Choreographer and Dancer Jennifer Meek has begun working with the students of Moving Arts Dance Studio in Concord, CA on her work in progress titled "Sleeping Palms". The extraordinary students who are trained extensively in modern, improvisation, and contemporary partnering will be assisting her in creating images of a community or crowd of people.
Always a good day when you hear some great news from an old friend. I heard from Reggie Rajah Helm, who fronts a driving, jazz influenced / R&B group as RAJAH, about a really high-profile show they've just been booked for in late June, which he won't let me release details of until the promoter has announced it. That should be soon --- stay tuned. The group is Rajah on Sax, Phil Seed on Guitar, John Owens on Bass, Derek Henderson on Drums, and Brandon McCune joining them on Piano.
One of my favorite parts of the many worlds of Dance and Choreography is the work done in schools and studios, and the process of artist development that happens in those programs. Naturally, it's great to see something like the "Give and Take" premiere by Giordano Jazz Dance at the Harris where a respected company and a great choreographer are at a major venue in front of three thousand people.
'ohana Dreamdance producer and composer Johnny Nevin is writing an original score for a new work by choreographers Mollie Mock and Jeremy Blair. "Reflect" will be premiered at the July 2009 New Dances performances of Thodos Dance Chicago at the Ruth Page Theater in Chicago (and more on that as it gets closer). Mollie envisions the project as an ensemble piece that explores a world of mystery and hidden passion, and the 'ohana track for the score is entitled "Hidden". The track is largely orchestral, but includes a large and complex percussion section. "Hidden" begins with an opening scene of rich musical darkness, and then goes on to discover a series of colors and emotions, developing through changing sections of driving rhythmic passages and melodic dreamscapes.
Hedy Weiss, the Dance Critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, wrote such a thorough review of Brock Clawson's new work "Give and Take" that I thought I should include all of her description of Brock's work here. You can see the rest of the review of the Giordano show at http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/stage/1478291,CST-FTR-Dance16web.a.... Here's the part about Give and Take:
A really breathtaking Giordano show at the Harris last night, with a great company at their very best. Brock Clawson's new work Give and Take opened the second act, and seeing the company work seamlessly through Brock's perfect balance of modern and jazz styles was pretty amazing. Coming from such a different world (music and record producing) it's been a long process for me to get a sense of the difference between these two styles, but I can't think of a better way to see the different expressions that those two words "jazz" and "modern" imply than to see Give and Take.
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In the contemporary dance work ANASA, ThodosDanceChicago celebrates the richness of Greek heritage, inspired by the women of the ancient world. Composed for the final section of that work, "Breathe Again" is at first slow and mysterious, then driving and powerful, like a soundtrack for when determination leaves defeat in the past.
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Claire Massey wrote the lyrics to this strangely compelling 'ohana track, and she sings it hard and true, like somebody's favorite record from another world. This is the original, four-minute radio mix, the one that won't let you go home until you've heard the whole story.
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Composed for Jillian Chu's original contemporary dance work entitled 'Unraveling the Myth', this is a soft, sad soundtrack for a difficult journey. Josie Falbo, one of Chicago's most respected singers, brings a haunting beauty to the wordless vocal, telling some sort of relentless story; perhaps a different story each time you hear this.
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It doesn't seem like a track moving this fast could be this chill. Maybe it's because a quiet but persistent momentum takes this song through a series of gentle changes, until it falls off into a dream of a breakdown, and then comes back again. This is How-To-Chill-a-House-Track; this is six minutes of Just-Close-Your-Eyes.
