To celebrate a momentous anniversary, Nancy Evans Dance Theatre opened Works 2024: 15 Years of NEDT at A Room to Create (ARC) in Pasadena on May 11. The show running until May 19 features a variety of dance works from the company created over the years since its inception in 2009. Viewers watched the growth of the company and its voice throughout the program, witnessing the archival choreography mature on stage.
The first half of the program revisited older works. The pieces ranged from abstract explorations to story-based ballet. The first two works, Recess from Spain (2010) by Nancy Evans Doede and The Joneses from Apartment 6D (2015) by Jenn Logan, revealed a direct progression in the company’s growth. The first piece was jovial and theatrical, showcasing character dynamics more than choreography. The second piece depicted more of the company’s modern technique. By the third piece — Tick (2018) by Ashleigh Doede — the audience received a fully formed and impactful version of the company.
NEDT – Sophia Bernardo, Tara Aghaian, Jadyn Corral, Jackie Pierce, Jacob Schmieder-Hacker in “Recess” by Nancy Evans Doede – Photo by Ayame Orlans.
The movement had much more intention behind it, upholding a sensible movement economy. Performers Tara Aghaian, Jadyn Corral, and Jenn Logan did not waste a second to flow from step to step, articulating the choreography in each muscle. Corral had a particularly strong performance, moving with specificity and ensuring the viewer took in every movement instead of flowing through the choreography in broad strokes.
Other highlights from the revisited works included Lucy from Apartment 6D (2015), a piece by Jenn Logan dedicated to a feisty family dog, and Shifting Sands from Shift (2011), Nancy Evans Doede’s dance that explores the theme of time.
NEDT – Jadyn Corral, Jacob Schmieder-Hacker, Jackie Pierce, Ashleigh Doede, Jenn Logan in “Italy” – Photo by Ayame Orlans.
Lucy, performed by Ashleigh, aligns aesthetically with a story ballet and shines through its use of props. It began with Ashleigh sitting on the floor, digging into a box packed with bubble wrap and pulling it out strand by strand. She twirled the bubble wrap around her head, letting its weightlessness bring her off the ground. The clear strands framed her head as she twirled, moving like a partner. She even danced over the bubble wrap, letting each step come with a loud, satisfying pop. As she slipped each strand of bubble wrap out, she got closer to the satisfying squeak of a toy at the bottom of the box.
NEDT – Ashleigh Doede in “Lucy” – Photo by Ayame Orlans.
Shifting Sands incorporated an inventive use of costumes designed by Logan. There was a literal tug and pull between Sophia Bernardo and Logan’s long shawls. They tried to drag each other down by the fibers, contorting their bodies in unexpected shapes to stay on their feet.
NEDT – Jadyn Corral, Nairi Tamihzyan, Jackie Pierce, Alice Lousen in “Landscapes” by Nancy Evans Doede – Photo by Ayame Orlans.
The first half of Works 2024 denoted the development of the company’s signature aesthetic and style. The choreography referenced modern dance techniques, like Graham and Limon, but did not seek to replicate it. Instead, it used staple bounces, swings, and contractions to expand on Nancy Evans’ worldview and artistic voice. The company’s style is packed with slow and tender movements meant to indulge in a singular step packed with internal emotion. The dedication to weaving an emotional core from highly technical movement shared the company’s love and adoration of dance itself.
The second half of the program presented the world premiere of Nancy Evans’ Landscapes, a series of works that explore the natural environment and how humans are affected by it. The piece shared a more refined vision of the company, combining the emotional qualities of their earlier, story-based works with the choreographic intelligence of their newer works.
NEDT – Nancy Evans Doede in “Thirst” – Photo by Ayame Orlans.
Landscapes began with Desert which depicted the environment through dancers shaped like cacti and rolling like tumbleweeds. The landscape continuously evolved over and over, as if you were strolling through dry lands. The rocks and cacti oozed into the ground and evolved into birds, growing in numbers and circling a singular performer center stage. The moment seamlessly transitioned into Mirage, a section that was a significant departure from the company’s other works in the show. There were no bodies presented, just large pieces of blue fabric spread out in front of each performer, rolling and flowing up and down like water. The pieces of fabric danced for the company, replicating a mirage that made you question if you were witnessing dance or a kaleidoscope of colors — perhaps a mix of both. The moving fabric folded over, each darting off stage to reveal Nancy Evans to transition into her solo, Thirst.
NEDT – Tara Aghaian, Jackie Piece in “Sad Birds” – Photo by Ayame Orlans.
To have the company’s founder perform for the anniversary show was a treat within itself. Her performance proved that her mastery of the art form sustained the company and contributed to the dance landscape of L.A. Without moving, her presence was entrancing. She tilted her head up to reveal her eyes to the lights, baring her soul to the audience. Her eyes were a part of the choreography as much as the movement of her limbs. She began slowly, taking time with each step to let the audience read her movement like a piece of literature.
Plains was the thesis of Landscapes, bringing six dancers on stage to embody the movement of trees, grass, and wind through expansive formations. The company wore beautiful costumes designed by Katrina Amerine that exemplified the theme of nature, depicting layers of sediment on the front and back of their garments. The dancers swung their arms to and fro while a select few erupted from the ensemble and dove up like they were sitting on a swing, reaching a peak packed with suspense in moments of stillness.
Dust Storm interrupted the energy of Landscapes, pulling the viewer out of the world created by the other pieces. While the other sections challenged the dancers to embody nature, Dust Storm had the dancers interacting with nature as human beings. This makes the interrogation of the changing environment less intimate. The only time this effort felt natural was during Nancy Evans’ solo. Unlike her solo, the emotional core was no longer embodied internally by the performers in Dust Storm.
NEDT – Sophia Bernardo, Jacob Schmieder-Hacker, Jenn Logan in “Landscapes” by Nancy Evans Doede – Photo by Ayame Orlans.
The final section, Safe Harbor, reels the viewer back into the immersive world despite the unexpected detour. The company embodied water, tumbling on the ground and changing levels like crashing waves. The section was made up of beautiful cannons that flowed like water on the ground, enticing you to step into the roaring waters.
The new work ends with a breathtaking image. After a series of moments that brought dancers off the ground for trios and duets, everyone returned to the ground, rolling on the floor like tiny rip curls. Finally, the dancers brought their torsos up from the ground with one arm reaching the sky and the other spreading to their side, bracing for contact. They dove to the ground with a sense of urgency in their eyes. The lights dimmed midway through the movement, leaving you on a cliffhanger wondering where the water went.
NEDT in “Landscapes” by Nancy Evans Doede – Photo by Ayame Orlans.
The moment felt metaphorical in the context of the 15th-anniversary show. After witnessing the development of Nancy Evans Dance Theatre over the years, the program ended with a moment of anticipation for the next moment — the next step. Turns out, we will have to wait and see.
Nancy Evans Dance Theatre’s Works 2024: 15 Years of NEDT at ARC Pasadena runs until May 19. For more information and tickets, please visit their website.
Written by Steven Vargas for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: Nancy Evans Dance Theatre – Sophia Bernardo, Jacob Schmieder-Hacker, Tara Aghaian, Ashleigh Doede, Jenn Logan in “The Joneses” by Jenn Logan – Photo by Ayame Orlans.
