Oberon's Glade

Tag: FALLING OUT

  • Lydia Johnson Dance @ Peridance – Part 2

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    Above: Max van der Sterre and Kerry Shea in Lydia Johnson’s FALLING OUT, photo by Kokyat. This dancework, set to Philip Glass’s 3rd Symphony, was created in 2006 and revived for Lydia’s 2012 season at Peridance. FALLING OUT centers on a romantic triangle in which the tranquility of a domestic relationship is threatened by the appearance of another woman who captures the roving eye of Max van der Sterre.

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    Kerry Shea (above) portrays Max’s established lady love…

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    …and Jessica Sand (above) is the woman who, at first perhaps unwittingly, causes the disruption by her mere presence.

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    In a complex pas de deux which is a continuous thread throughout the work, the central couple veer from tenderness to outright antagonism. 

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    For a brief moment the man seems close to making a choice, yet he is continually drawn back to his longtime lover.

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    In the end, though Max and Kerry are still together, the situation remains unresolved.

    FALLING OUT provides a sustained and demanding central role for the male dancer in which Max van der Sterre’s magnetic stage presence and the compelling security of his partnering make a vivid impression. Kerry Shea, looking striking in a cerise frock, captures both the strength and vulnerability of the woman whose peace of mind is threatened: beautifully danced, Kerry’s performance is marked by subtle shifts in facial expression that reveal the insecurities beneath the surface of a long-established relationship. Jessica Sand, in the physically demanding role of the ‘other woman’, spends quite a bit of the piece facing upstage; her upper back, shoulders and neck become expressive instruments even when we cannot see her face.

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    A quartet of women provide a sort of chorus for the work; at first they remain on the sidelines doing synchronized moves either prone or seated. Later they take a more active part in the drama. They seem to represent the man’s past loves – no longer essential to him, but still unforgotten.

    More of Kokyat’s images from FALLING OUT:

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    Jessica Sand

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    All photography by Kokyat. Read more about this performance here, with more to follow.

  • Lydia Johnson Dance: Rehearsal

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    Sunday May 21, 2012 – On this beautiful, sunny day Kokyat and I climbed the many steps to Battery Dance Studio where Lydia Johnson was rehearsing with her dancers for their upcoming performances at Peridance, June 23rd & 24th, 2012. Lydia will be showing a new work to music of J S Bach, a darkly luminous female ensemble work to music of Osvaldo Golijov, a revival of her 2006 FALLING OUT, and a poignant domestic quartet entitled SUMMER HOUSE. Both FALLING OUT and SUMMER HOUSE are set to music of Philip Glass. In the photo at the top, dancers Lisa Iannacito McBride and Kaitlin Accetta.

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    For her June performances, Lydia has inviited two guest dancers from the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company: Attila Joey Csiki (above)….

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    …and Reed Luplau (above); Reed will be dancing in both the new Bach work and in SUMMER HOUSE. These two dancers, steeped in the Lubovitch style, look perfect in Lydia’s lyrically expressive choreography.

    The rehearsal was underway when we arrived: working on the new Bach piece which is basically all mapped out but still open to editing or embellishment. Lydia works from instinct; she is likely to put refining touches on her work right up til curtain time. Her dancers are all accomplished performers who are able to find the nuances in the movement that make the choreography looks its best.

    Here are some of Kokyat’s images from today’s rehearsal of the Bach:

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    Lisa Iannacito McBride & Attila Joey Csiki

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    Katie Martin, Lisa Iannacito McBride, Jessica Sand

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    Min-Seon Kim & Blake Hennessy-York

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    Kaitlin Accetta, Lisa Iannacito McBride

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    Sarah Pon, Blake Hennessy-York

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    Reed Luplau, Attila Joey Csiki & Sarah Pon

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    Attila & Blake

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    Katie Martin

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    Reed Luplau

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    Sarah & Blake

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    Attila & Lisa

    Images from the rehearsal of SUMMER HOUSE appear here.

    All photography by Kokyat.

  • Lydia Johnson Dance @ Peridance: Golijov

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    Sunday February 26, 2012 matinee – Lydia Johnson Dance presented two works at Peridance this afternoon. The performance marked the first full presentation of Lydia’s new, as-yet-untitled work to music of Osvaldo Golijov as well as a revival of her 2006 piece to music of Philip Glass: FALLING OUT.

    Kokyat and I have been following the creation of the Golijov work from its earliest days, visiting the studio periodically to view the work’s progress. Lydia is so generous in sharing her creative process, giving us an extraordinary insight into how ideas become danceworks.

    Click on each image to enlarge:

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    In the Golijov, a trio of women first appear in soft golden gowns; their black-lace bodices provide a Spanish feel. Remaining in place, they perform a gestural ritual implying both spirituality and cleansing.

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    Quietly they move in a circular pattern…

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    …which is expanded by the entry of two more women.

