On Saturday, April 5, 2025, Backhausdance, led by artistic director Jennifer Backhaus, presented an exciting and diverse evening of dance at the Martha B. Knoebel Dance theater in Long Beach. The program consisted of two works by Backhaus and premiers by Los Angeles based choreographers Jesse Lee Thorne and Bret Easterling. Each work satisfied in different ways; humor, playfulness, dance theater, and each filled with beautiful dancing by a very strong group of dance artists.
Backhausdance – Kaitwan Jackson, Sophia Lang, Katie Natwick, and Kaitlin Regan in “The Margin” by Jennifer Backhaus – Photo by Adrien Padilla.
A lone four foot square platform sat center stage bathed in a pool of white light. One by one four dancers saunter onstage, hop on the platform and leave. Only then does the fun begin. Choreographed in 2012 by Jennifer Backhaus, The Margin places solos, duets, trios and quartets onto this small area, rarely leaving it vacant. What was amazing was how the energy of the movement never suffered from four dancers being in such close proximity. Backhaus did not hold back creatively when it came to lifts, jumps and expansive movement.
Throughout this work, it became evident that the performers, Kaitwan Jackson, Sophia Lang, Katie Natwick, and Kaitlin Regan were well rehearsed, allowing them to have freedom and complete trust in one another. The movement was playful as well as complex and these four dance artists proved that they were up for the challenge.
Backhausdance – Kaitwan Jackson, Sophia Lang, Katie Natwick, and Kaitlin Regan in “The Margin” by Jennifer Backhaus – Photo by Adrien Padilla.
The driving music for The Margin was by Steve Reich, Howie B & Coldcut remixes. The lighting that kept the platform a central focus while allowing the dancers to be seen when not on it was by Stacy Fireheart, and Jennifer Deck designed the very lively, colorful and fun costumes.
Backhausdance – in “Disordered Imagination” by Jesse Lee Thorne – Photo by Adrien Padilla.
Jesse Lee Thorne’s talents “span across dance, choreography, filmmaking, and creative production.” The work of Thorne’s that I have seen was very theatrical and Disordered Imagination was that plus sections that ventured into the surreal. At times, the scene approached chaos but without ever losing focus.
With help of incredible lighting by Stacy Fireheart, the sections shifted seamlessly without apparent reason, much like in ones dreams. Everyone was dressed in white with a central figure, the very talented Samuel DeAngelo, dressed in a multi-layered white tuxedo, moved in and out of each illusion like the White Rabbit from Lewis Carroll’s Alice In Wonderland. In one section, Fireheart’s lighting consisted of moving white spot lights causing the performers, who were using up the entire stage, to be in both brightness and shadow simultaneously. It was breathtaking.
The set, designed by Yuri Okahana-Benson, was stark but played a large part in the action. A long grayish-white table acted a conference place, a fortress, a barrier, and a wall. White chairs were scattered about and also used in a multitude of ways. A bright red umbrella cut through all that whiteness like a knife and Thorne again found a plethora of uses for it; a normal umbrella, a weapon, a clarinet, and a cane to name a few.
Backhausdance – in “Disordered Imagination” by Jesse Lee Thorne – Photo by Adrien Padilla.
The amazing performers included Samuel DeAngelo, Mo Goodfellow, Sophia Lang, Zachary Medina, Katie Natwick, Adrien Padilla, Kaitlin Regan, Chihiro Sano, and Kyle Schrader. The music included a dynamic original composition by Chris Tse, and other music by Frank Crumit, Benjamin Herman and Robin Nolan Trio, and Vincent Peirani and Emile Parisien.
Disordered Imagination is the perfect title to describe this complex work, and I hope to see it again and again. I am certain that I will see more detail with each viewing.
Backhaus’ work titled Hive (2017) was a dancer’s dance and a marathon for company members Kira Bartoli, Samuel DeAngelo, Mo Goodfellow, Kaitwan Jackson, Katie Natwick, Adrien Padilla, Kaitlin Regan, Chihiro Sano, Kyle Schrader, Samantha Waugh. The company had performed a matinee on the same day, but they never demonstrated an ounce of fatigue throughout this very fun, but demanding piece.
Backhausdance – “Hive” by Jennifer Backhaus – Photo by Adrien Padilla.
Although Hive comes across as a dance about community and friendships, it is also a very movement oriented dance that allows the bodies and personae of those performing it shine. The dancers truly looked like they enjoyed dancing in and building Backhaus’ Hive.
The music for Hive was White Man Sleeps by Kevin Volans performed by Kronos Quartet; the lighting was by Ben Tusher, redesigned by Stacy Fireheart, and the original costumes by Christina Perez were redesigned by Jennifer Deck.
Backhausdance – Moon Party (Lunar Soiree) by Bret Easterling – Photo by Adrien Padilla.
Last but not least, the program ended with Bret Easterling’s amazingly humorous and inventive Moon Party (Lunar Soiree), set on Backhausdance in 2024. The backdrop (not credited) was a painting of a lunar landscape, but what “stole” the show were the costumes designed by Jennifer Deck depicting an array of fun seeking aliens. These beings from outer space came in skin tones of purple, orange, blue, pink, gray and green, each with different color markings. There was even a creature that resembled the abdominal snowman or Yeti who later shed his fur to become a deep blue skinned entity. It felt like the iconic bar scene in George Lukas’ original film Star Wars.
Easterling’s movement for this work was humorous, light and endearing. It was a perfect show closer that allowed ones imagination to run amok and cause the audience to smile. He did so, however, without being silly or mundane. There was even one blue and orange character who had a reoccurring short entrance and exit that did absolutely nothing but that stood out above whatever else was happening onstage. It was a theatrical running gag.
Backhausdance – Moon Party (Lunar Soiree) by Bret Easterling – Photo by Adrien Padilla.
To top it off, the last scene included a mirror ball that flew in from above, putting the finishing touch to the party scene. Everyone, including the mirror ball, defied the laws of gravity in Moon Party (Lunar Soiree). What else can I say but this dance was a colorful blast.
The great cast of Moon Party (Lunar Soiree) included Kira Bartoli, Samuel DeAngelo, Anne Elise Garrison, Mo Goodfellow, Kaitwan Jackson, Katie Natwick, Adrien Padilla, Kaitlin Regan, Chihiro Sano, Kyle Schrader, and Samantha Waugh. The music that added to the fun was by Maxwell Transue, the Costumes were by Jennifer Deck, and the lighting was by the very talented Stacy Fireheart.
To learn more about Backhausdance, please visit their website.
Written by Jeff Slayton for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: Backhausdance in Hive by Jennifer Backhaus – Photo by Adrien Padilla.
