On a sunny Saturday afternoon, the performance of San Diego’s Drumatix was the perfect choice to launch the seventh season of Dance at the Brand, curated by dancer and choreographer Jamie Nichols. Taking place on a small patio area of the Brand Library & Art Center in Glendale, California, this five member tap and percussion ensemble literally got the sold out audience on their feet and dancing. Led by artistic director Noa Barankin, the members of Drumatix kept the entire audience alert and attentive and even though not all of it landed well, there was a lot of humor thrown into the extremely well-paced and diverse mix of styles and rhythms.
Following a brief talk, Barankin informed the audience that they would be tested on pointing out sections of unison, improvisation and the 1930’s BS Chorus created during the era of Vaudeville. For the novice observers, this was an intriguing device to help them look out for and focus in on certain details of the event.
Drumatix – (L-R) Danielle Behrens and Carina York – Photo by Jamie Nichols.
The performance opened with an exciting unison tap section performed with great skill by Dylan Lohmeyer, Danielle Behrens, Carina York, James Larose, and Barankin. This was followed by a brief solo by Lohmeyer which led directly into the group utilizing bare household sized vegetable cans. The group exhausted the use of these cans including tossing them back and forth to each other, using them as percussion instruments and even balancing them one on top of the other. Not the most exciting section of the day, but it was still entertaining.
Drumatix – Artistic Director Noa Barankin – Photo by Jamie Nichols.
The remainder of the performance made inventive use of large medal trash cans turned upside down, silver spoons, drums and drum sticks, Home Depot buckets on tripods, bright colored plastic tubes, and hand and body slapping. One of the moments that brought audible “aahs” from the audience was when the group produced recognizable songs such as the theme from Star Wars from the multi-colored tubes.
Drumatix also involved the audience by dividing them into three groups and teaching each section a very simple clapping rhythm that was then played in unison. This audience participation was later repeated with foot stomps and clapping.
Drumatix – (L-R) Dylan Lohmeyer and Danielle Behrens – Photo by Jamie Nichols.
A highlight for the show was a wonderful duet exceptionally performed by Danielle Behrens and Dylan Lohmeyer that included the historic BS Chorus. These two had great chemistry together and it was clear that they truly enjoyed what they were doing.
Drumatic – James Larose (Right) with audience member – Photo by Jamie Nichols.
The audience got into the act again at the end by learning a simple version of the iconic tap show ender, the Shim Sham often regarded as tap dance’s nation anthem.
Drumatix – (L-R) Danielle Behrens, Carina York, Noa Barankin, Dylan Lohmeyer, James Larose – Photo by Jamie Nichols.
When one visits the Drumatix website it appears that there are more than five dancers associated with the group. It would be great to see the full cast on a larger stage with full production elements. That said, it was great that Jamie Nichols introduced this group to Los Angeles which will hopefully lead to more engagements for them here.
Dance at the Brand continues with performances by Re:BorN Dance Interactive (Saturday, May 4, 5:00pm); Bodies in Play (Saturday, May 11, 5:00pm); and Rangoli Dance Company (Saturday, May 18, 5:00pm). For more information about Dance at the Brand, please visit their website. Admission is free.
For more information about Drumatix, please visit their website.
Written by Jeff Slayton for LA Dance Project.
Featured image: Drumatix – (L-R) Dylan Lohmeyer, Carina York, Danielle Behrens, Noa Barankin, James Larose – Photo by Jamie Nichols.
