This past Sunday afternoon, the Odyssey Theatre presented two choreographic pieces curated by Barbara Müeller-Wittmann that left the audience feeling like they received technique and emotional storytelling in one. The first half, entitled Mafiosi, choreographed by Olivia Liberati gave stunning syncopated and rhythmic unisons, with a fairly clear beginning, middle, and end. Mover, Donny Collinson, sat in the corner lighting a cigarette while Spencer Seebach crawled towards him diagonally on the floor. It was clear from the beginning that Collinson held the power, and the dynamic of hierarchical play would be a prevalent theme in the piece. Liberati writes, “this piece explores the hidden work of the Italian-American mafia, a world in which these 5 families developed into secret terrorist groups…” and every so often, the conceptualization of the dance world takes a back seat, and you just want an epic story of blood oaths and gambling, and that’s exactly what Liberati delivered. Despite this rather dark aesthetic, the movement itself was always on beat and sequenced with the music, making it rather pleasing to watch.
Dance at the Odyssey – “Mafiosi” by Olivia Liberati – Screen capture by Spencer Seebach
Six women by the names of Tori Gorny, Julia Gaspari, Amy Magsam, Tayler McGuire, Daisy McMillen, and Jordyn Waldo entered the “felonious democracy” that made up this piece, adding the agenda of gender to the plot twist. In one particular section, we got a spotlight on each of the women one by one, where a 5-8 second snippet of their technical skills could be shown as they tilted, turned, and held impossible poses. The disappointing factor here; however, was that they could have all been the same woman. I was hoping to see a different quality, manner, and character for each of them since Mafiosi’s foundation was grounded in the storyline of characters. The temperament of each dancer seemed to be rooted in a heaviness to be heard, to be seen, and to be taken seriously. Twice, we see Collinson gather around a table with the women as they bang their fists and swipe their forearms across the surface as if to cut each other off. While in the beginning this delicate world intrigues and informs, we begin to lose the intricate choreography in the middle of the table as the dancers hunch over and cut the viewpoint off from the audience’s perspective. With well-known songs, such as “Tarantella” the music and beautiful lightning direction by Katelan Braymer brought us into a world not our own, and that is precisely why we enjoy the theater.
Dance at the Odyssey – “Mafiosi” by Olivia Liberati – Screen capture by Spencer Seebach.
The second half was performed by members of Intrepid Dance Project, which is based on the belief that “everyone can dance…aiming to diversify dance and welcome everyone to dance regardless of age, size, ability, training, gender, etc.” The piece as a whole, called Untitled, was split into four parts, with each part involving different collaborations, projections, lively costumes, and music. In “Balter” the entire company joined onstage, Catherine Allison, Loreena Garcia, Doug Goldstein, Juan D. Mendoza, Jennifer Sims, Onerios Villarreal Burns, Nikita Wang, Johanna Wolf-Peterson, and Rachel Carlson-Zuniga. Each mover in their own unique costuming of bright tulle, and neon colors seemed to be following the movement of a leader who would take center stage before another dancer in the group would switch out and a new pattern of movement was followed. While the dance itself was simple and easy to keep up with, there was a merriment in the performance that often comes with improvisation. Most of these movers have been turned away from the traditional world of dance, so being able to perform on stage was inspiring and joyous to watch.
Dance at the Odyssey – Intrepid Dance Project – Jennifer Sims and Juan Mendoza in “Wings”, section from “Untitled – Photo by Tiffany Kilgore.
In one particular section called “Wings,” mover and performer Juan Mendoza shocked audiences with a beautiful tenor voice as he sang opera in a face mask, suit and tie. Accompanied by Sims in a larger than life monarch butterfly costume, the two circle around one another as Mendoza continues to sing and eventually reveal monarch wings of his own. In the last section called “Hustle,” the entire cast came out in silver tinsel costumes to “Dancing Queen” by Abba, including Artistic Director Jennifer Jonassen. Sequencing a few step-together-clap movements with traditional disco choreography, the cast began inviting audience members to join their revelry onstage. While it’s so enjoyable to watch people enjoying themselves, I felt the lack of structure distracting. Even with a loose improvisational setup, Untitled still needed a beginning, middle, and end formation and composition to arc the composition as a whole. With that being said, it was impossible not to smile at the expression of dance in its basic nature of fun entertainment.
Dance at the Odyssey – Intrepid Dance Project – Cast of “Untitled” – Photo by Tiffany Kilgore.
Both Mafiosi and Untitled gave incredibly different perspectives on how dance can be perceived and enjoyed; a particular nuance I always appreciate when going to see performances at Odyssey Theatre, and this summer’s lineup has been no exception.
Dance at the Odyssey continues through July 14 with Leah Zeiger (July 11 at 8PM); Kaia Makihara & hasten dance (July 12 at 8:M); TORRENT, Caitlin Javech, Gianna Burright (July 13 at 2pm & 8PM); and G.U.M., Genna Moroni & Helene Bouboulis (July 14 at 2PM).
For more information and to purchase tickets, please click HERE.
Written by Grace Courvoisier for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: Dance at the Odyssey – Mafiosi by Olivia Liberati – Screen capture by Spencer Seebach.
