Choreographer Joan Sanchez Reviews Lar Lubovitch Dance Company

On Saturday evening, the Flynn audience was treated to a magical carpet ride of soaring dance when the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company alighted the MainStage. Returning to the Flynn after a 30 year absence, Mr. Lubovitch chose a balanced program of old, newer, and brand new dances.

The first dance was North Star, created by the choreographer in 1978, and a quintessential masterwork. It is set to the composition, North Star by Philip Glass and is one of several dances Lubovitch choreographed to minimalist music in the 1970s. The curtain lifted to the full company of 10 dancers on a stage bathed in a watery, blue light designed for the current staging by Jack Mehler. They were costumed by Clovis Ruffin in simple dark blue tights and tunics, and holding hands, they swooped, swirled and swung like starlings flying over a field in moonlight. Several times, the ensemble lifted the tallest dancer, Reid Bartelme, and he transformed into a comet streaking across the stage. Very satisfying! This section was followed by two dreamy quartet pieces. The disparate element was a dramatic solo danced by newcomer to the company, Jenna Fakhoury. She appeared in a shaft of light, on her knees, clothed in an ankle length, dark, formfitting tube of a dress, hair flowing wildly around her. Her movements were reminiscent of Martha Graham’s work; powerful, angular and gut wrenching. She slowly rose, but remained rooted to one spot throughout the solo. There was a brief moment of lyrical flow, but the piece ended as strongly as it began. The last section was a solo for Mr. Bartelme, showing off his beautiful, long line. The ensemble joined him and they swirled once again to a startling end. There was a blackout between each section of this dance. It gave the mind’s eye a moment to register the magic it had just seen before the curtain rose again.

The next dance was a duet from Meadow, a longer piece premiered by American Ballet Theatre in 1999. The curtain went up showing the company standout, Katarzyna Skarpetowska and powerhouse, Brian McGinnis surrounded by a cone of white light and wearing simple unitards by Ann Hould-Ward; she was in white, he in a darker shade with what appeared to be orange flames emanating from his navel. They were in a saggital pose, McGinnis holding Skarpetowska overhead for an impossibly long moment with no apparent effort. Skarpetowska slowly slid her way down McGinnis’s body to the floor and the pair moved as if molded together; never very quickly or covering a lot of space. The lifts were Lubovitch genius and seamless; the partnering simply exquisite. At one point, the two became individual entities, but never actually separated. This viewer saw Skaretowska become clay in McGinnis’s hands. At the end of the piece, he revolved her, holding her arms behind her; she on one toe, leaning away from him. As if she were on a pedestal and he is admiring his creation. The music is Incipit Vita Nova by Gavin Bryars and lent an almost ominous feeling to the piece.

The third dance was Coltrane’s Favorite Things, choreographed this year, 2010. The music is the John Coltrane Quartet, recorded live in 1963, playing Rodgers’ and Hammerstein’s My Favorite Things. The applause of the audience could be heard after each musician completed their solos. It added to the overall fun of this jazzy dance which gave each company member a chance to strut their stuff; not unlike the musicians. And Mr. Lubovitch had such a good time with the music! The dancers were closely partnered with the percussive quality Coltrane gave this popular composition from the Sound of Music. The piece opened to seven dancers on Jack Mehler’s brightly lit, bare, bricks-on-the-back-wall-showing stage. The costumes were simple, dance studio chic. The dancing was swingy, fast and nonstop. The lifts were inventive and executed at hyper speed. The numbers of dancers on stage were ever changing; quintets, duets, quartets, trios. A knockout trio with Attila Joey Csiki, Jason McDole and Christopher Vo recalled Jerome Robbins’s On the Town. The duets with Skarpetowska and Jonathan E. Alsberry were beautiful and they enjoyed themselves. The dance ended with the two of them leaning on each other like marathon dancers, and they slid to the floor in exhaustion.

The last dance of the evening was Marimba (Trance Dance), choreographed in 1976, to music by another minimalist composer, Steve Reich. The amber lighting of Craig Miller added to the trance quality of the piece. Everything seemed a little out of focus. The ten dancers wore another version of dance studio chic in neutral tones. The dance started with a slow motion run on the diagonal; a mini marathon that builds and builds. Like North Star, the ensemble work was flawless, as it must be. The endless, swirling combinations and ‘crack the whip’ have returned and are performed in a steady jog to match Reich’s repetitive rhythms. At one point, the dancers do a series of jogging in a circle, their heads leaning towards its center, as if by centrifugal force. The dancers truly looked as if they were transported to another plane. A wonderful dance.

