Headlong Dance Performace

What would you call an evening of contemporary dance performances and stimulating conversation about the essence of expression while a man in spandex and a naked lady on crutches wobbled across a stage? I call it my Saturday night. This past Saturday, the University of the Arts hosted an event by Headlong Dance Theatre that was definitely a memorable experience that almost left me speechless. Almost.

The concept behind the performance was that three of Headlong's choreographers (who for the past 15 years have worked collaboratively) would produce three separate top secret dances. The individual dances were revealed to the public (as well as to the other choreographers) for the first time on Saturday April 4. The concept was inspired by the dance philosophy of Tere OConnor who preaches the exploration of the "itness" of dance. Every performance is originated within a certain context and the music, movement, and essence of the piece will leave the audience with "the ghost." For Tere, this seems to be the most important part of a performance, actualizing the piece in such a way that the audience will take a bit of it with them. These three dances were meant to be the "unbraided" beginnings of a larger piece that will be woven together for a September performance hosted by the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe. And all I can say is if Saturday night was any hint as to how the September performance will be, I am definitely there!

The first dance of the evening was without a doubt the most shocking of the three. It was contemporary and unique and the performances were exceptional. However, it was probably my least favorite for a few reasons. The performance began slowly, with five of the dancers trickling onto the stage, walking in steady, rhythmic steps. In the corner was a little wooden doll that the dancers would occasionally reposition. Whichever direction the doll took, so did they. So originally I thought it was an interesting concept. Life imitating art, art imitating life; which comes first, which is more important? But then I was completely thrown off by the appearance of this naked lady in a wheel chair and one of the male dancers wearing a spandex outfit and a cat mask. I just would have liked to see a little bit more cohesion within the piece for my own personal taste. I can appreciate cat masks and nakedness. But as long as it makes sense in the performance and not just there for shock value. When asked about his performance the choreographer said that it was meant to show that we as humans are nothing but malleable mass and that life (and his dance) is pretty trippy. I couldn't have agreed more!

The second dance was inspired by the choreographer's vision of being alone in Alaska with nothing but the radio to listen to. She did a nice portrayal of a cold, wintry, isolated feel by dressing the dancers in uniformed muted colors completed with muffs. The performance consisted of moments of controlled movements (much like Russian dance) and other times when the dancers burst into fits of uncontrollable spasms reacting with one another in animalistic ways.

Although both of these pieces were interesting to watch and creatively executed my favorite of the night was the last performance. So let's picture for a moment a packed theatre completely dark. You can't see anything. There's nothing to hear except the breathing of the person you're sitting should to shoulder with. And then…suddenly, you hear a voice. It's a man's voice; this unsure, bumbling, dead pan voice. And it says: "Exuberance is what we're looking for in life; jumping around, having fun, having lots of sex…that's what we want…But most of us don't get that so we eat a box of cookies instead." And from that moment, I knew I was going to be in love with this piece. The set looked like an all too familiar 9 to 5 workplace, where everyone is miserable, the furniture is crappy, and the lighting could cause a sporadic seizure if you sit in it for too long. And the entire time there are dancers wiggling their bodies trying to find some sort of individuality in the confines of conformity. So a few minutes into the dance the voice comes back. "We like to touch people…so do it…a lot…but ask first just in case…you can shower and bathe and change your clothes, but people will still say you smell like a hippy." The choreographer later remarked that his vision for the dance was to show how taking care of one's body is like having a job: monotonous, but important, and time consuming. And because I could probably go on forever about the fabulousness of the entire night I'm going to stop here, because my fingers are getting tired of typing.

So great job Headlong!! I'm so excited to see the final piece in September and I will keep you guys posted on any future performances by this wonderfully talented dance company.

My pick for this week:

SJU Spring Concert: Thursday April 16 at the Electric Factory. The lineup is Thirdeyeblind and The Matches. Tickets are available to both SJU students and the public. Doors Open at 8.