I want to acknowledge Amanda Hart, Artistic Director of Hart Pulse Dance and the producer of the MixMatch Festivals at Highways Performance Space, and all that she does to ensure that the festival takes place. It cannot be easy putting a showcase of this size together with so many disparate dancers and companies. Thanks to her, I have something to write about and kudos to her for illuminating so much Dance happening all over Los Angeles and the Southland.
“Traffic Jammer”, choreography by Afton Coombs, music: “Rising”, by Fox Capture Plan. Dancers: Tallulah Aujay, Afton Coombs, Celia Duran, Thomas Ng, Tylei Morris Sade, Kate Sandoval. This piece had an interesting subject matter of anti-surveillance technology. It took the form of clothing with license plate motifs meant to thwart the ever-present cameras which document our lives as we move to and fro about our cities. Chalk one up for the costume department as these were clever and colorful statements in and of themselves. The dancers moved from drab grey sweatsuits to these individually unique costumes as they went from dutiful walking patterns in disciplined lines to more freeform bodily expression in total body movement. Automatons to free individuals. A potent sentiment for our times.
MixMatch Festival – Emily DeVito and Harry Louis Peterson in “Venti Di Agosto” choreography by Ian Schwaner – Photo by Anthony Goodman.
“Venti Di Agosto” choreography by Ian Schwaner, music by Arcangelo Corelli. Dancers: Harry Louis Peterson, Emily Devito Goodman. This was a lovely little pas de deux which began at the ballet barre, ostensibly in class or a rehearsal room and developed into a full-fledged duet. Peterson handled the partnering very well even to the point of navigating a full promenade on point while only partnering her thigh! Not an overly appealing ascetic but certainly one worth mentioning as difficult. Goodman seemed a bit concerned on point, and it may have been the proximity to the audience. She need not have worried as their physical relationship was well matched throughout the dance and Peterson was attentive in the extreme.
“Our Never-ending Party”, choreography by Angela Todaro, Music: “Haflitna Ma Btikhlas” by Emad Sayyah. Dancer: Angela Todaro. This was a Belly dance solo and was very entertaining. It was a departure from the concert work gone before and added a pizazz to the show. The costume was gorgeous and flowed well with her staccato movement across the stage. Todaro hit all of the necessary isolations in fine order. I thought it a little too long as I became aware of her repeating sections.
MixMatch Festival – Yasmina Devos, Caley Hernandez in “Box” by Caley Hernandez – Photo by Sofia Lareau.
“Visitor”, choreography by Brittany Parker, Rachel Good, Jenna Batchelder, Kristina Banh, Mallory Killen, Music: “Spit Roast” by Anthony Willis, “If I wanna be humiliated I’m gonna pay someone to do it” by Cristobal Tapia De Veer. Dancers: Brittany Parker, Rachel Good, Jenna Batchelder, Kristina Banh, Mallory Killen. This was a contemporary piece and well executed by all. I wondered why three of the performers were barefoot and two had socks on. Costuming has so much to do with the overall visuals of a performance. Focus was great and the performers drew us in.
“Fiesta Veracruzana”, choreography by El Coco y La Bamba, El Gavilan, original choreography by Adriana Gainey, Matthew de Leon restaged by Zarene Marie Núñez. Music: Traditional by Patricio Hidalgo. Dancers: Renata Cuevas, Maya Ramirez, Zarene Marie Nuñez, Camila Mier, Alina Isabel Hernandez, Melania Mier, Pablo Alvarez, Daisy Brambila, Kailey Tapia, Adrian Maldonado, Landyn Slominsky. This was a fabulous traditional dance with extraordinary costumes all of white with black aprons for the women and white pants and shirt, hat and boots for the man. The headpieces and hair were intricate and sculptural. Each head and port de bras were exact. The épaulement was uniform and made the unison work with the dresses very strong. At one point the man’s sash is pulled from around his waist and tied into a knot for the man and woman to dance with. Perhaps a wedding dance of old? It was a lovely tribute and beautifully performed.
