>>PREVIEW
PULSE
Decidedly Jazz Danceworks
Runs January 6 to 14
Max Bell Theatre (Epcor Centre)
As 2005 was winding down, Calgary’s Decidedly Jazz Danceworks was gearing up. The popular jazz-dance troupe has been busy putting the finishing touches to its first show of 2006. Entitled Pulse, the production features choreography by artistic director Vicki Adams Willis and music composed by musical director Kristian Alexandrov, who also plays percussion and keyboards. Joining Alexandrov are bassist George Koller, who is returning for his second show with DJD, and drummer Davide DiRenzo, who is making his debut with the company.
Koller and DiRenzo came to Calgary in September after touring with Holly Cole in Europe, and will be returning there after Pulse is over. Taking time out to do a live dance show has proved to be an exciting experience for them, fresh and liberating after the pressures of recording and touring.
"The nice thing about doing it live is that there’ll be different moods on any given night that go to a different level, which you can’t do with recorded music," says Koller. "We’re responding to each other each night, and when the audience are in different moods, there’ll be new inspiration coming through."
DiRenzo’s involvement with DJD came about after being introduced to Alexandrov and Willis last year while in the city doing a show.
"After we spoke, George said I should check this dance company out, they’re pretty amazing, and there might be an opportunity to get involved," he says. DiRenzo has been impressed by the way the company allows its musical collaborators to improvise. "Usually in this situation you’re given charts, direction, but Vicki’s been open, given us free rein to do what we do best, and that takes a real seasoned professional producer to realize and understand."
DiRenzo was aware of the potential complications with that much freedom and exploration, especially as he’d never worked with DJD before. "I think it was definitely a risk for Vicki and Kristian to bring someone different onboard. With a trio, it could’ve went either way, but it’s really gone down the path where all the musicians are unselfish."
The trio is much more than just musical backup for the dancers, adds DiRenzo. "The dancing is 50 per cent (of the show) – it’s not a situation when you’re involved just as a musician. It’s about collaboration. What we’re doing doesn’t work if, visually, what (the dancers) do doesn’t work. It’s heavy and amazing."
As it happens, the theme of Pulse is all about performing side-by-side, whether to the same rhythm or to contrasting ones. Willis says the show was inspired by "this notion that music for human beings is sounded in the breath and heartbeat and, as humans, sometimes we’re in sync with each other, sometimes not."
Koller elaborates on the idea. "I think of the straight musical impulses in all of us. I hear the animals of the rainforest, places with all of their own loops that may be out of time with each other, but sound perfectly harmonized. I like natural pulse as much as man-made pulse," he adds. "In the show, I do a little Indian music and some fretless piccolo bass stuff – long slide lines like DNA strands, pulse ticking under a microscope."
Alexandrov saw the show as an opportunity to experiment with various percussive styles. "When Vicki brought the idea for Pulse, I was quite excited, because it was like, all bets are off. You can find pulse in anything – dance, music. It’s a great way to marry dance and sound. The show… is heavily based on percussion, earthy and grounded. A lot of bass, some melody from the piano, too, but a heavy percussion show."
In addition to Alexandrov’s trio, Pulse features DJD’s full ensemble of eight dancers: artistic associate Kimberley Cooper, Ahmed Fernandez Hodelin, Sarisa Figueroa, Laura Laycock, Gibson Muriva, Ivan Nunez Segui, Deanne Walsh and apprentice Malika Srivastava. |
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