The Hopi word “koyaanisqatsi” roughly translates to “life out of balance.” “Koyaanisqatsi” is also the title of Godfrey Reggio’s renowned non-narrative documentary from 1982, featuring original music from Philip Glass. Koyaanisqatsi (1982) showcases footage of moving clouds, ocean waves, and vast dunes, alongside rocket launches, oil drilling, and nuclear weapons testing, highlighting the impact of man-made industries on the natural world. And on June 6th, just outside the Hollyhock House at the Barnsdall Art Park, dancers from L.A. Dance Project performed to Glass’ stunning score from the film, reinterpreting its themes with technical prowess and political timeliness.
City of Dance is a series of free public performances at iconic Los Angeles locations happening this June, presented by L.A. Dance Project and Paris Dance Project. Spearheaded by LADP co-founder Benjamin Millepied, the performance features original choreography by Dimitri Chamblas, Madeline Hollander, Jamar Roberts, Pam Tanowitz, and Millepied himself. The result is a unified work that reflects on technology, modern life, and a world out of balance, drawing inspiration from Reggio’s groundbreaking film.
L.A. Dance Project – City of Dance/Koyaanisqatsi at Hollyhock House – Photo by Josh Rose.
“The film Koyaanisqatsi found me in the late nineties and never left,” a note from Millepied in the program reads. “Its political force – its warning of a world out of balance – has stayed with me ever since.”
In addition to the Hollyhock House at Barnsdall Art Park, City of Dance will be performed at Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara, Hollywood Forever, Gloria Molina Grand Park at the Music Center, and the LACMA for the remainder of June. But Hollyhock House felt like an especially apt backdrop for this piece, a lush oasis perched above the bustling streets of East Hollywood. A true melding of the organic and synthetic.
The performance was a sunny community affair, with viewers of all ages sprawled out on the lawn outside Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural marvel. The audience kicked off their shoes and laid on picnic blankets, munching on fresh fruit from coolers, with children toddling around the dense grass, all of it feeling like a summer christening.
The peaceful picnic scene was juxtaposed with the piece’s aggressive start. Dancers Kayla Aguila, Lorrin Brubaker, Marissa Brown, Isabella Caso, Robert Hoffer, Shu Kinouchi, Spencer Lenain, Caroline McAleavey, Omri Mishael, Melody Morrow, Marco Palomino, Audrey Sides, Hope Spears, and Marco Vega emerged wearing tattered earth tones, conjuring images of a dystopian apocalypse as they rammed into one another, fighting and flailing with vigor. The movements shifted from being primal to militant. Gnarled, carnal fighting turned to crisp airplane lines darting across the grass, illustrating the violence inherent in both natural and man-made worlds.
L.A. Dance Project – City of Dance/Koyaanisqatsi at Hollyhock House – Photo by Josh Rose.
After some time, fighting gave way to collapse, as each dancer tumbled and melted into the thick grass. But then, slowly but surely, collapse gave way to rebirth, each performer slowly shaking back to life, evoking a time lapse of seeds germinating and sprouting. This cycle of defeat and regrowth, along with a continuous wave motif, brought the timeline of human history to mind. People destroying one another, only to get back up again and again. Children bearing witness to suffering, with the collective hope that they might be the first to break the cycle, to do things differently.
Dancing outside is not without its challenges, especially when one is performing sight unseen. In a panel following the performance, moderated by Frances Anderton, Hollyhock House Education and Programs Manager Whitney Graham shared that the dancers only saw the space an hour before performing. Though there were a few wobbly landings and broken lines, largely due to the challenges of pointing toes through sneakers and turning on grass, the dancers made great use of the space and maintained formations well.
L.A. Dance Project – City of Dance/Koyaanisqatsi at Hollyhock House – Photo by Josh Rose.
Lorrin Brubaker was a standout performer, effortlessly careening into the earth and rebounding in a particularly memorable solo phrase. In a stunning group section, Brubaker was the lead point of a triangle formation in which all the dancers stared up at the literal sun and abruptly shielded their eyes from it, shaking their heads in a kind of bargain with Mother Nature.
The variability of the outdoor setting only added to the piece’s themes of finding harmony with each other and the changing, warming environment. Philip Glass’s beautiful score was punctuated with sporadic birdsong and the sound of wind rustling nearby trees. Toddlers could be seen on the sidelines mimicking the dancers’ movements, tumbling into the grass themselves. Now and then, a bumblebee would land on a blade of grass, aloof to the dancers spinning, leaping, and rolling just inches away from it. By the end of the performance, the performers’ clothes were even more tattered and stained green, grass sticking to their damp skin and hair. By the end, it was like they had become one with the earth.
L.A. Dance Project – City of Dance/Koyaanisqatsi at Hollyhock House – Photo by Josh Rose.
City of Dance couldn’t be a better way to kick off summer in Los Angeles, bringing dance to the community and making the community a part of the performance in turn. Click here to see the schedule for the remaining City of Dance performances this June.
For more information on L.A. Dance Project, please visit their website.
Written by Madison Huizinga for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: L.A. Dance Project – City of Dance/Koyaanisqatsi at Hollyhock House – Photo by Josh Rose.
