Dance Preview
PIVOTING ECHOES
Decidedly Jazz Danceworks
Choreographed by Vicki Adams Willis and Kimberley Cooper
Runs January 9 to 17
Max Bell Theatre (Epcor Centre)
It’s Friday afternoon, the second day of the new year and the first day back to rehearsals for Decidedly Jazz Danceworks after nearly two weeks off. And only one week until show time for Pivoting Echoes, the first production of the popular jazz-dance company’s 20th-anniversary season.
The 10 dancers drift in, singly and in pairs, after their lunch break. Some are stretching, others warming up carefully. That’s the result of the time off and too much guilty Christmas nibbling, according to Kim Cooper, dancer and co-choreographer of Pivoting Echoes.
"I almost panicked over the holidays, thinking of the possible effects of two weeks out of the studio, but everyone is back, eager to get to work," she says. "It almost seems that the movement has settled deeper in the time off."
Indeed, you notice two things as the run-through begins. First, there doesn’t seem to be any hesitation or holding back – everyone is making strong, committed movements. And, second, they are loving it. They are, each of them, revelling in the crafting of something that they delight in.
That has always been the mark of the Decidedly Jazz artists – an infectious joy in whatever they create.
Even though the company features an unusual number of new faces this season, the character and personality of DJD have remained largely intact. And that’s a good thing. There is a huge amount of trust involved in dance, as Cooper points out, and that is something that is gained with shared experience. Whatever gap existed when the dancers began rehearsing has been bridged in a remarkably short time. It is quite evident, in watching this rehearsal, that the combination of loads of talent with the dancers’ reinforcement of one another is making this show work. And that support applies whether in the wake of a perfectly performed sequence or one in which the timing is slightly off. You can tell by the dancers’ grins as they move off to what, in the rehearsal hall, represents the wings of the stage.
So what can we expect to see in this new Decidedly Jazz creation? In two acts, Pivoting Echoes explores a theme of cause and effect, of consequences or "what goes around comes around," as Vicki Adams Willis, the main choreographer for this show and one of the founders of the troupe, likes to phrase it.
The premise unfolds in a roller-coaster ride of physical, emotional and spiritual pictures, sweeping its audience along at a remarkable pace. Scenes of singular passion, pathos and humour relieve the explosions of complex, precise mayhem that is the signature of this dance company.
While this is primarily a dance production, the music and the three musicians performing in the show are equal partners with the 10 dancers. The single set, designed by Graham Frampton (formerly production and touring manager), will incorporate the musical trio as integral onstage characters. You have probably never heard – or seen – an upright bass played the way George Koller plays his. The veteran musician, who has worked with the likes of Peter Gabriel, Bruce Cockburn and Jane Siberry, can wring a whole world of emotion from the instrument. Singer and lyricist Julie Michels adds her incredible presence, her versatility and range beautifully framed, whether recalling the African roots of jazz or delivering a bluesy gut-wrencher. DJD’s musical director, Kristian Alexandrov, on percussion and keyboard, lays down much more than aural wallpaper. The collaboration of the three really works and it will likely be difficult to sit still during their performance.
Willis explains that the lighting effects, by Harry Frehner, will be vital in supporting the show’s shifting temperament. Natalie Purschwitz’s wardrobe designs are simple and organic, supporting the characters’ personalities and emphasizing movement over ostentation (Purschwitz also did the costumes for last season’s Velvet.)
The dancers are Cooper, Gibson Muriva (who has come to DJD this season from the Tumbuka Dance Company of Zimbabwe), Ahmed Fernandez Hodelin, Dinou Marlett-Stuart, Kathryn Pollack, Jeff Retzlaf, Pam C. Denis, Laura Laycock, Deanne Walsh and Joanne Baker.
Although the proof will be in the performance, judging from this rehearsal Pivoting Echoes will add to Decidedly Jazz’s 20-year tradition of rich, imaginative, brow-raising entertainment. Willis seems set to once again demonstrate that combining live music on stage with passionate, evocative movement results in an endless palette from which to create. |
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