch clean, pure movement void of extraneous hullabaloo. Russell was particularly pleasant in his homage to the tap greats of yester-year.
A few pieces like Shameless and Why Gershwin? did little for me. It was another instance where the audience oo’d and ahh’d and I just shook my head. I’ve never been much for hokey gimmicks and tricks. And there is alot of truth to the old adage, “Never sit too close at the ballet.” Guest performers, Ashley Bouder and Amar Ramasar from the New York City Ballet were practically on top of me as they danced as though they were at the David Koch Theater (which is 3 times the size). Too big and too much for such a small space. (So much so that it made me giggle.) Yet, the audience hooted in support. Perhaps, I’m a little old-school, but I prefer my ballet in the traditional settings. When I start to wonder if I’m at a baseball game, it looses it’s allure.
The other two Capezio A.C.E. Award entries were Jaci Royal’s One Worth Leaving and the winner of the competition, Travis Wall’s It’s Gonna Be a Long Walk. I was wary of nepotism when I heard Wall’s piece had won given that his mother was one of the instructor’s at the Summit, but after seeing it my faith was renewed. The trend this year seemed to be contractual modern jazz, sprinkled with hyperextend flexibility and waves throughout the body. There was also alot of dancing about love, which I haven’t been in the mood for lately. Watching these young choreographer’s works made me eager for the future despite them being too similar in aesthetic and theme. I have a feeling that when these two expand their own life experiences, the choreography will develop as well. Exponentially.
The only true disappointment I had with the whole evening was the disregard for the major dance news of only a few days prior. Merce Cunningham died on Monday and on Wednesday during the awards, not one speaker made mention of it. It wasn’t until Mr. Rhodes received his award that it was even mentioned. He also paid homage to Juilliard alum, Pina Baush (no one even said the words “Michael Jackson”). I’d like to think that these three had a bit of influence on all of us in some way, but it seemed that only a few of us cared. It was a night for celebrating, but in that, we should have championed the people that got us there in the first place.
