INFORMAL

“A Showing of Dance in its Purest Form“

An informal dance review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: Gottwald Playhouse at Dominion Energy Center, 600 East Grace St., Richmond, VA 23219

Performances: June 4, 2022 at 2pm and 7pm

Ticket Prices: $18

Info: http://www.karardancecompany.com/events

THE PROGRAM

Pass (Premiere)

Choreography: Kara Robertson

Dancers: Hailey Clevenger and Lexi Firestone

Music: “This” by Modeselektor and Thom Yorke

Choreographic Demonstration

Game: Mad Libs Summer Vacation

Dead Weight (Premiere)

Choreography: Kara Robertson

Dancers: Taylor Black, Hailey Clevenger, Caitlin Espinueva

Music: “Fibre de Verre” by Paris Combo

Standstill (2016)

Choreography: Kara Robertson

Dancers: Taylor Black and Caitlin Espinueva

Music: “Sukkara ehizatu” by Robo

Choreographic Demonstration

Part 2

Wave and Flight (Premiere)

Choreography by Kara Robertson

Dancers: Taylor Black, Hailey Clevenger, Caitlin Espinueva, and Lexi Firestone

Music: “Hanging D (Cello Octet Amsterdam Version)” by Joep Beving and Cello Octet Amsterdam and “A New Satiesfaction” by Stephen Koncz

For their first in-person production in two and a half years, KARAR Dance Company chose to go INFORMAL. That was both the title and philosophy of the program of new and recent works: no costumes, no lights, no intermission, and a chance for audience participation before and after the performance. This made for a delightful Saturday afternoon that provided insight onto Kara Robertson’s creative process.

PASS, a work-in-progress, is built on a vision of people on a busy urban street being passed by an indifferent crowd. PASS could also be a metaphor for people letting life pass them by, passing up opportunities. The two dancers begin with a lot of floor work, incorporating a sort of  racer’s starting position. Sometimes moving in unison, sometimes moving in opposition, mirrored images, and punctuating their movement with powerful statements of stillness, one could imagine the for now invisible crowd passing by, the dancers focused or zoned out.

Robertson accepted questions and suggestions from the audience immediately after.

Dead Weight, a quartet, is a template for late elaboration. It starts in silence and – when lights are added – will end in a fade-out. Two dancers begin on the floor while a third enters with the fourth on her back – a dead weight. The music adds a familiar-sounding melody but the vocals are in French and translate to something about fiberglass, lightning, and love. All of which, adds an air of romance and mystery to the little conflicts, the shoves, like the inevitable banter of sisters, perhaps, and again, those wonderful moments of silence or stillness that I am beginning to think are a signature of Robertson’s work,

Standstill, originally performed as a male-female duet, and later as a solo, was presented as a duo for two women. The music, a blend of cello, vocals that sound like Spanish and Arabic, and a cacophony of percussion and horns is a fusion of contemporary and classical – another Robertson signature.

The INFORMAL program conclude with Wave and Flight – a work Robertson plans to teach to those enrolled in her upcoming summer workshop (see the KARAR website for more information) begins with a run and semi-fall, forming what Robertson refers to as “hills.” Jumps in the air, legs tucked, low sweeping turns and rolls on the floor prepare the dancers for their eventual “flight.” The music accompanying this work consists of strings, solemn yet soaring and a bit agitated. The music supports Robertson’s vision as she plays with variations in tempo and kinetic polyrhythms. Wave and Flight has a bit of a storybook feel; the dancers interact more directly than in the previous works, there are lifts and carries and airy leaps and turns that are complemented by the sunshine and butterflies in the music.

The Choreographic Demonstrations revealed Robertson’s creative process using a basket of words generated by the audience and a Mad-Libs format the dancers created movement in the first demonstration, and Robertson began to place them on stage. In the second part of the demonstration, Robertson deconstructed the movements, made minute adjustments in position, direction, and the like, and the dancers and audience began to see the formation of a new work-in-progress.

The stress-free and interactive format of INFORMAL was just what the Richmond dance community needed at this time.

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.                                                  

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