or a leg there, what we see is a well-trained mover. Or there is the intimate hair braiding section where Kresge comforts Toogood who sits between her legs, looping her hair ever so slowly, but we see two sleek movers. As a whole, Interface was a piece of art.
When choreographers, no, artists go beyond their prescribed intention, this almost always gives one pause. Not so with Rashun Mitchell who recreated the studio space at Baryshnikov Arts Center for the world premiere of his Interface. Huge moveable panels with various black and white sketches span the left and front walls, separated only by equally large (floor to ceiling) windows. Intentional? The panels alongside the windows seemed as if they were made for each other. A sound-mixer (Thomas Arsenault [Mas Ysa]) flanked the right wall with his complicated looking equipment where he too “danced.” A white Marley floor anchored the space. Mitchell’s cast, Silas, Riener, Melissa Toogood, Cori Kresge and Mitchell are lions; they are performers who command your attention whether moving singularly or in various groupings as they deliver Mitchell’s non-descript movement vocabulary. There are many sections where these collaborators’ individual persona shines. For instance, when the stationary Riener is manipulated by the women, they furrow his brow, awkwardly move an arm here,
or a leg there, what we see is a well-trained mover. Or there is the intimate hair braiding section where Kresge comforts Toogood who sits between her legs, looping her hair ever so slowly, but we see two sleek movers. As a whole, Interface was a piece of art.
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January 2025
AuthorI am a performer, historian, consultant and dance writer. I am a Empire State College's online program Center for Distance Learning. I am also a former faculty member at The Ailey School and the Alvin Ailey/Fordham University dance major program, Hunter College, Sarah Lawrence College (Guest), Kean University and The Joffrey Ballet School's Jazz and Contemporary Trainee Program. I write on dance for The Amsterdam News, Dance Magazine and various publications. Click below to read more about me at my home page - "About Me." |