According to the website, this show is a chance to “Experience the underground. Speak easy, dance hard. When two of the world’s most intoxicating dance forms meet in an underground jazz club, things are bound to get wild”. Nowhere are the two ‘most intoxicating’ dance forms named or described. I’m going to go out on a limb here and suppose that they are Jazz and Ballet, only because the music was all jazz and the dancers all wore pointe shoes. How Jazz and pointe work go together I still don’t know after witnessing this show.
There was a lovely Champagne reception to get the evening started off right. It certainly facilitated the speakeasy vibe mentioned above from the website. All was in place for an exciting evening of dance. A comedian (Brian Kiley) opened the program with various stories and hilarious anecdotes. As anyone knows, it is not easy doing stand-up in this day and age and yet Kiley managed it beautifully.
ACB in Lincoln Jones’ “Jazz” – Photo by Caleb Thal.
The music for the evening was live and performed by music director Morgan Jones and his Hot Nine. This band was a highlight of the evening as they played old jazz favorites and swept us back to the 20’s and 30’s. They were: Angelina Brower – vocals, Brian Lipps – Trumpet, Khristian Foreman – Trombone, Tim McKay – Clarinet, Ben Flocks – Tenor Sax, Jack Kovacs – Guitar/Banjo, Morgan Jones – Piano/Celesta, John Richards – Bass, Kyle Richter – Tuba, and Greg Niemi – Drums. All were wonderful in their musical artistry.
“Jazz” was written, Directed, and Choreographed by Lincoln Jones, artistic director of American Contemporary Ballet. I understand what Jones was trying to do – unfortunately his vision falls short on many levels. The studio where the performance took place does not lend itself to a speakeasy atmosphere. There was no set or decoration making us believe we were in an ‘underground’ dance club. The professional musicians were situated at the far end of the long studio space and inexplicably were not lit during the performance. The space consists of five Marley floor panels spread out length-wise with the audience in bleacher seats facing the windows behind. The windows were not covered by curtains making it feel like an open garage space. The problem with this configuration is that it is difficult to control what the audience is seeing at any given time. While Jazz clubs and speakeasys are usually smaller, more intimate and enclosed giving a visceral immersive experience to the audience.
ACB in Lincoln Jones’ “Jazz” – Photo by Caleb Thal.
Also, the music by Louis Armstrong, Johnny Dodds, Jelly Roll Morton and Duke Ellington is specific to jazz. Of course one is free to choreograph ballet steps to jazz music. And this is what Jones did, which is contemporary ballet choreography alright, but it is not Jazz. Jazz is its own dance discipline with a long history of choreographers and technique every bit as legitimate as Classical Ballet. Luigi, Gus Giordano, Phil Black, Matt Maddox, Bob Fosse and Jack Cole come to mind. I did not feel that Jones’ choreography illuminated the music or the feeling behind it at all. The costumes by Yasamin Sarabipour were short black ballet skirts with a tight bodice. The hair was in a tight bun, and all wore pointe shoes with bare legs. This attire would suit any ballet per se but stood out of place with the 20’s and 30’s Jazz music. Although Jones utilized aspects of the Charleston Dance from the 1920’s, he did not acclimate the attitude, the exuberance or the ‘craze’ that gave birth to it. He also negates any feeling in the dancers’ faces while performing. Unfortunately, they all look extremely bored doing an exercise and not happy or excited to be performing to such ecstatic music! It didn’t look as if Jones has had any experience with Jazz in terms of training, execution, or vocabulary as his steps were all from Classical Ballet. I suggest he watch Tamara Toumanova and Gene Kelly in the film “Invitation to the Dance” in which she delivers a phenomenal jazz performance with Kelly. Even there she is in a long skirt wearing jazz heels and her hair is down.
ACB in Lincoln Jones’ “Jazz” – Photo by Caleb Thal.
The dancers were all well-rehearsed and clean in the contemporary movement they were given. I could see a great deal of effort went into this production. And while it is true that Jazz is an intoxicating dance form, I could not see any evidence of it during the entire evening.
For more information about the American Contemporary Ballet, please visit their website.
Written by Brian Fretté for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: American Contemporary Ballet “Jazz” – Photo by Victor Demarchelier.
