Event Review: Tangle Movement Arts' LOOP
Remember when 2D movies (ya know, regular movies) were all the rage? Then we put on funny looking red and blue cardboard glasses and a whole new dimension emerged?
That’s what aerial dance is doing to choreography. Dancers have always moved left, right, forward and back. Now add up and down. New dimension emerges, and the creative opportunities are endless.
I spoke to Lauren Rile Smith, founder of Tangle Movement Arts, a Philly-based aerial dance troupe. Circuses have been around since forever, she explained, but aerial dance has really only caught on in the last ten years, and has begun to explode in the last five.
What she says matches my experience. I’ve only recently heard of aerial dance, and her troupe’s recent FingeArts performance, LOOP, was the first aerial dance show I’ve ever seen.
As dancers and choreographers, we’re always dreaming up new ways to move our bodies, to express emotion through motion. We play with duets, trios, and group dances, where bodies interact with each other and react to one another. In aerial dance, once again, a new element is added in the dynamic between body and objects.
The first piece in LOOP actually began on the ground. But, the body-object dynamic was still present with two of the dancers (Tiffany Holder and Lee Thompson) weaving their bodies around two chairs. They were semi-in-sync, which I liked; Choreography that is not identical for the two dancers, but that in which each dancers’ movement compliments the other’s.
The performance continued, and dancers began mounting trapezes, wrapping themselves up in cascading white fabric hung from the rafters, climbing rope, and resting in multiple high-hung hammocks. The choreography was pushed forward by a story about finding your place. Two stories played back and forth about two women making the difficult decision about whether to leave a group or to stay. Whether they are stronger as part of a whole, or on their own.
Solos, duets, and a few group dances made up the performance. My two favorite solos were powerful numbers by dancers Rebecca MoDavis and Lee Thompson.
Rebecca MoDavis’ solo came after her decision to stop trying so hard to live perfectly in sync with others; to be her own woman. Her solo starts off with soft music, and then BAM! Out of nowhere bursts an independent, don’t-get-in-my-way woman. She exuded confidence, strength, wisdom and power. The shapes her body created were beautiful and clean, and although I don’t know much about technique in aerial dance, her movements seemed perfect.
Throughout Thompson’s solo, her expression was engaging, empowering and just plain FUN. The blue hair didn’t hurt her “Yeah I’m flying! What now!?” presence either. She was proud in an unapologetic, but unpretentious way, and she looked like she was having a f*@&ing blast. Bottom line, I loved watching her dance.
Thompson’s expression, and the expression of all of the dancers in LOOP, is part of what makes aerial dance different from its much older ancestor, circus art. LOOP’s dancers weren’t just wowing the audience with aerial feats (which, they were; I heard an impressed “How the hell is she doing that?!” from an audience member), but they also told a compelling story. The audience didn’t just stare in awe, as a separate entity; they were involved in the performance through their empathy for the characters. We can all relate to decisions about whether to stay or to go, whether we will flourish on our own or as part of a larger group. The dancers conveyed the feelings involved in these decisions, and as the audience, we could relate.
All of the members of Tangle Movement Arts collaborated to create LOOP’s awesome choreography (and credit should also be given to Sal Nicolazzo, who is noted as a Choreographic Consultant). Not only did the group produce their dance, they also designed their set. The curved white walls offered a great template for the plethora of objects hanging from the ceiling; ropes, fabric, lights, and so on. Sculptor Julia Wilson designed the pieces used for decoration on the set. The ability the group had to transform the space was impressive.
I’m very interested to see future shows from Tangle Movement Arts, and see how they differ from LOOP. Only a few times during LOOP did multiple dancers perform choreography while on various “equipment” (trapeze, hammock, rope, fabric, etc.) and I would have loved to see more dancers up in the air, all at the same time, performing choreography that was either totally in sync, or complimentary to one another. Their next show will debut in March of 2015, and I will definitely be there. Smith stated that LOOP focused more on a story, whereas other performances may focus more on dance choreography, or circus-type aerial feats. I’m excited to see more from Tangle Movement Arts and to get a new perspective on what aerial dance is all about.
As someone who used to flip upside down on the monkey bars every time I went to the park, and watch the world go by from a different perspective, LOOP was a joy to watch and took those park days to a whole new level. If Tangle Movement Arts hoped to get me “hooked” on aerial dance, they were successful. I totally plan on learning more about the genre, and seeing more shows. I bet they’ll do the same to you once you’re in their audience. So, go check out Tangle Movement Arts this March. You don’t even have to wear red and blue cardboard glasses.
First two photos by Alberto Lorenzo, last photo by Anne Saint Peter.
Article written by Hannah Lorenzo.
