Samir Shukla
By Dilip Barman
The ninetieth anniversary of American Dance Festival is well underway. As of this writing I have been able to see two performances – but many are left.
I was there on opening night to see Los Angeles-based BODYTRAFFIC. It was a full- or nearly full-house and included the Durham mayor welcoming the audience and congratulating ADF on 90 years. Bodytraffic performed several pieces of which the last two were most exciting. If you know funk then you know the “godfather of funk”, James Brown. Bodytraffic’s SNAP was performed to starts and stops of Brown’s music and is described in the program as being “inspired by the ethnically diverse, yet isolating crowds of Los Angeles”, encouraging us to “snap out” and connect. The way that the dancers interacted and responded to the lyrics lent themselves to a narrative that was fun to follow though, at least for me, not particularly expressing any snapping out.
I don’t often listen to the music of Dean Martin but who doesn’t love his crooning? Having his music as the backdrop for the last piece, Pacopepepluto, inspired me to play some of his songs for my teenage daughter who, somehow, had never heard of him! The dancers had minimal costumes exposing impressive muscles and featured several solos. It was an enjoyable piece that, like all the ones this evening, had a joyous undertone with a bit of humor; the dancers clearly were having fun.
As they always do, Rennie Harris Puremovement American Street Dance Theater gave a rousing performance. I’ve enjoyed Rennie Harris’ performances in the past and was delighted that the show started with their being awarded the Samuel H. Scripps / ADF Award for Lifetime Achievement with gracious words by Robert Battle, Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
So many arts come from Philadelphia; I fondly remember the 1970s “Philly Soul” of artists like the Spinners, Harold Melvin, Stylistics, Delfonics, O’Jays, Teddy Pendergrass, Gamble and Huff’s work, Billy Paul, Eddie Holman, and others. Harris also comes from Philadelphia with this kind of influence as well as Africana, but in particular has been well recognized with numerous awards as a long-time exponent of hip-hop.
What struck me by the 65-minute performance was the expected vigor and rhythm, but also the gorgeous and subtle lighting design. One set with lavender and purple was reminiscent of sunset, another had beautiful reds harmoniously backing the dancers. The choreography had interesting asymmetric dynamics often with groupings like 1+4 or 7 dancers changing from a group to smaller combinations. The music generally had an infectious hip-hop beat with one piece having music that reminded me of James Brown’s funk. Ghazal-like music (I believe it was Tunisian Dhafar Youseff’s Sacré The Wine Ode Suite) encompassed the first half of a somber and haunting piece about street violence. The music also included bright saxophones in Cinematic Orchestra’s Man with a Movie Camera.
Upcoming shows later in June include Pilobolus, the company I particularly recommend to people who are new to watching dance because of their accessible theatrics, remarkable creativity, and pure fun. Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company will be presenting Curriculum II about what it means to be human.
Many great shows are scheduled through July with a final show in late August. Paul Taylor Dance Company is a regular at ADF. As one of the founders of modern dance, I am drawn to their beautifully ballet-grounded pieces and try to always see them when they are in town.
The ADF website americandancefestival.org has the details on all the events, including ticketing. It offers something for varied tastes and ages, including children. If you are on twitter, I tweet about the shows @dbarman.
Dilip Barman is a lover of culture and teacher of math and vegan food/nutrition. Check out his monthly show somanycooks.com. Contact: dilip@trianglemathinstitute.com