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    With an unexpected juxtaposition of calm and urgency, the women continue their mysterious rites as the music takes on a soulful expression. 

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    Images of silent despair and of consolation are evoked…

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    …blended with uplifting gestures of unity and hope.

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    The final movement of the Golijov is marked by themes of rocking as each girl in turn swoons into the arms of her sisters to be gently lulled.

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    In this work, choreographer Lydia Johnson seems to be telling a story yet the mystique of the five women – who they are and what their rituals mean to them – is left to the imagination of each viewer. One of the things about Lydia’s work that I most appreciate is her unerring taste in music: she always seeks out the best, whatever genre she might decide to work in. Here, the religious themes of the Golijov pieces she uses offer a wide range of interpretative images, from the earthy to the sublime. Darkly handsome in atmosphere, this dancework resonates with the bonds of sisterly unity and affection; it steers clear of sentimentality, thus striking a deeper chord.

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    Always a choreographer’s greatest good fortune: to have dancers who understand and communicate the imagined nuances of a given work. The lyricism and grace of the five women dancing in the Golijov maintained the spirit of the music and movement from first note to last. They are (above): Sarah Pon, Lisa Iannacito McBride, Kaitlin Accetta, Laura DiOrio, and Jessica Sand.

    Details of the afternoon’s second work, set to music of Philip Glass, will appear here shortly.

    All photographs by Kokyat.

  • Lydia Johnson Dance @ Peridance: Glass

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    The second work on the program at Lydia Johnson Dance‘s February 26th, 2012 matinee at Peridance was FALLING OUT, a 2006 dancework set to the 3rd Symphony of Philip Glass. Above: dancer Jessica Sand photographed by Kokyat.

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    FALLING OUT is a dramatic dancework revolving around the tempestuous relationship of a man and a woman (Max van der Sterre and Kerry Shea); their moody encounters range from tender to combative over the course of the piece.

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    A second woman (Jessica Sand, seated right above) creates the third corner of a romantic triangle. She remains an alluring object of desire for the man, though they never touch.

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    Meanwhile, a chorus of women remain on the sidelines; their synchronized movements rarely infringe oin the central drama yet they appear as additional enticements for the man…or possibly as lovers from his past.

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    The tension rises as the women observe each other warily; at last the central couple actually come to blows.

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    Things seem to resolve, and harmony is restored.

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    Yet in the work’s final moment, Max’s gaze is again captured by an elusive vision.

    Read about the other work on this program here.

    All photography by Kokyat.

  • Rehearsal: Lydia Johnson’s FALLING OUT

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    Friday January 27, 2012 – Today at the Battery Dance studio, Lydia Johnson’s dancers were rehearsing her 2006 dancework FALLING OUT. Set to music of Philip Glass (his 3rd Symphony) FALLING OUT will be performed at a special matinee at Peridance on Sunday February 26th. In Kokyat’s image at the top, Max van der Sterre and Kerry Shea.

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    The work is essentially plotless but the theme of a romantic triangle is clearly established: the relationship between Kerry and Max is a tempestuous one in which moments of harmony (above) alternate with fiery outbursts. The ‘other’ woman, danced by Jessica Sand (seated at right in the photo above) remains an enigmatic figure in the piece. Jessica and Max never dance together; we can never be sure if Jessica is real or an idealized vision in Max’s mind that lures his attentions away from Kerry.

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    Meanwhile a female chorus, at first indifferent to the central conflict but later drawn into it, dance in stylized a commentary on the action. The dancers are Lisa Iannacito McBride, Kaitlin Accetta, Sarah Pon and Laura Di Orio. 

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    It was an overcast day, but from time to time the sun broke thru the clouds and the studio was illuminated. Above: Laura and Kaitlin.

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    Dramatic structure: the elements of FALLING OUT are brilliantly sorted in Lydia’s choreography which seems like a play without words. She uses the Glass score with deft imagination, balancing speed and stillness, contemplation and action.

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    Max and Kerry have developed an impressive partnership in which Max’s strength and skill allows Kerry complete freedom to simply be her beautiful self. They have all the moves down pat and spent the rehearsal mainly working on exploring nuances of gesture and expression. Lydia’s style of encouraging her dancers to paticipate in the process of refining the movement makes her rehearsals unusually satisfying to watch.

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    Star power: Max’s t-shirt says it all. Great presence, and a real force in the studio.

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    Max and Kerry

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    Mood swings: the couple go from tender…

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    …to turbulent in a flash.

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    Mysterious force: Jessica Sand keeps us wondering exactly who this woman is, interloper or silent muse? The questions that FALLING OUT raises about the idea of devotion vs desire give us pause to contemplate the realties and illusions of romantic relationships.

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    Sleeping beauties 

    FALLING OUT, along with Lydia’s as-yet-untitled new Golijov piece, will be shown at Peridance on Sunday February 26th at 2:30 PM. $10.00 donation-based admission.

    All photos by Kokyat. His Leica images from this rehearsal are here.