STARR FOSTER DANCE: Crave – a New Work
A Dance Review by Julinda D. Lewis
At: TheatreLAB The Basement, 300 East Broad Street, RVA 23219
Performances: February 1-3: Friday @8PM; Saturday @3:00, 5:00 & 8:00 PM; Sunday @1:00 PM & 3:00 PM
Ticket Prices: $12
Info: (804) 304-1523, https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4033169
Starrene Foster’s new work, Crave, poses the question, “What if, in one moment, you had changed your mind during your journey. And if so, how would that change affect the final outcome?” The ways in which she responds to this prompt are intriguing, thought-provoking, and sensual.
On entering The Basement performance space, there is a small exhibit by four participating artists. Douglas Hayes (the company’s art director) showed a pair of digital duotone prints showing the same model, in the same pose and lighting, but one was taken in 2003 and the other in 2019. Wolfgang Jasper’s charcoal drawing, “Frictionless Pivot” and digital print “Communal Madness” show the same elements, but one has been digitally reconfigured. Beth B. Jasper’s “Negotiation,” created with pen and ink on rice paper started as two separate drawings but ended as two panels, with the initial shape in one flipped over. And Fiona Ross’ “Staves #25C” and “Staves #28C” follow specific rules of placement that lead to different outcomes. A brief study of the artwork will prove helpful when watching Crave.
Our programs were marked with a letter “N” or “S,” indicating whether we were to start out seated on the North Stage or South Stage of the performance space. There are about twenty seats on each side, and a wall – I mean a curtain – separates the two sides. During the 10-minute intermission, the audience members change sides.
We started on the North Stage, where Kierstin Kratzer and Mattie Rogers danced with a quiet intensity that sometimes pulled me to the edge of my seat. Billy Curry’s original score was a soundscape of trains, industrial noises, and rhythmic music. Foster, who frequently uses dark lighting, did not disappoint, but there were bright lights overhead that created a not unpleasant, somehow softened glare. We could see the dancer’s faces, but not their features. We knew they were looking at each other, but we couldn’t see their eyes. They were dressed in monochromatic slightly loose, softly flowing tunics and pants that became part of the choreography.
Kratzer and Rogers sometimes flowed together organically, sometimes challenged one another, lifting, pushing, pulling; one would occasionally head butt the other in the belly, and one stood vibrating as if receiving an electric shock from her partner’s fingers. The flow and variety of movement was mesmerizing, and before you knew it, it was intermission.
Changing to the South Stage, we saw Caitlin Cunningham and Kelsey Gagnon dancing, and like Wolfgang Jasper’s drawings, the elements were the same as those used by Kratzer and Rogers, but reconfigured. They were dressed identically to the other duo. They started from a similar position. There was that kick and high leg swing. That’s the same grab of the toe. There’s the vibratory movement – but different. It was all familiar, but all new. There was the sound of the train and yes, that upbeat rhythm. But there was a sense of déjà vu, a time shift or a manipulation of time and space.
One had a sense that the other duo was happening on the other side of the curtain, but try as I might, I never actually heard them. Having the audience move is rare, but it has been done before. It’s not always possible and the flexible and intimate space of The Basement was ideal for this elemental manipulation. It enhanced the sense that time and space had shifted. The cast members change, too. For some performances, Fran Beaumont and Cristina Peters will dance on the North Stage, while Shelby Gratz and Erick Hooten dance on the South Stage. With a running time of just about 45 minutes including intermission, Crave packs a lot of punch in a small space in a short time. There are only 6 performances over a 3-day period, so if you can this piece is worth seeing. Try really hard. I love the way Foster has manipulated all the elements – including her audience.
Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.
———-
Photo Credits: Starr Foster Dance by Douglas Hayes.
RVArt Review 