Temple Israel Of Hollywood Arts and Culture commissioned and presented Invertigo Dance Theatre’s The Kitchen Table Project: A Time To Gather. The Kitchen Table Project originated as a virtual learning and communication tool through Zoom during the pandemic. It was their way of connecting and being together without physically owning a space in movement and in speech. As their first live site specific of 2022, Invertigo brought their Kitchen Table to us in A Time To Gather, which paid homage to those we’ve lost, those we love, and to the memories and ideas we are grateful to bring into the future. With brilliant choreography and direction by Haylee Nichele, performers/collaborators Chelsea Roquero, Jessica Emmanuel, and Austin Tyson, we were encouraged to engage not only with each other but with ourselves.
Invertigo Dance Theatre – Jessica Emanuel in The Kitchen Table: A Time to Gather – Photo by Denise Leitner
Upon entering the outdoor courtyard, which runs parallel with Hollywood Blvd, the audience sat in folding chairs that hugged both sides of several tables placed in a circle, leaving the middle section open and vulnerable. Diana Wyenn, Artistic Director of the TIOH Arts and Culture department, introduced herself and acknowledged the Tongva land of Turtle Island for which the temple sits on. Wyenn also had us take a moment of silence for those who had lost their lives and loved ones in the tragic Uvalde shooting in Texas earlier that same day. Without dwelling on current politics too much, acknowledging these events gave everyone the time they needed to reflect, become aware of their current surroundings, and feel present. With such a heavy topic on all of our minds, starting off grateful that we have the luxury to see an arts performance was a wonderful way to begin the evening; to remember that we are still alive, that art can change minds, and that we carry memories not as heavy weights but as wings.
Invertigo Dance Theatre – Chelsea Roquero (top) Austin Tyson (under table) in The Kitchen Table: A Time to Gather – Photo by Denise Leitner
Jessica Emmanuel entered the empty round courtyard in a sleeveless emerald teal sequined dress with a shimmering midnight blue skirt underneath. With costuming by the wonderful Cody Brunelle-Potter, Emmanuel was dressed for the party of her life! She began asking the audience if we knew why we were here, what we were celebrating, and whose party it was. Moving from person to person, she’d make genuine eye contact and ask these questions in a childlike manner of excited urgency without any real emergency. It was inquisitive, innocent, and charming, and most importantly, honest. The audience trusted that Emmanuel was interested in our opinions, thoughts, feelings, and answers as many folk burst out answers like, “We’re here to celebrate life! “or “We’re here to celebrate you!”
Invertigo Dance Theatre – (L-R) Jessica Emmanuel, Austin Tyson, Chelsea Roquero in The Kitchen Table: A Time to Gather – Photo by Denise Leitner
In small sweeping upper body movements, and gentle motifs and gestures, Emmanuel was joined by Chelsea Roquero and Austin Tyson, who brought a wooden chair into the space quietly and confidently. They passed around small pieces of paper and pencil for the audience to write down the name of the person they are thinking about, but cannot be with, and what impactful act of love and/or advice this person has given. Everyone sunk into themselves, thinking about who they love, and why they are missed. I saw many audience members wipe away small tears or give quirky smiles as they reminiscence times together in waves, like echoes of the mind. The brilliance of this carefully directed moment by Nichele, is the fact that each of us were physically alone but supported by the intellectual moment of community and heart. The circle, sequined dress, paper and pencil, talk of love and memorabilia…it could’ve become campy in the worst way. The difference with A Time To Gather was the pulse and rhythm Nichele set and directed through speech and movement. The performers filled the space with consistent humbling energy. It’s the first time, in a long time, I remembered how vulnerable and exposed it is to be a performer and a mover. I remembered that the performers were also figuring out if they could trust me! And why wouldn’t they in such an intimate space! And it was within this mind frame that made our first moment authentically exposed and true to ourselves. We took the time we needed to be together.
Invertigo Dance Theatre – (L-R) Jessica Emmanuel, Chelsea Roquero in The Kitchen Table: A Time to Gather – Photo by Denise Leitner
After we were done writing on paper, we dropped our loved ones in a bowl, and headed into the adjacent hall for a more formal performance. On the stage sat a wooden table and a chair as the performers slowly began using these props to curate movement between one another. The trio moved fluidly in sync, as delightful beats by composer Diana Lynn Wallace played over the speakers. My mind began to fill with different scenarios and added storylines. I was flooded with my own memories surrounding the daily conversations, friendships, arguments, enemies, regrets, and happy moments one can have in the kitchen at a dining room table. The simple act of a table and chair opens Pandora’s box when it comes to memories. That’s the heart of the home, it’s the heart of wherever and with whomever you call home. Emmanuel, Roquero, and Tyson played in whimsical lifts and levels, crouching underneath the table, on top of the table, and playing with heights as children would do when they’re trying to reach for something or when they’re building something. It was also interesting to see how Nichele played with speed. Just as the brain works with memory in different tempos and paces, so did the movement within the trio. Again, my mind would settle on somber recollections when the movement slowed, or times of craziness and anxiety when the movement picked up. Another brilliance came from the way Nichele and the performers decided to use the space. The staging was quite small, fixated on the centralized props, and moving between stage right to stage left rather than downstage to upstage and back. If the whole stage was the blueprint of a home for example, the dancers remained in the kitchen from start to finish. It’s this kind of thinking and deliberation I expected from Nichele and Invertigo Dance Theatre in general. There’s both an existential picture, along with detail and precision on theme that really makes good theater and dance.
Invertigo Dance Theatre – Austin Tyson (center) in The Kitchen Table: A Time to Gather – Photo by Denise Leitner
The performance inside the hall ended when Emmanuel left the space completely through an exit door stage right, as Roquero and Tyson spoke to the audience about leaving the space for a surprise party. We all got up, chit chatted about the beauty we experienced, and returned to the outdoor tables and chairs in the courtyard. Tyson and Roquero poured a glass of sparkling wine for each member in the crowd, as a table of vegan desserts was wheeled out in the center. They had us squat and scrunch down close to the ground in order to hide and cover ourselves as much as possible, and when Emmanuel re-entered the space we all yelled “Surprise!” There was a smile on everyone’s face. Even though this was a choreographed performance, and Emmanuel knew this was coming, for us as onlookers it felt as though she was hearing this for the first time. Nichele and the performers understood the glow it can bring to the heart when you do something nice for someone else…like a surprise party. Invertigo Dance Theatre brought us more than just pretty movement, and Nichele brought us more than quality choreography. We were given the space to make space for others. We were given an experience full of warmth and love, and in the remembrance of memories, we made a new one together. Invertigo reached beyond what dance theater can be and gave us a modern day happening. We interacted, they interacted, and together we formed a new relationship with dance and with the power of what art can do.
To learn more about Invertigo Dance Theatre, please visit their website.
To learn more about TIOH Arts and Culture, please visit their website.
Written by Alice Courvoisier for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: Invertigo Dance Theatre – (L-R) Chelsea Roquero, Austin Tyson, Jessica Emanuel in The Kitchen Table: A Time to Gather – Photo by Denise Leitner
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