The performance was followed by a Q & A session monitored by John Killacky, the executive director of the Flynn. Mr. Lubovitch graciously answered John’s and the audience’s questions. His most memorable comments were that he continues to make dances for the joy of seeing dancers dance and he builds his dances like a finely crafted cabinet. It is a fitting metaphor. For this viewer, his dances will never wear out.

Joan Sanchez, Choreographer, Brattleboro, VT

Joan Sanchez has been teaching modern dance and performing for over 20 years. She studied extensively with modern dance great Erick Hawkins and his company in New York and was a visiting faculty member at the Erick Hawkins School of Dance from 1993‐95. She was a guest teacher in dance at the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine and served as adjunct faculty in dance there from 1988‐90. As a founding member of Motion Collective Dance Company in Ellsworth, Maine, she brought the fun and excitement of improvisational dance to the community. During her years in Maine, she also taught at the Town Hill Dance Academy and the Maine Dance Center. In New York she performed in the dance companies of Nancy Mehan, Beverly Brown, Nancy Zendora, and Phyllis Rose. 

Emily Frappier’s “Super Gym”: Getting to know Thor and music, music, music!

Playwright Emily Frappier checks in on the progress of her ten-week Flynn N.A.S.A. Grant collaboration with composer Andrew Frappier and lyricist Robert Bliss, Super Gym: The Musical:

This week was a productive one for the SuperGym crew. Our friend Ben, from Farm (a local VT band) came in with his guitar, keyboard, and various other instruments to help us start laying down some music for the songs. We discussed each song, and Ben and Andy improvised to find the general feel for each. It was great to hear the music that will form the foundation of the show.

 We also focused on the character of Thor this week. Jeremy, the actor playing Thor, came in, and we spent a good amount of time developing his character. It was really exciting to see him come to life, and Jeremy brought a lot of new ideas to the character. He improvised some different accents and found one that we all agreed worked well for Thor. He also sang some of the songs and improvised some lyrics and scenes. It was great to see the character come to life. Thor is what I thought he would be, but there were some great surprises, too.

This process has been very interesting so far. Progress is a lot slower than I expected, but the work that is emerging is far better than anything I expected. I am enjoying working with everyone involved, and I think we are creating something really great.

Lar Lubovitch Tomorrow Night on the MainStage!

Tomorrow night, the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company takes the MainStage at 8 pm for what’s sure to be a memorable performance of some of the choreographer’s most famous and influential pieces. The final preview of the choregrapher, which have been contributed all this week by studnets in UVM professor Paul Besaw’s dance class  comes from student Jeremy Burchett:

Lar Lubovitch speaks to me through emotions. His choreography has the ability to induce several different emotions in me and each of these emotions excites me and grabs my attention. This effect is only natural as Lubovitch’s choreography is obviously intended to grab the audience’s attention, but which emotions Lubovitch chooses to express through his choreography is not normal. The emotions I feel by watching his dances excite me more than emotions I feel during other performances, why is this?

One reason I believe Lubovitch’s choreography is so striking, emotionally, is how he works with the music. Lar seems to use a specific musical piece to choreograph a work. He accentuates the emotion within the music in two ways: The dancers literally move with the rhythm of the music and the quality and emotion of their movements are in accordance with the emotions of the music. The music Lubovitch chooses is very stimulating by itself, but Lar uses dancers to create an audio/visual dance performance which is more powerful than either of the two mediums individually.

All dance that is choreographed with music is an interesting combination to watch, but few choreographers can combine the two to create something far more powerful. One reason for this is that Lubovitch’s choreographed movement is simply stunning. The movements he uses are similar to ballet and full of technical, shape movements. The shapes made by the dancers fully extending their limbs outward are very powerful. This extreme nature makes the dance very energized and works with the power of the music.

Other times Lar’s choreography is powerful in a dramatic way. Long, drawn out movement that often resists gravity makes some of Lar’s solo or duet pieces an intense drama to watch. This kind of performance brings out struggling emotions which are not emphasized in Lar’s group pieces. Although Lar Lubovitch is capable of producing several different emotions through his work, only some of them are included in each performance. This is because the emotions within the music must inspire what emotions Lubovitch decides to emphasize.