“Affinity”, choreographed by Micaela Church & Li Pei Khoo, music: Étude Op 25 No1 by Fréderic Chopin performed by Paul Cantrell. Dancers: Micaela Church, Jena Conant, Brandon Farrer, Martha P. Hernandez. This piece had movement enough for the dancers involved but I could not discern intent. It seemed an exercise in contemporary movement which did not reflect the temperament or cadence of the music. The performers were well rehearsed and clean in their execution.
MixMatch Festival – Jeni Jones, Ashna Madni, Erika Snell, Monica Klimczak & Sheila Ahoraian in “LOVE ME” Photo and choreography courtesy of Jeni Jones (Leisure Dance Machine) – Photo by Sofia Lareau.
“Love Me”, choreography by Jeni Jones, Music: “I can’t make you love me” by Bonnie Raitt. Dancers: Jeni Jones, Ashna Madni, Erika Snell, Monica Klimczak, Sheila Ahoraian. In this song Bonnie Raitt pleads with her lover to stay the night although she knows he does not love her. The choreography here was full of reaching and pleading with the audience to do the same – love the performers. Costumes were black jazz pants with black jazz shoes and button-down shirts. This was an uneven choreographic endeavor that placed too much import on the lyrics of the song to carry emotion and not enough on the actual steps. At one point, one of the dancers erupts into slightly unsteady turns a’la seconde as a “wow” factor without realizing that they were misplaced and did not adhere to the music or the lyrics. It was an odd choice given the plaintiff wailings of Raitt about not being loved.
Ala Rimsh Eyounha “In Her Eyelashes”, choreography by Stefanya, music: Wadi Al-Safi. Dancers: Mosaique Dance Co. This company utilized Arab Dance tradition in their performance. The costumes were beautiful fiery red with bejeweled bodices. Taking a page from Belly dancing, they shimmied and moved in unison quite well and had fun with facial expressions and isolated punctuation in their movement.
MixMatch Festival – Emmalee Idler, Cailtlin Larsen, Abby Smelko, Robinn Titular, Abigail Valdivia in “Interstitial” choreography by Makenna Tondro – Photo by Sofia Lareau.
“So Many Voices”, choreography by Aurore Stalder, music: Lärsen H. Dancer: Julia Atkinson. This was a solo that seemed to forget an audience was watching – and not in a good way. The movement was introverted and repetitive to the point of abstraction. Instead of allowing the audience to feel with her, it felt to me as if she were alone in a dark room ignoring us. In these intensely introspective pieces, it is necessary to take the audience with you, so that they are a part of the performers experience instead of outside of it. After the music ended the performer kept walking forward and backwards looking up at the ceiling the entire time. This did not portray the gravity that it wished but only made me wonder what was so interesting on the ceiling that I did not see.
“Real House”, choreography by Dominic Keider, music: “Real House” by Adrianne Lenker. Dancers: Rosie Huntley, Dominic Keider. This was one of the pieces on the program which worked best. In terms of contemporary movement, it said what was necessary for us to follow the emotions of the two people interacting within the space. There was a lamp on its side and three chairs which were used as barricades and emotional blocks between the couple. The choreography was athletic and gymnastic but served the purpose of illuminating what was going on between the two in their relationship. There was no point at which we lost the narrative of their conversation. The unison movement was exact, clean and powerful because of its detailed nature. This read most strongly in the gestural hand movements around the head. The movement was idiosyncratic but not confusing or lost by dynamic. The lamp and chairs lent the piece a familiarity of home and suggested a living room where any couple could have this kind of argument or confrontation.
“Naughty”, choreography by Honey Almazar, music: Marco Rogliano. Dancer: Honey Almazar. This was short and to the point. Almazar engages in a pointe solo and keeps it simple and clear. She uses her romantic tutu well and illuminates the music.
MixMatch Festival – Ariana Avina, Jaclyn Chu, Myke Myklegard, Savanna Scott, Rylee Takahashi in “how we got here from there” choreography and photo by William L. Miller, Jr.
