On a steamy August evening at the Brockus Project Studio in downtown L.A., the hum of air conditioners and fans cooling the spacey white-box studio was a welcome change. Soft spots created ambient lighting on the light-gray Mylar floor, with curtains hung from ceiling to floor on the far left of the 10 ft high white ceilings. Everything seemed ready for the 8:30 performance of BrockusRed.
The details seem insignificant, but it says something about Deborah Brockus, the spirit of BrockusRed. It was clear as the imposing flaming redhead placed and replaced chairs making things fit perfectly in the space, that this was being done by an assured multitasker. Checking lights and sound board, proved she knew this studio like the back of her hand. Her philosophy? Whatever it takes to create a place where dancers can dance and dancemakers can build their dreams was uppermost in her mind.
BrockusRED – Deborah Brockus center – Photo by Denise Leitner Photography.
For decades Brockus, as a former dancer and now mentor and teacher, has encouraged dancers to study and perform becoming physically and creatively self-sufficient as a bridge to their own next step. She gives young artists a place to work, experiment, teach and create. It’s a place where they can come together and survive, often these days with little or no funding. Having managed to live and work through the Covid Pandemic and the recent loss of funding for the arts, she has developed survival skills that keeps her important institution alive.
Brockus and her gift of finding distinctive ideas, rhythmic and unusual music and colorful costuming to support her vision and its song of survival. Several alumni dancers return to celebrate Brockus and her determination. She continues doing the work she must do. She has, out of sheer creative will, continued building bridges, supporting dancers and providing a place to which they can return.
BrockusRED – Photo by Denise Leitner Photography.
Perhaps it takes a bit of craziness to remain devoted to such a mission, to keep offering a helping hand and giving dancers a chance to dance. It also takes talent, generosity and a belly full of courage. If this kind of chutzpah disappears, this Los Angeles dance that began with an idea and a dream may be left only to those who have wealthy benefactors and abundant resources.
Welcoming the audience into the studio, she guided them to their seats as she moved on stage and under her “key light” for an intro to the evenings work entitled Every Scrap of Grace presented by a free form ode that hints the evening.
When everything falls away,
You are stripped to the core of who you are.
A longing for what you can never reach,
Left to find hope and joy in small scraps—
The impact we have upon each other.
The program opened with BrockusRED: Our Impact on Others, choreographed by Deborah Brockus and performed by Denali Huff, Rebecca Lee, Beth Huelsenbeck, Raven Smith, Bryan Burn and Arturo Gonzales.
BrockusRED – Denali Huff, Rebecca Lee, Beth Huelsenbeck, Raven Smith, Bryan Burn and Arturo Gonzales in “Our Impact on Others” Choreography by Deborah Brockus – Photo by Don Hannah.
Lights fade down in the audience and up on stage. Royal blue shrouds drape across the spacey floor creating an ethereal environment. The music, drawn from a mixture of works by Lackovic, the Balanescu Quartet, Einaudi, Nyman and Lantern, give way to sections of a shifting atmosphere.
The dancers line up. Still… Moving in slow motion, they drag lengths of blue fabric in the direction of a male dancer who retrieves the intensely colorful shrouds. Solos, couples, trios and full ensemble form then dissolve into lyrical partnering, promenades, poses, leaps and turns. Their faces filled with joy and intent, technically still developing, yet rising above, made us feel the moment.
Changes of pace gave way to the feel of inconstancy, with recognition and discovery of the effect of one life upon another. The dancers move with varied dynamics creating intensity in the starting piece of the evening. A spirited opening gives way to the next…
The Choice: Calmness or Fight, choreographed and performed by Hannah Joo and Julienne Mackey, alumni of BrockusRed. With Brockus direction, the lovely Joo’s mesmerizing entrance, creates perfect control of golden fabric extending beyond her body and giving a hint of an ancient tribal ceremony. Her body calm then undulating gives the movement a ritualistic quality. Then with Mackey’s strong entrance, the establishment of a yin and yang relationship, balancing both tension with calmness. Their musicality, lovely technique and committed dancing made this duet beautiful to watch and particularly effective.
