The
Jefferson Dancers' Annual Spring Concert
Portland
Center for the Performing Arts, Newmark Theatre,
1111 SW Broadway, 274-6566. 7:30 pm Thursday-Friday,
2 and 7:30 pm Saturday, May 4-6.
$10.50-$16.50.
The Jefferson Dancers, once the pride of Jefferson High
School's Magnet Program for the Arts, suffered a major injury
when artistic director Julane Stites left the program for
the Arts & Communication Magnet High School in Beaverton
last year. More significantly, following a school board-mandated
"reconstitution" action two years ago, Jefferson principal
Lela Roberts axed the company's operating budget. In essence,
the program was allowed to remain in place but had to obtain
its own funding.
"Saving this program took a huge effort," says Fred Locke,
chairman of the dance department. "We are deeply indebted
to a core group of parents who essentially dropped their
jobs for a month to work on a solution." Eventually, the
group's efforts caught the attention of the PGE-Enron Foundation,
which granted the program $45,000 and insisted that the
administration explore ways to ensure the long-term survival
of the Jefferson Dancers.
Another key to the program's survival was finding the right
artistic director. A national search was launched that ended
in August with the hiring of Steve Gonzales, an accomplished
modern dancer with MOMIX, the East Coast modern-dance company
founded by Moses Pendleton. Fifteen years earlier, Gonzales
himself had been a Jefferson Dancer.
"It has been really great working with Steve," says Jefferson
senior Bojohn Disciple, whose talents have earned him full
scholarships to both Seattle's Cornish College and Alabama
State University. "From the first day, I just knew he was
the perfect director. He's a young guy, he's really physical.
He can actually show us how moves are done. He pushes us
to the extreme--he lays us out."
"Bringing Steve on board has made a huge impact," says
Locke. "He knows the high standards he was held to, and
he has brought those with him." Gonzales's dedication to
the program is unfaltering, and his success is evidenced
by the respect and incredibly hard work the dancers demonstrate
on a daily basis as well as their high-caliber, professional-level
performances.
"I want to give these kids the same opportunities that
I had," says the charismatic, 33-year-old Gonzales. "I want
to bring in great artists for them to work with, because
I had that and think it's important for them to have that
opportunity.
"Because of the lack of funds, I've had to use--well, borrow--friends
to come and work with the dancers," he explains. "The students
love it. Working with these artists has opened them up to
use their creative minds. Sure, we want them to learn the
techniques, but we also want them to learn how to create."
This respect for the creative process is seen in the camaraderie
and peer-coaching during rehearsals--something not found
in more tightly bound, regimented companies such as Oregon
Ballet Theatre.
What also makes the Jefferson Dancers unique is the diversity
of its repertoire; the students are fluent in a broad range
of dance styles. "They do all styles of dance," Gonzales
says. "They're not just a ballet company or a modern company
or a tap company--they can do it all. I don't want just
an OBT here, or just a modern company; I like the versatility
of the dancers."
The company's upcoming annual spring concert highlights
its impressive breadth, grace and athleticism. A modern
experimental, "evolutionary" piece by MOMIX's Pendleton,
set to portions of Peter Gabriel's Passion, will
precede a showy, Blues Brothers-style tap routine
choreographed by sibling Jefferson Dancers Bethany and Carl
Massey. Gonzales's own Rhythm Is the Key is a full-company,
energetic tapestry of splashy moves balanced by Erin Elliott's
somber A Life's Passing. Independent choreographer
Sarah Slipper's latest work, which contains both brutal
and beautiful elements, revolves around the attempted destruction
and redemption of the creative soul, while Josie Moseley's
Where I Am From examines the dancers' personal heritage
and features original poems by the dancers. The program
concludes with an ensemble tap number to Bob Marley's No
Woman No Cry choreographed by Bring in 'Da Noise,
Bring in 'Da Funk star Joseph Webb and a flamboyant,
spirited West African dance created by Bruce Smith, artistic
director of the Northwest Afrikan American Ballet.
Saved from the brink of destruction, the Jefferson Dancers
are excited to show the city their stuff. "Being a Jefferson
Dancer is the best thing that's ever happened to me," says
Disciple. "Everything I've accomplished, I owe to the Jefferson
Dancers. This is our big show, this is what everybody looks
forward to--everything else is just preparation.
"The material is new, it's fresh; all the dancers think
it's really good and we know we can do it," he says with
a flash in his eyes, adding, "I just want to go out with
a bang--I just want to tear it up."
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Willamette Week | originally
published April 26,
2000
|
