Above: Ian Spencer Bell and the ensemble in Isadora Duncan’s Schubert’s Symphony #9/Andante; photo by Steven Pisano. Click on the image to enlarge.
~ Author: Oberon
Tuesday May 13th, 2025 – Francesca Todesco’s Dances We Dance presenting works by Isadora Duncan and Rae Ballard at a venue new to me: The Center at West Park. Guest artists Catherine Gallant, Faith Kimberling, and Ian Spencer Bell as well as Ms. Ballard’s troupe Thoughts in Motion joined in this program entitled Echoes by Isadora.
The space, at the West Park Presbyterian Church, is in danger of losing its landmark status; if that happens, Gotham will lose yet another performance space.
I’d been in the building only once previously, a few years ago when Take Ueyama had a rehearsal in a small studio space upstairs; even then, I felt the timeless resonance of being in a hallowed place. This evening, in the sanctuary, the significance was palpable…even though I’d left organized religion behind me at an early age. My up-bringing is so ingrained in me that I immediately felt at home tonight: I felt the spirit of Terpsichore hovering in the air of this venerable space. Sounds hokey? Maybe…but it’s my reality.
Above: Lauren Naslund, Lana Hankinson, and Rae Ballard in Ballard’s Alla Primavera; photo by Steven Pisano
It felt comforting to be “in chiesa“, gazing at a stained-glass panel over the altar whilst listening to songs being sung in French and waiting for the dancing to begin. The house went dark and three muses appeared: Rae Ballard, Lauren Naslund, and Lana Hankinson in soft tunics with flowers in their hair. They moved with poetic grace in Ms. Ballard’s work, Alla Primavera (To Springtime), danced to a Brahms piano intermezzo. This was my first time seeing Rae Ballard dance, though Francesca has spoken of her to me many times; Ms. Ballard is both powerful and poetic. Ms. Naslund has a special place in my dance-world…
…and Ms. Hankinson’s lovely gaze (photo above by Steven Pisano) immediately endeared herself to me. These three would be back in other guises later in the evening.
Above: Faith Kimberling and Nira Solene in Schubert’s Symphony #9/Andante; photo by Steven Pisano. Click on the image to enlarge.
Isadora Duncan now casts her spell as a troop of golden-clad women take the stage for two movements from Franz Schubert’s monumental Symphony #9: the Andante con moto and the Scherzo. This is a ceremonial work in which the raven-haired beauty Faith Kimberling takes a leading role. All shall be named: Jewel Cameron, Camille Constanti, Rosy Gentle, Thandi Nyambose, Nira Solene, Mary Garrett Turner, and Haley Wolfsberger bring their distinctive personalities and a sense of ecstatic commitment to the rituals of the Andante, looking especially radiant when a lyrical central section features a stately procession. Hands and arms expressively speak of the joys of service, and of sisterhood.
Now a young man appears in the hypnotic person of Ian Spencer Bell (above, photo by Steven Pisano); clad in a red tunic, this youthful-looking poet of the dance joins the rites as all raise their arms heavenward, invoking peace. A solemn air of ecstasy fills the space.
Above: Camile Constanti, Rosy Gentle, Ian Spencer Bell, and Faith Kimberlng in Schubert’s Symphony #9/Andante; photo by Steven Pisano
Above: Rosy Gentle and Haley Wolfersberger in Schubert Symphony #9/Scherzo; photo by Steven Pisano. Click on the image to enlarge.
In the ensuing Scherzo, non-stop movement fills the stage: Kathleen Caragine and Colleen Edwards join Mlles. Gentle and Wolfersberger in dancing that is at once lively and poised. Ms. Kimberling, a flame-orange scarf over her gold tunic, dances a solo that is the epitome of all things Duncan. I loved watching these dancers, so alert to one another and so dedicated to their art.
Rae Ballard (above, photo by Steven Pisano) now brought forth Passages, to musical pieces by four truly disparate composers. Dancing again with Ms. Naslund and Ms. Hankinson, the choreographer commences with a trio which gives way to solos for each dancer. Red scarves offset the dancers’ black, subtly bejeweled costumes.
The opening pas de trois commences to Luiz Costa’s solemn music as the dancers perform their rituals. Ms. Naslund has the first solo, with music by Craig Armstrong which has a metallic launch followed by solo piano; the dancer has floorwork with a prayerful feeling which becomes a plea. To Max Richter’s lovely music, Ms. Ballard wafts a red cloth behind which she sometimes hides; the dancing is slow and entrancing. Cello music from Fauré illuminates Ms. Hankinson’s solo: a Novice whose poetic movements have a sense of innocence. At the end, she is alone in the fading light.
Next, two of Isadora’s Scriabin Études were performed. Rae Ballard (above) was spell-binding in Mother; clad in somber maroon, the bereft woman mourns her absent child in a state of inconsolable despair.
Catherine Gallant (above), a dancer whose quiet power belies her petite stature, was mesmerizing in the pensive, questing drama of Revolutionary. In these brief portraits, the two dancers personified the timeless impact of Isadora’s work.
Above: Lauren Naslund, Lara Hankinson, and Rae Ballard in Ballard’s Third Wheel. Photo by Steven Pisano. Click on the image to enlarge.
A comic interlude brought us Ms. Ballard’s ‘ranch-hand’ trio, Third Wheel. Clad in blue jeans, and passing a cowboy hat amongst them, the Ballard-Naslund-Hankinson trio cavorted about the space to a song by Aloe Blacc that had a bouncy beat and curiously meaningful lyrics…like this: “All this time I was finding myself, and I didn’t know I was lost.”
Above: from Dance of the Furies, photo by Steven Pisano
The evening concluded with Francesca Todesco’s arrangement of Isadora’s Dance of the Furies from Gluck’s opera ORFEO ED EURIDICE. Opening with a brief echo of Orfeo’s harp, the insistent chorus accompanies the crawling, writhing Furies: these are goddesses of vengeance and justice, symbolized by snakes in their hair and blood-smeared bodies. Their mission is to punish evildoers, tormenting their souls in the Underworld, whence Orfeo has come to rescue his beloved Euridice following her untimely death. I would love to see this work enlarged, to actually bring Orpheus and his lyre into the action.
More of Steven Pisano’s images from Isadora Duncan’s Dance of the Furies; click on each one to enlarge.
All photos by Steven Pisano
~ Oberon
Oberon's Glade 