The emotions I most hope to see in this upcoming performance are comedy and terror. I must be attracted to the extremes in this world because these emotions are complete opposites. Comedy is light, playful and carefree while terror is restricting, bound and not fun. Both of these emotions are tricky for a choreographer to employ because they must be used carefully to be effective, but I have seen Lar use both of these emotions very effectively in his dances. I believe Lar sets the stage for these emotions by creating a playful atmosphere in his dance. I am drawn in to the playful, beautiful nature of movement and then I am ready to accept wide varieties of emotion. The lively energy, sculpture-like movements and emotional expression in his dances are very satisfying to me, thus I know I will appreciate whatever emotions Lar works on for this performance.

After listening to some of Phillip Glass’ music, I am hopeful that it will be included in this upcoming performance. The trance like nature of it in combination with Lar’s choreography would make me think of a performance made by aliens. Lubovitch is very interesting to watch because his choreography seems limitless to me. I hope this upcoming performance displays his wide variety of talent.

Sara Frantz on Lar Lubovitch

This week, students in UVM professor Paul Besaw’s dance class help us prepare for choreographer Lar Lubovitch’s performance on Saturday, October 30. This preview comes courtesy of student Sara Frantz:

The highly anticipated upcoming performance by the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company is sure to entertain, awe, and intrigue. Lar Lubovitch is known as one of the world’s best choreographers. With a dancing career in modern, jazz, and ballet, Lubovitch has an extensive dance background and repertory. Born in Chicago, Lubovitch studied dance at Julliard in New York City, under the training of some of the world’s most influential dance choreographers, such as José Limón and Martha Graham. His choreographic creativity has influenced the world of ballet, figure skating and musical theatre. Lubovitch is an American choreographer based in New York City, with his self-titled dance company, but has traveled the world with his outstanding choreography. His work is known for it’s ability to relate to the music and rhythm and it’s exceptional expression of emotion.

I expect that this performance will highlight and demonstrate a full range of Lubovitch’s work. From his innovative ballet inspired pieces to the more rhythmic jazz infused dances. His movement is drawn from his well-rounded dance background, and after previewing some of his work on the internet I can see how theses dance styles interplay to create a new, groundbreaking style of dance and expression. Using scores from composers, such as Philip Glass and Steve Reich, Lubovitch evades what may be considered modern dance, and offers a completely unique approach to and execution of this style. I look forward to seeing his work because he is not afraid to play with the music and use the music to inspire the movement. Many modern dance artists and choreographers shy away from using music, afraid that it may conform their movement to a certain style or technique. This may be true under certain circumstances, but Lubovitch is able to avoid letting the music take complete control of his movement, and instead uses the music to revolutionize his choreography.

Lar Lubovitch is extremely versatile in his choreographic work, and his movement style is unprecedented. This performance will provoke Lubovitch’s objective as a choreographer. His company not only performs and creates his ingenious choreography; they promote awareness of modern dance around the world through teaching people of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds. By attending this performance we will be able to promote the aspirations of Lar Lubovitch, spreading the appreciation and awareness of modern dance.

Lubovitch’s dances are known to be pretty and romantic, using all of his dance background to create flowing, sinuous and graceful movement. He is a minimalist choreographer and dances to the minimalist music style of the 20^th century. Minimalists use the repetition and evolution of short simple phrases to create a captivating movement series. Lubovitch also explores the realm of jazz dance, and a more athletic and buoyant series of movements. Theses more physical dances require both technique and endurance, but Lubovitch makes his dancers look good, and the movements seem fluid and effortless.

I imagine that this upcoming performance will whisk the audience away with fantastical movements that are graceful and fluent. Companied with simple and elegant music the movements will seem one with the dancers as they swirl around the stage and create different and beautiful sculpted shapes with their bodies. Lubovitch is known around the world for being a master of dance artistry and this performance will further his legend.

