After a long week — and as all of Los Angeles can attest, a long January — I was relieved to discover that finding the venue entrance was the hardest part of attending CO-’s Show 9. The Seattle-based collaborative entity, helmed by curators, co-producers, and performers Emma Lawes and Maya Tacon, has been putting on what they call “performance parties” in Seattle since 2021, and they know their scene well. For Show 9, their first endeavor in Los Angeles, the pair imported longtime collaborator DJ Calico from the Pacific Northwest in favor of preserving their signature vibe. But Lawes has been putting in the time in the LA dance community, and this program reflected that well: the evening really felt like a community hug, holding the warmth and joy of the LA dance scene and its sadness after the fires.
CO-9 – Cayla Mae Simpson – Photo by Lexi Dysart (Instagram: @lexidysartphoto).
A crowd of friends and family trickled in as Calico warmed up the floor for the 10:00 pm show, intertwining paths with the familiar faces of the lingering 8:00 pm audience. Cayla Mae Simpson opened the show with a playful solo, so intently curious that you could see the warehouse space become a nature preserve as she explored it. A simple, jubilant run circling the stage brought audible laughs and wondrous gasps from the audience.
CO-9 – Marirosa Crawford, Ariana Daub, and Casey Shea in work by Jordan Saenz – Photo by Lexi Dysart (Instagram: @lexidysartphoto).
Then Marirosa Crawford, Ariana Daub, and Casey Shea broke through the crowd, tracing as voices recounted memories, dreams. One voice cut through it all: “and then, I wake up.” The voice belonged to choreographer Jordan Saenz, and as they soared onto the stage with the rest of the dancers, the score pushed into a full, exuberant declaration. Saenz is a master of initiation — it is always clear where in their body the movement starts, but it seems never to end, only to float. As the cast searched and drew in the space, recordings of Saenz’s grandmother recounting family recipes conjured hope, nostalgia, grief. Together, they built a landscape of ancestral memory.
CO-9 – Andersmith – Arletta Anderson crowdsurfing – Photo by Lexi Dysart (Instagram: @lexidysartphoto).
Arletta Anderson and Adam Smith — under the moniker Andersmith — charged into the space next, wrangling the crowd with the help of a very literal audio track that gave directions in dance, self-acceptance, and being a person. They gave us an exercise in saying yes — we went from raising our hands and swinging our hips to holding balloons, donning inflatable costumes, blowing bubbles, and even supporting a crowdsurfing Anderson, all with such glee.
CO-9 – Jesse Smith – Photo by Lexi Dysart (Instagram: @lexidysartphoto).
Next came the effervescent Jesse Smith, gliding into the space with uninhibited flow. Smith made magic in her footwork, drawing vibrant arcs and spirals and coaxing the room into the groove. An impromptu exchange with Nina Flagg lit up the room, and Smith exited as quickly as she entered.
CO-9 – Jen Lacy and Cacia LaCount – Photo by Lexi Dysart (Instagram: @lexidysartphoto).
After a brief pause, Jen Lacy entered for a tender duet with Cacia LaCount, in which we saw deep trust outlined over and over. Lacy’s movement harnesses level change in such a seamless, dynamic way — the two folded with ease and tenderness, remaining strong in their support of each other.
CO-9 – David Rue and Tatiana Marie – Photo by Lexi Dysart (Instagram: @lexidysartphoto).
David Rue and Tatiana Marie cleared the runway to vogue for the penultimate piece of the night, commanding our attention as they carved gloriously confrontational gestures in perfect, committed sync. The audience locked in to watch Marie’s spoken word film, “This Black Girl,” set to Tank and the Bangas’ song of the same name. Simultaneously defiant and vulnerable, her words capped the piece with an unapologetic laugh that was felt deeply throughout the room.
Lawes and Tacon filed in and out between works for quick interludes all night, draped in all-black including face coverings. They took alternating solos in front of saturated projections, almost reminiscent of heatmaps — and a culminating duet to finish the evening. Both ate up the space around them, spreading limbs wide and folding joints with expert sensitivity. Even with a screen behind them, they danced with no front: a sign that they knew how to hold more than just a proscenium audience (a particularly impressive feat with their faces obscured by costume).
CO-9 – All the performers – Photo by Lexi Dysart (Instagram: @lexidysartphoto).
If their Seattle resumes weren’t proof enough, CO-’s understanding of immersive came through all of the works on Friday night. Audience members were buzzing from the joy each artist brought into the space, mutual aid information was out at the merch table for fire relief, and it was the escape I needed from a difficult start to the year.
To learn more about CO-. please visit their website.
Written by Celine Kiner for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: CO-9 – Emma Lawes and Maya Tacon – Photo by Lexi Dysart (Instagram: @lexidysartphoto).