“how we got here from there”, choreography by William L. Miller Jr., music: “Let Go” by Frou Frou. Dancers: Ariana Avina, Gabi Grant, Jaclyn Chu, Sara Gonzalez, Rylee, Takahasi. This was a very commercial piece with the dancers all facing front and outdoing each other in the choreography. It had an air of excitement but not intent other than the aggrandizement of individual dancers doing movement to wow the audience. The performers were certainly skilled enough.
“Roma”, choreography by Sonia Ochoa, music: Vicente Amigo. Dancer: Sonia Ochoa. I thought at first that this was to be a Flamenco solo as Ochoa was outfitted as such with the costume and shoes and even the fan of a Flamenco dancer. This was not the case as the choreography had to do mostly with port de bras and various turns with épaulement added. That in itself was fine. The music was percussive and there never manifested the intricate footwork so brilliant in Flamenco. It held the air of Flamenco without ever actually becoming it. I think she is capable of holding the attention of the audience, but this piece never really coalesced into a strong character statement.
“Abducted”, choreography by Alex Floyd, music: Lucrecia Dalt. Dancers: Alex Floyd, Kistina Pressler, Angela Todaro. In this piece the three dancers begin in Child’s Pose, then slowly raise up to perform a couple of Cat/Cow stretches for the back. Again, the audience does not see the performers but only their backs raise and fall as they do this for the opening of the piece. There is a great deal of experience for the performer with very little for the audience. Once they do get up and begin moving the choreography takes a zombie-like turn with twisted torsos and off-kilter walks. They did this for a while and then it ended.
MixMatch Festival – Kistina Pressler in her solo “Motherstood” – Photo by Sofia Lareau.
“Encuentro Angular”, choreography by Jose Costas, music: Charlie Hall. Dancers: Madelynn Hampton, Damian Kelly, Emma Manzanares, Ella Tracy. This piece seemed to bring to life three different fashions that moved around a male that could have been the designer? Their creator? Much of the choreography had to do with angular arms and jumps as they interwove around the space. The costumes were striking with a black and white leotard and long colored gloves to the elbow with a flower to match in their hair in green, blue and pink. It had a playful visual element that was captivating.
“Amritavarshini Thillana”, choreography by Ramya Harishankar, music: K. Lalitha. Dancers: Arpana Dance Company. This company practices the Bharata Natyam, the classical dance form of South India. Their excellence in the performing of their particular style was obvious at the outset and only deepened as the piece came to fruition. It was an essay in exactitude with every finger, every eye in unison as their faces danced as much as their bodies did. They were fantastic in their presentation with each costume detailed and colorful, their make-up exuberant highlighting the expressive eye movements. I appreciate that the choreography included the fingers and eyes as well as the rest of the body. It was a joyful spectacle. All moved as one and filled the entire void of the stage with their presence. It was exciting and compelling at the same time.
Arpana Dance Company in “Thilana” – Photo by Gunindu Abeysekara
“Rhythm, Delivered.”, choreography by Noa Barankin, music: Live by dancers. Dancers: Noa Barankin, Sierra Tanji/Anessa Davies, Tallulah Bingham, Amanda Martz, Afton Coombs, Amaya Rodriguez. This was a great way to end the show with a fabulous sonic romp through props and taps. At one point they produce spoons and add that percussion to their feet in a playful duet of sounds. They also used short sections of plastic piping which reminded me a bit of “Blue Man Group” as they played the Star Wars theme while tapping. Big cardboard boxes were tossed into the mix of drumming, and all handled the material well. They had a great sense of humor about their performance and had us smiling and clapping along to the rhythms.
It was an eclectic mix of companies and dancers. Although at times uneven it represented the gamut of dance now happening across Los Angeles and the Southland. How nice to see it all in one place as a festival. I look forward to the further development of these companies and dancers as the potential in the room was great. Congratulations to Hart Pulse Dance for putting it all together.
To learn more about Hart Pulse Dance Company, please visit their website.
For more information about Highways Performance Space, please visit their website.
Written by Brian Fretté for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: MixMatch Festival – Ariana Avina, Jaclyn Chu, Myke Myklegard, Savanna Scott, Rylee Takahashi in “how we got here from there” choreography and photo by William L. Miller, Jr.
