“Roots and Branches,” is an astute title for a moving evening of historical American Modern Dance, that grew up in the 1950’s and ‘60’s. At that time, there was a distinct separation between dance forms such as Ballet VS Modern. With quirky “far-out” ideas of experimenters like Cunningham, Taylor, Horton and Graham that we now know are genius innovators that led us kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Starving for their art, spending hours inventing to music not heard in this universe, or no music at all, then editing and re-editing…all done mostly for free, just for the love of it. In Roots and Branches, we finally hear the voice and see the very soul of the movements that became the fork in the road allowing the miracle of change to occur in dance itself.
On May 21, 2022, we were gifted with stunning work by protégés, Nancy Evans Doede, John Pennington and Jeff Slayton. They were the vessels of Modern Dance innovators, Ted Shawn, Viola Farber, Bella Lewitzky, Nancy McKnight Hauser and Don Martin. We tasted moments of reconstructed work that might otherwise have been lost forever. It was an offering so we might know from whence much of what we do today has been borrowed and hopefully will be sustained.
Artistic Director, Nancy Evans Doede with her company Nancy Evans Dance Theatre and her dedicated dancers Jenn Logan, Ashleigh Doede, Katrina Amerine, Noel Dilworth, Karina Francis, Jen Hunter, Joan Fricke, Andrea Ordaz, and Nikolaos Doede, reflected their respect not only for their craft but for the work shared with them. None of this could have been done alone, hence the inimitable John Pennington’s offerings of not only his ARC Pasadena as a place to play and work, but also his own connection to the work of Ted Shawn and Bella Lewitsky. Evans Doede’s honoring of Don Martin both on video and enlivened onstage in all its intensity, was a moving experience. Evans Doede and Pennington were flanked by the adroit Jeff Slayton, a devoted former dancer, inheritor and colleague of Merce Cunningham and Viola Farber. Their presence helped inspire moving insights and stories layered with actual video, voice and the original music which created context, feeling and therefore connection.
ROOTS AND BRANCHES – Nancy Evans Dance Theatre – Jenn Logan and ensemble in “Eve” choreography by Nancy E. Doede – Photo by AyameFoto
After a lovely introduction by Evans Doede to orient the audience to the artists being represented for the evening, she began the performance with EVE a stunning stylized piece reminiscent of the German School of Modern Dance. So fascinating was the theatrical costuming and choreography representing the stereotypical duality of women as virgin and whore. The concept and movement by Evans Doede, with its strength of vision was a perfect start of the evening. The stark black, white and red costuming by Katrina Amerine and Evans Doede, with Japanese style masks created by the talented and versatile Jenn Logan were of distinct prime colors with expressions that seemed to be caught in mid action. Terje Isungset composed the music, both percussive and perfect. This was a seductive piece that was clearly a statement not only of the times we are living, but indicative of the historic struggle. This led to a poignant dedication, Buried Child, choreographed and powerfully performed by Doede, as a gift to the mothers of Ukraine. It was originally done in 2018.
ROOTS AND ROOTS AND BRANCHES – Nancy Evans Dance Theatre – Nancy E. Doede in her solo “Buried Child” – Photo by AyameFoto
Encounter #1, with strong athletic dancers Andrew W. Palomares and Edwin Siguenza, was a complex pas de deux, choreographed by Pennington, with Music by Noto & Sakamoto. The piece, sometimes unison, sometimes fugal, worked with the two bodies using each other’s weight and space and pushed beyond the ordinary, quickly shifting from lilting and lyrical to primal sensuality and heady brilliance.
Pennington Dance Group in Encounter #1 – Photo courtesy of the artist
Clearing (1979) Is a Viola Farber piece restaged by Jeff Slayton who knew, worked and loved her since their work together with Merce Cunningham and Farber’s own company. His dedication to her and her work lasted past her death, December of 1998, and is a moving presentation of her legacy. Clearing was originally choreographed by Farber for Ze’eva Cohen at Riverside Church in New York City on May 17, 1979 nearly 40 years earlier and has not been performed since that time. Farber’s piece so lyrical and artfully reconstructed by Slayton presented dancer Jenn Logan, in her deep red circular skirted dress, as the artist she is. The partnership of Slayton and Logan with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, brought out the deep feelings and musicality of Farber’s work. It reached the very soul of her love and expertise in music and movement. Such a dedication keeps her alive and recognized in the family tree of Modern Dance.