Lar Lubovitch and “The Visual Line”

This week, students in UVM professor Paul Besaw’s dance class help us prepare for choreographer Lar Lubovitch’s performance on Saturday, October 30. This preview comes courtesy of Andrea Pack:

On Saturday, the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company will be performing on the Flynn MainStage. Lar Lubovitch has made a name for himself as one of the “ten best choreographers in the world” as stated by the New York Times. Lar was born in Chicago and received his education at the University of Iowa first as an art major and then went to Julliard School to pursue modern dance. At Julliard, he was trained by Martha Graham, Jose Limon, Antony Tudor, and Anna Sokolow. Taking dance classes from two of the pioneers for modern dance, Martha Graham and Jose Limon, Lubovitch learned the qualities and techniques for creating an innovative language of movement. His versatile movement appeals to crowds with backgrounds in modern, ballet, and jazz.

Lubovitch founded the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company in 1968. Over the past 42 years, the company has established themselves as one of the top modern dance company throughout the world. The company is based in New York City and has toured all over the United States and over 30 other countries. In the 1970s, Lar was one of the first choreographers to explore his movement vocabulary using minimalist music of composers such as Philip Glass and Steve Reich. He told the New York Times that when he choreographs his work, “I like to imagine that I am not doing anything that’s exactly to the music. I’m trying to write the visual line of the score that capitulates to everything but doesn’t copy it.”

Lar Lubovitch has created dances for Broadway, beginning in 1987 when he choreographed for Into the Woods. He has made many ballets and other dances that have been included in the repertoire of many well known companies such as: New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. His diverse talent has even led him to choreograph ice-dancing. Lar’s choreography has led him to receive the Astaire Award, Elan Award, and a nomination for a Tony Award.

One of the goals that Lubovitch created for his company is to increase the awareness and appreciation of dance to people of all ages and backgrounds. With this goal, we can see that Lar has a true passion for dance and wants everyone to be able to relate and feel comfortable with this expressive art form. This is evident in his movement language and the dedication of his dancers when performing his work. After watching a couple of clips of his work, it is obvious that his movement is a balance of strength and control, weight shift and continuity of movement, creating a sense of elegance. One of his dancers said that “Lubovitch is able to penetrate the physicality of the dancer’s essence.”

I look forward to seeing a live performance of the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company to experience firsthand what everyone raves about. I can’t imagine leaving the show with anything but inspired feelings towards his innovative movements of modern dance.

UVM Student Annie Brady Previews Lubovitch

Recently, students in UVM professor Paul Besaw’s dance class helped to preview the Mingus Repertory Ensembles. Now, the class help us prepare for choreographer Lar Lubovitch’s performance on Saturday, October 30.  Here is Annie Brady’s preview of the upcoming performance:

Lar Lubovitch Dance Company hits the Flynn MainStage on October 30. This choreographer receives praise from many reviews and is noted for his technically challenging and visually pleasing choreography. This does not come as a surprise to me; Jose Limon, Martha Graham, Anna Sokolow, and Anthony Tudor oversaw his training at Julliard. Though I have yet to see the Lubovitch company, my expectations are high for both the quality of choreography and the technicality and performance by the dancers.

This company formed in 1968 and has traveled through almost all 50 US states and 30 countries in total, totaling over a million viewers. Needless to say, it is well known. Upon some YouTube exploration, I encountered some videos of the company in motion. The movement is satisfying to watch; as a dancer it is clear to see that Lubovitch’s company has a strong technical background. Lubovitch’s complex choreography and movement vocabulary seems of second nature to them. The dancers seem somewhat ethereal; the stretch in extensions of their arms, legs, and neck seem to go on forever. Their grace is that of contemporary ballet dancers, with a choreographic feel of modern expression. Bottom line: it is absolutely beautiful dance.

Lubovitch himself is known for other influential performances in ice dancing and Broadway productions (Into the Woods, The King and I, and many more). Most recently, Lubovitch has explored working with jazz music and how modern dance and jazz can fit together without using the classic jazz movement vocabulary. One of these works is inspired by the well known John Coltrane: his version of Favorite Things. The result of these two worlds colliding on Lubovitch’s watch is innovative. Visual expectations that come along with jazz music are not fulfilled but re-evaluated. There are certainly more possibilities to work with jazz music forms than jazz movement vocabulary. I do hope that some of this jazz work makes its appearance at the Flynn.

So what can we expect out of Lubovitch’s company? Almost certainly an unforgettable performance. For such acclaim we should expect nothing less. If his dancers are stunning on low-quality YouTube videos, they will be incredible to see live. It will be a dance performance that is accessible to all different kinds of viewers. For instance, the less experienced dance audience member will be able to appreciate the beauty in the lines of the dancers. Any dance student or scholar will be able to appreciate the technicality of the dancer’s work. From an amateur choreographer’s standpoint, or the experience that will be my own, viewing Lubovitch’s choreographic choices will hopefully inform my own learning and dance making.