BrockusRED – Hannah Joo in “The Choice: Calmness or Fight” Choreography by Joo and Julienne Mackey – Photo by Don Hannah.
Brockus’ conceptually fascinating piece in Windows into Time, she choreographed a voyeuristic view of the lives through an imagined window of an apartment building where numerous stories coexist, yet everyone remains alone. The use of chairs, changing positions and spaces became an important part of the storied environment. Dancers arranged and rearranged them, then physically rolling across the floor, hands in meditation, reaching as if caressing the air. They mirrored one another… yet were very much alone, exposing the isolation in a private emotional world.
BrockusRED – Smith, Noriaanna Galindo-Ramirez, Hannah Rosenberg, Sofia Lizarraga, Amanda Nelski, Natalie Figueroa and Mallory Chen in Brockus’ “Windows into Time” – Photo by Don Hannah.
The work was powerful and focused by Smith, Noriaanna Galindo-Ramirez, Hannah Rosenberg, Sofia Lizarraga, Amanda Nelski, Natalie Figueroa and Mallory Chen. Brockus’ subtle but dramatic solo work was especially moving with intriguing internal color, something she is noted for. The music filled out the storyline while the dancers, chairs and shifting groupings added shades of theatrical dimension. The movement allowed glimpses of individual lives through a shared window.
BrockusRED – Charlotte Katherine Smith in her work “Windows into Time” – Photo by Don Hannah.
The company returned in BrockusRED: Inner Turmoil. This section juxtaposed between wild explosive movements and lyrical, prayer-like reachings. Dramatic lighting shifted the temperature of the emotional work. A chair became part of the turbulence, while gold fabric was used to envelop the dancers. The contrast between lyricism and explosiveness exposed the conflict in the title itself.
BrockusRED – Hannah Joo and Julienne Mackey in their “Acceptance” – Photo by Don Hannah.
The gold theme continued into Acceptance bringing back Joo and Mackey. Here, the two dancers took their time and relaxed into the moment. Draped in shifts of gold color, they moved with a beautiful relationship to each other as a clear statement of control and lyricism. After the agitation of Inner Turmoil, the duet offered a welcome sense of stillness and release.
Water and Rock, choreographed by Brockus, considered two opposing natural elements that nevertheless shared common qualities: both decomposing and reforming, both strong or soft, and both representing the cycle of life.
Danced by Keira Myles, Natalie Figueroa, Angelica Mondol Viaña, Zorah Loren Chappel, Mallory Chen and Taija Sandoval, the work began with prayer-like arms extended outward. The dancers moved side to side and traveled along diagonals. As drums and strong rhythms signaled the dynamic of the music, the group moved together while each dancer maintained individual energy. Eventually, the performers exploded to end the piece and the evening concluded with BrockusRED: Finding Each Other, Finding Grace, danced by Huff, Lee, Huelsenbeck, Smith, Burns and Gonzales.
BrockusRED – Denali Huff, Rebecca Lee, Beth Huelsenbeck, Raven Smith, Ryan Burn and Arturo Ganzales – Photo by Don Hannah.
Ethereal, dancers dressed in white, intertwined with each other. Arpeggios and drums pushed the movement forward, while the lighting shifted creating a partnership with movement. Separating in isolation; then reunited and formed a community. Arms rose slowly, celebrating the evening of grace—unwasted, something found through human connection.
Every Scrap of Grace was more than a collection of dances. It reflected a mission Brockus has spent her life building: a home for dancers, a place for artistic risk and a community founded on perseverance, dedication and survival. She understands that artists need more than encouragement; they need space, opportunity, history, discipline and someone willing to believe that their work matters. Through all the uncertainties of surviving as an independent dance artist in Los Angeles, she continues to offer exactly that—a place to create, a place to return and, most importantly, a chance to dance.
For more information about BrockusRED, please visit their website.
Written by Joanne DiVito for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: BrockusRED – Rebecca Lee, Arturo Gonzales, Denali Huff – Every Scrap of Grace – Photo by Don Hannah.