ROOTS AND BRANCHES – Nancy Evans Dance Theatre – Jenn Logan in Viola Farber’s “Clearing” (1979) – Photo by AyameFoto
La Casa De Las Secas, Don Martin’s brilliant dedication to Federico Garcia-Lorca’s, House of Bernardo Alba cried out with shocking repression and sadism. His understanding of Lorca’s material created powerful angular designs and highly emotional yet repressed choreography. The dancers, Ashleigh Doede, Karina Francis, Joan Fricke, Jen Hunter, and Andrea Ordaz clearly appeared to be channeling Martin’s original work, so imbuing the characters as to leave the audience stunned with its message of cruelty and eventual tragedy.
ROOTS AND BRANCHES – Nancy Evans Dance Theatre in Don Martin’s “La Casa De Las Secas” – Dancers (L-R) Andrea Ordaz, Joan Fricke, Jenn Logan, Ashleigh Doede, Jen Hunter – Photo by AyameFoto
Safe, began with a ghostly film of Don Martin. So poignant was his last recording and final plea for sanity, “we all want to feel safe,” says Martin. Perhaps it was a foreboding, a premonition of things to come. Done in 2022 by Nancy Evans Doede, with music and a film dreamscape created by Nikolaos Doede and movement performed by Ashleigh Doede in a bright yellow shift, was the Doede family’s work of respect and dedication. With constant pulsating light and changes of positions, the design was clearly to find a safe space to be.
ROOTS AND BRANCHES – Nancy Evans Dance Theatre – Ashleigh Doede in “Safe” choreography by Nancy E. Doede, film by Nikolaos Doede – Photo by AyameFoto
Kinaesonata, choreographed in 1970 by the brilliant Bella Lewitzky and restaged by Pennington for Edwin Siguenza with music by Alberto Ginastera. The original was to be done by a woman, however, Siguenza’s strong, intelligence and dance technique found comfort in Lewitzky’s work and fully took the stage in her piece.
Odes by Don Martin with music by Frederick Chopin was dedicated to his heroes in his youth, King, Malcolm X and Medgar Evers and well done by Katrina Amerine, Ashleigh Doede, and Jenn Logan; while Homages is Martin’s tribute to his mentor, Lester Horton, deftly danced by Noel Dilworth, Joan Fricke, and Andrea Ordaz.
ROOTS AND BRANCHES – Nancy Evans Dance Theatre – (L-R) Karina Amerine, Jenn Logan, Ashleigh Doede in Don Martin’s “Odes” (2002) – Photo by AyameFoto
John Pennington’s Encounters honored Ted Shawn in a piece he himself was taught by a protégé of the Shawn company. There was a unique twist in this, Pennington shifted the gender of the piece and selected Amy Oden to dance this masterful work accompanied by the gorgeous Bach/Busoni’s Chorale, Ich Ruf Zu Dir. Her strength of technique and personal power presented a wonderful new dynamic to the piece.
ROOTS AND BRANCHES – Nancy Evans Dance Theatre – (L-R) Noel Dilworth, Jen Hunter, Katrina Amerine, Ashleigh Doede in Nancy McKnight Hauser’s “Everness” (1978) – Photo by AyameFoto
And the finale, Everness (1978) choreographed by Nancy McKnight Hauser, an exquisite lyrical representation that ended the evening in aesthetic classic modern style. It began with a singular dancer, her elegant port de bras breathing grace into the space. Her light periwinkle blue costume designed by Lynn Steincamp paired subtly with the heart rending music of Hector Villa Lobos. Soon the stage was filled with a corps of dancing dervishes which seemed to power this piece in prayer and praise, thus ending this memorable evening. The quiet resolution allowed us all to be grateful for this gift and our memory of its beauty.
The Lighting Designer for ROOTS AND BRANCHES was Azra King-Abadi who did an amazing job creating a separate environment for each dance while working with limited equipment. The Sound and Light Operation was by Angie Vaughn.
We are all hoping these legacies will continue and be recorded so they may be shared for posterity. Dance, we all know, is fleeting. Thank you for the wonderful evening of dance treasures from pioneers of modern dance.
To learn more about Nancy Evans Dance Theatre, please visit their website.
Written by Joanne DiVito for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: ROOTS AND BRANCHES – Nancy Evans Dance Theatre – Jenn Logan and ensemble in “Eve” choreography by Nancy E. Doede – Photo by AyameFoto
