She was already loosened like long hair
and surrendered like the rain
and issued like massive provisions.
She was already root. – Excerpt from poem “Orpheus, Eurydice, Hermes” by Maria Rilke
Inspired by the poem “Orpheus, Eurydice, Hermes” by Maria Rilke, Heidi Duckler Dance (HDD) spent months creating Duckler’s site-specific dance opera Underway. In conjunction with LA Opera’s Eurydice Found Festival, Underway was scheduled to be performed before a live audience at Los Angeles’ historic 7th Street bridge on March 17, 2020, but due to reports of the pending spread of COVID-19 pandemic, Founder and Artistic Director Heidi Duckler made the last minute decision to cancel the live performance. Everything – dancers, costumes, musicians, singers, set and permission to perform on the site – was in place and ready to go, and not wanting to waste this opportunity, Duckler decided to capture Underway on film. Everyone involved combined their talent and while working under a tight schedule and bouts of rain, filming commenced.
Raymond Ejiofor (foreground) in scene from UNDERWAY – Choreography by Heidi Duckler – Heidi Duckler Dance – Photo by Rush Varela
The premiere of the 13-minute film version of Duckler’s dance opera Underway took place via Zoom on Tuesday, June 16, 2020 followed by a discussion with several of the artists involved and a Q&A session. Although the company’s press release states that the film is “daring, bizarre, beautiful, and boundary pushing”, I found that in the rush to produce the film, much was lost through the editing process.
Rafael Quintas and Himerria Wortham (left), Myles Lavallee (right) in scene from UNDERWAY – Choreography by Heidi Duckler – Heidi Duckler Dance – Photo by Rush Varela
HDD dancers Himerria Wortham (Eurydice), Myles Lavallee (Orpheus), Anthea Young (Persephone), Rafael Quintas (Hermes), Raymond Ejiofor (Hades), Lily Ontiveros (Nymph), Keva Walker (Nymph), and Santiago Villarreal (Nymph) performed Duckler’s choreography wonderfully. Designer Snezana Petrovic’s costumes clearly reflected the Greek mythological underworld, and Composer Leaha Maria Villarreal brought together five voices (Powell Brumm, Ariana Davis, Simon Faddoul, Madeleine Lew, and Zoe Johnson), woodwinds by William Roper, a sheet metal sound installation by Sarah Belle Reid, along with flute, bass, and electronics by Justin Scheid to produce often hauntingly beautiful and hypnotic music. The lighting for this film was by Grant Dunn and Video/Projection Design was by Brian Aquino and Kathleen Fox. The film was shot and edited by Ben Dolenc and colored by Lily Henry.
Zoe Johnson (above) and Himerria Wortham in scene from UNDERWAY – Choreography by Heidi Duckler – Heidi Duckler Dance – Photo by Rush Varela
When audiences attend an HDD site-specific work, they get to follow the dancers from one area to the next. They see the story unfold in front of them and experience the energy of the performers who are very often in close proximity. Film is, of course, different but I felt that sections of the story were missing. Performers moved from area to area, changed levels of the set designed by Alex Ward and Tanya Orellana without us observing their journey. Perhaps it was the speed in which Underway was filmed, along with the editing choices, that we lost the sense of Eurydice traveling through the Underworld. One also failed to experience the character development and the relationships between the performers.
The film version of Underway will soon be available at the HDD website, and more importantly, one hopes that Duckler will be able to reschedule live performances of the work.
To visit Heidi Duckler Dance website, click HERE.
To read “Orpheus, Eurydice, Hermes” by Maria Rilke, click HERE.
Featured image: Scene from Underway – Choreography by Heidi Duckler – Heidi Duckler Dance – Photo by Rush Varela