When I first moved to Burlington, I wasn’t sure that the dance I would be seeing would be renowned. We are so fortunate in this area for the Flynn Theater and the incredible artists it brings to the stage. I look forward to the performances I see here, and am especially excited for Lubovitch. As a choreography student, I cannot help but to forward to who the New York Times hails as “one of the ten best choreographers in the world.”

Vermont Choreographer Joan Sanchez Discusses Lar Lubovitch

I recently spent a leisurely autumn afternoon visiting the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company’s webpage, www.lubovitch.org, to see what this iconic American choreographer has been up to in the 15 years since I have been absent from the New York dance scene. I was surprised to read that Mr. Lubovitch had taken his company off the touring circuit for a decade and made New York his home base. Until that hiatus, the company had spent a major portion of the company’s 41 years performing in every state in the union and at least 30 countries. He used those ten years to refuel his repertoire and the company returned to the road in 2008 to share the results with his wide flung audiences. We in Vermont are fortunate to be on the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company’s current tour when the company kicks off the 2010-2011 Flynn dance season on Saturday, October 30 at 8 pm on the MainStage.

When John Killacky, Executive Director of the Flynn Center, asked me to write about Lar Lubovitch, it got me thinking about the modern dance family tree and wondering about the diminishing number of choreographers and dancers who actually studied with seminal choreographers on that tree. Locally, we have Sharry Underwood, who studied with Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn (dancing a duet with him as well). I studied with Erick Hawkins in his later years. Lar Lubovitch, however, hit the jackpot as a dance student at Julliard in the ‘60s. His teachers were Martha Graham, José Limón (whose company will perform at the Flynn later in the season), and Lucas Hoving.

And then there is Mr. Lubovitch’s sheer longevity as a choreographer. He has created more than 100 dances in his 41 year career. He springs from a classical modern tradition, but is no elitist. His work is infused with many dance genres, ballet a standout among them. He has choreographed for other major dance companies, film, television, Broadway, and ice shows. Former company members have gone on to dance in other acclaimed companies or created their own successful companies; these include Robert Besserer, Daniel Ezralow, Elisa Monte, Mark Morris, and Doug Varone.

 Lar Lubovitch has developed a unique movement language. I have not seen his dances in many years, but I remember them as lyrical, fluid, and organic. You will not see a post- modern influence in his work. He’s not afraid to create something beautiful for beauty’s sake and he is incredibly sensitive to the music he uses. His partnering is ingenious and exciting. He’s also a master at moving quite large numbers of dancers around the stage with sinuous precision and seamless transitions. I see his dances as moving paintings. He was originally an art student in college and perhaps there is a painterly approach to the way he builds his dances.

At 67, Mr. Lubovitch must be delighting in making dances on his young, technically trained, intuitive dancers. I look forward to seeing them on the Flynn MainStage.

Joan Sanchez, Choreographer

Brattleboro, VT

Joan Sanchez has been teaching modern dance and performing for over 20 years. She studied extensively with modern dance great Erick Hawkins and his company in New York and was a visiting faculty member at the Erick Hawkins School of Dance from 1993‐95. She was a guest teacher in dance at the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine and served as adjunct faculty in dance there from 1988‐90. As a founding member of Motion Collective Dance Company in Ellsworth, Maine, she brought the fun and excitement of improvisational dance to the community. During her years in Maine, she also taught at the Town Hill Dance Academy and the Maine Dance Center. In New York she performed in the dance companies of Nancy Mehan, Beverly Brown, Nancy Zendora, and Phyllis Rose. 

Artistic Director Arnie Malina on Lar Lubovitch

Lar Lubovitch Dance Company will perform at the Flynn on Saturday, October 30. Here’s what Arnie has to say about the performance.

Looking forward to Lar Lubovitch’s program at the Flynn. Two of the four pieces on the program come from Lar’s early works based on what has been termed the minimalist music of Steve Reich (1976) and Philip Glass (1978). When you listen to this music, you will notice that while they share some things in common, the use of repetitive structures, they are quite different and delightful sound scores. Lubovitch’s pieces were influential, with other choreographers following in his footsteps, and they helped to popularize this music among artists, dancers and audiences.

