Ephrat Asherie Dance presented “Odeon” Saturday April 2nd at The Broad Stage in Santa Monica. The Broad is a beautifully designed space with great seating, acoustics, and easy parking. The management is efficient and accommodating. With a really fun show gracing the stage, who could ask for more?
It was with this thought that I entered the theater and took my seat. “Odeon” is a family friendly show without much heft that comes and goes like a cool breeze, there one minute, gone the next. Director/Choreographer, Ephrat Asherie and her company of six dancers are not trained in the classics, nor are they trained jazz/contemporary dancers but instead have a background in street, hip hop and club dances. This lack of rudimentary technical skill is a weak point and will hold the company back from developing beyond this enjoyable yet limited scope. Using an Afro/Brazilian theme, Asherie brought in the music of revered Brazilian composer Ernesto Nazareth. The music commonly known as Choro, meaning, “lament,” is nevertheless happy and upbeat. These “Brazilian Tangos” are the palette on which Asherie built her show.
Ephrat Asherie Dance – (L-R) Linda Madueme, Omari Wiles, Valerie Ho, Manon Bal, Matthew West, Teena Marie Custer, and Ephrat Asherie in “ODEON” – Photo by Christopher Duggan
Beginning in silence, two dancers took the stage and slowly began to lay down a rhythm through handclapping. This was an inauspicious start to the evening, especially with an onstage band just waiting to kick in. When at last they did, the infectious music immediately filled the room with joy. The dancing, energetic and fun, was a nice match for the exuberant piano playing of the accomplished Ben Rosenblum.
When joined by top-notch musicians, Eduardo Belo on bass, Angel Lau, on percussion and Jeremy Smith also on percussion this band was swinging. Asherie is a clever choreographer and she used every trick available to fill the hour performance. She understands staging and keeps the dancers moving from one pattern to another in interesting ways. She also injects humor wherever she can to the delight of the dancers and the audience. For example, a mimed conversation between two dancers that becomes a ping-pong match of gestures tied to the exacting rhythm of the percussion was both difficult and laugh-out-loud funny. Another moment among many was the instantaneous transformation of dancer Omari Wiles from the feminine to the masculine. Accomplished with the slightest of body language, this was an education in subtly while again making us laugh.
Ephrat Asherie Dance – (L-R) Sergio Krakowski and Linda Madueme – Photo by Christopher Duggan
Throughout I was struck by the idea that this was just a group of partying B-Girl and B-Boy friends that were dancing for the fun of it and though it was clear that much thought and rehearsal was involved, this sense of freedom persisted.
The six performers all danced with energetic commitment yet a few stood out especially. The scene-stealing soloist, Omari Wiles owned his moment with an outrageous “Vogue” routine that brought whoops and hollers from the audience. Then he disappeared into an ode to his background in a powerful African dance that brought the house down. Wiles, however, needs to be careful not to overuse his “Diva” persona so as not to become cliché. Ephrat “Bounce” Asherie also hit a high note with her athletic solos and the comical yet moving dance to the nostalgic accordion playing of Ben Rosenblum. A confident Matthew “Megawatt” West infused his moves with a flirty playfulness that was fun to watch. Everyone brought something individually unique to the stage including Teena Marie Custer, Manon Bal and Valarie “Ms. Vee” Ho.
Ephrat Asherie Dance – (L-R) Ephrat Asherie and Omari Wiles – Photo by Robert Altman
This company offers a lot: energy, humor, great music and even audience participation. However, as mentioned earlier, without more technical skill it will be hard to reach higher ground. With careful editing Ms. Asherie might extract a very tight, high-spirited yet whimsical freestyle show that could be a success in a more commercial setting. And though I enjoyed the evening, I felt the above mentioned issues kept “Odeon” from being true concert material and felt that it might be a better fit in another venue.
Fun was had by all, when at the bows the musicians joined the dancers for an impromptu dance party that was endemic of the positive energy of “Ephrat Asherie Dance.”
The excellent Musical Direction was by Ehud Asherie with Percussion Arrangements by Sergio Krakowski. Able Lighting Design was by Kathy Kaufmann and the sadly unflattering costumes were by Designer Mark Eric.
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To learn more about Ephrat Asherie Dance, please visit their website.
To find out more about The Broad Stage, please visit their website.
Written by Tam Warner for LA Dance Chronicle. Please follow us on Facebook, and on Instagram and on Twitter.
Featured image: Ephrat Asherie Dance Company – Photo by Matthew Murphy