Lar has said that choreographing to this minimalist music helped him define his signature style, which has been described as cascading and lyrically spiraling movement, patterns which mirror the music by building dance phrases incrementally over the length of the piece, just as the propulsive music also subtly changes. It’s especially fun to watch this develop in his piece “North Star” to Philip Glass’s music. The great thing about this is the inventive way the dancers intertwine creating imaginative patterns that mirror the propulsiveness of the music with great delight. You want to be part of the ride.

Lar choreographed 6 dances to minimalist scores. The program at the Flynn reaches its climax with Steve Reich’s “Music for Mallet Instruments, Voice and Organ.” Both in the music and movement, this is very light and airy, quite delectable, and detailed in the constant movement of a large number of bodies. It is like watching an ever flowing kaleidoscopic tapestry. It is totally gorgeous. Watch how its pulse slows and quickens and embraces Reich’s sweet score.

Also on the program is a recent piece Lar made in 2010 to the famous Sound of Music tune,”My Favorite Things,” with the incredible 20 minute interpretation of this song by jazz great, saxophonist John Coltrane. Lubovitch uses the painter Jackson Pollock’s abstract expressionist canvas as backdrop. He says it mirrors Cotrane’s “wall of sound.” In “My Favorite Things,” the choreography combines Lar’s musicality, rhapsodic style and sophisticated formal structures. It also shows his propensity for balletic movement mixed with jazz inflections and pedestrian and gestural movement, especially used in between more grand balletic ensembles.

This last piece sums up the special qualities of Lar’s choreography and his now 30+ year career as one of America’s top choreographers. He is also known as the Tony-winning choreographer of the revival of “The King and I” and “Into the Woods” and “The Red Shoes” on Broadway as well as choreography for the ice skating champions Dorothy Hamill, Peggy Fleming and Brian Orser. So his choreography connects to a popular pulse.

UVM Student Jeremy Burchett Reviews Mingus

Last week, students in UVM professor Paul Besaw’s dance class helped to preview the October 16 MainStage performance by the Mingus Repertory Ensembles with choreographer Danny Buraczeski. Here is the class’ final review of the show, courtesy of UVM student Jeremy Burchett. 

I left the concert thinking I have never listened to so much jazz before. My reactions to the music began with trying to comprehend the various instruments, and after I became comfortable with what was being played, the jazz entered my mind. Each instrument struck a different chord inside my head and I began to listen naturally. I was no longer trying to comprehend; I was simply listening, letting the music flow over my body. Listening in this way was a very relaxing and beautiful experience.

I think the musicians and the dancers encouraged this relaxed state of mind. Both groups performed with seemingly ease and confidence. They all seemed to be performing calmly yet with their full attention. This is probably one of the secrets to being a professional: cool, calm, and focused on stage.

The musicians, especially, seemed to be very comfortable on stage with their group. In my mind they were very comfortable with their abilities because they did not appear to be trying too hard to show off. I think they all realized this ensemble is a group effort therefore everyone is a star and there is no reason to attempt to highlight oneself. Or maybe all of the musicians have a deep understanding that Charles Mingus is the real star of the show. Mingus conducted the music and they are emulating it the best they can. Either of these two causes could explain the effect of modesty I perceived. There was a very genuine feeling of a team on stage that was trying to perform as best as possible for the audience. A team effort in performances is very refreshing for me.

The mix in this performance of both a group effort and the individual’s self-expression, was extremely entertaining for this reason. The variety of instruments, when played together, created a beautiful symphony, while the solo performances allowed the audience to focus on one type of sound and one person’s creativity. I was very impressed with the individual talent performed as well as the quality of sound created by the group.

The dancing matched the music very well in this respect. The choreography was designed to be a group effort with solo pieces, too. When the music contained many instruments, there were many dancers on stage.  I think this is a beautiful technique because the dancers’ energy then matches the music’s energy. In this way, the dancing really enhanced the effect of the music and vice versa. Both the dance and music consisted of solo performances as well as group. I think the solo performances went well with parts of the music that used fewer instruments. This minimalist type of performance created a nice contrast to the dominant group aspect.

I also thought the rhythm of the dance was aligned with the rhythm of the music. For instance, fast, frenzied music produced corresponding choreography. This made for an interesting observation in the dance-music connection. Music produces such a powerful reaction in our body that a corresponding dance completes the performance by reminding the audience of music’s effect on the body. We feel music in our body and choreographed dance allows us to feel wide varieties of movements in our bodies too. The jazz played through my head, while the dancer’s movements played through my body.

Overall, I thought the performance was beautiful. It was a lesson in collaboration: the musicians played with other musicians to create something greater than each individual talent, while the dancers did the same, and both groups shared the stage to create something greater than just music or dance. Every performer was free to display their unique self-expression, while they also enjoyed collaborating with each other. It was obvious that both groups of performers were having a very good time on stage and the playful atmosphere on stage was very conducive to creativity. This allowed the audience to relax in their seats and welcome the talent offered to their senses.

UVM Student Sara Frantz Reviews the Mingus Repertory Ensembles

Last week, students in UVM professor Paul Besaw’s dance class helped to preview the October 16 MainStage performance by the Mingus Repertory Ensembles with choreographer Danny Buraczeski. UVM student Sara Frantz attended the show, and offers her review of the evening’s performance.

After seeing the Mingus Repertory Ensembles perform on Saturday night, all raving and praising reviews were confirmed. The Mingus Dynasty opened the show with several of Mingus’ compositions, two of which, were accompanied by Danny Buraczeski’s jazz dance. The intimate jazz of Mingus Dynasty filled the stage with innovative and percussive jazz. This music became the fuel for Danny Buraczeski’s jazz choreography, which is inspired by rhythmic changes and tempo shifts. Buraczeski’s choreography embodied his unique style of emphasizing the beat and percussion. His piece included some beautiful solo work, and captivating group work. The costume was in particularly intriguing, a flesh-colored unitard with images indicating certain bones in the human body. However this unusual costume choice did not impede the overall stage presence of the jazz dancers. Their movements accentuated all of the musical and compositional movements of the Mingus Dynasty. As a dancer, it was wonderful to see a sinuous relationship between the jazz music and the choreography. The dancer’s bodies seemed to be controlled by the music itself, making the music come to life before my eyes.

The Mingus Orchestra took the stage next, offering a range of jazz styles and sounds. As they performed my mind was propelled into a dream-like place, and I was completely removed from anything concrete or real. Creativity infused the Flynn Theater; heads were nodding, feet were tapping, and the audience was able to feel the emotion and passion expressed by the musicians on stage. It was a pleasant surprise throughout the performance to hear vocal jazz music. The several pieces, which included the jazz vocalist, brought a more human feel to the exceptional musical talent of the entire group. The deep and rich jazz voice offered a completely different element to the stage, like Danny Buraczeski’s choreography.

The Mingus Dynasty and the Mingus Orchestra offered a beautiful range of Mingus’ work, from the various instruments to various tempos; from lively and electrifying to sensuous and emotional. The smaller groups provided a more intimate jazz setting, as if in a café or small concert venue. They allowed the mind to wander into the fluctuating and fantastical world of jazz. These two groups were just an intro for the third act, which blew away all of my previous notions about the talent and genius of Charles Mingus and completely surpassed any expectations that I could have had.

During the performance’s only intermission, the stage remained full of movement and energy. Though no musical was being performed, the action of setting the stage alone created an excitement and anticipation in the room for what was to come. As the lights dimmed the Mingus Big Band took the stage. A bass-saxophone soloist took the stage with her brilliant instrument and introduced a completely new sound a feel to the performance. As the other musicians joined in, the stage filled with an incredibly rich and vivacious sound, and the musicians themselves came to life in both their sound and passion. Several other soloists—including the renowned jazz trumpet player Ray Vega, who gave an unforgettable trumpet solo performance—had the audience utterly captivated. I have to say that one of the greatest aspects of watching jazz musicians perform is that their entire bodies are overcome by the music they are creating. It not only inspires the audience to let go and become completely submissive to the sound, it gives the entire performance life and passion. The excitement and grandeur of the third set left the audience wanting more and frozen in a perpetual standing ovation.
The entire performance was extremely stimulating, both visually and musically. Mingus Repertory Ensembles surpassed all of my expectations. The choreography and improvisations by Danny Buraczeski created a wonderful visual complement to the innovative music. This performance instilled in me a new love for jazz music and dance and left me with a musical experience to rave about for a lifetime.