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BY CATHERINE THOMAS
PANGOLS: THE SPIRIT OF WEST AFRICA IN SONG, DANCE, AND MUSIC
"Pangols" is a West African tribal word for the spiritual nature
of all beings and things. Each song and dance in this performance by
the 38-year-old Ballet National du Sénégal explores the
spiritual relationship between human beings and their environment through
the traditional stories, movements and music of West Africa. The dancers
perform on an African village set, clad in brilliant and sometimes elaborate,
sometimes sparse costumes. A wild and varied pace of frenetic dancing,
acrobatic thrillers and stilt-dancing is offset by singing and musical
interludes played on traditional African instruments such as the kora,
a 21-string melodic harp made from a large gourd, and the balafon, a
marimba-like instrument of 12 wooden keys. The ensemble of drummers
and musicians contributes complex cross-rhythms and dances as well.
THE OREGON SYMPHONY PRESENTS LE BALLET NATIONAL DU SÉNÉGAL,
ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL, 1037 SW BROADWAY, 228-1353. 7:30 PM SATURDAY,
SEPT. 12. $15-$45.
CHASKI
Peruvian-born Portland artist Luciana Proaño explores the
personal, cultural and collective meaning of time in Chaski.
Proaño is a movement mythologist whose stories are told through
ritualistic, ecstatic dance and music that strike at shared archetypes;
the result is a frequently visceral instrumental and visual atmosphere
of communion. Her latest work was inspired by the mythology of the Chaski,
the legendary Quechua relay runners who carried messages across the
desert, mountains and jungles of Peru. Chaski is Proaño's
latest collaboration with her husband, the versatile composer and guitarist
John Butler. The rhythms they've chosen for this performance emulate
the constant pulse of the heartbeat and will be accompanied by a large
abstract video image giving the sensation of moving water to create,
in Proaño's words, an atmosphere of "ebb and flow with the motion
of life, absorb and return."
THE CREATIVE MUSIC GUILD, ECHO THEATER, 1515 SE 37TH AVE., 772-0772.
7:30 PM THURSDAY, SEPT. 17. $10.
ODD DUCK LAKE
Local choreographer Gregg Bielemeier, whose witty and imaginative
talent is usually on display in smaller venues, takes his work to the
concert hall in the world première of Odd Duck Lake, White
Bird's inaugural performance of the season. Besides his signature subtle
humor, the choreography for this piece incorporates, in Bielemeier's
words, "big, wide-open movement, loose-limbed but also with a lot of
intimate moments; personalized gestures sweeping the space; lots of
bodies, and then only one body." Bielemeier performs in Odd Duck
Lake along with technically strong dancers Michael Barber (co-artistic
director of aero/betty aerial dance theater), Jae Diego (also of aero/betty),
Joan Findlay, Daniel Kirk, Eric Skinner and Kristin Young.
Portland violin, cello and accordion ensemble 3 Leg Torso and diverse
vocalist Lyndee Mah provide musical accompaniment.
GREGG BIELEMEIER DANCE PROJECT, PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY, LINCOLN
HALL, 1620 SW PARK AVE., 224-8499. 8 PM FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, SEPT. 25
& 26; 7 PM SUNDAY, SEPT. 27. $10-$18.
GISELLE
Oregon Ballet Theater opens its 10th anniversary season with the
haunting classical romantic ballet Giselle, the 150-year old
tale of forest maidens who lure men with their dance and of the madness
that ensues. This theatrical classic of betrayal and remorse demands
emotional, dramatic expression in both choreography and dance, in addition
to strong technical skills. The high caliber of OBT's cast this year
promises a great show. OBT's previous performances of Giselle
were visually pleasing but, perhaps owing to the large size of the venue,
lacked the sincerity of gesture that gives this romantic story its tragedy
and mystery. The evening's program will also feature the world première
of White Noise, a ballet by OBT's new resident choreographer,
Trey McIntyre.
OREGON BALLET THEATER, PORTLAND CIVIC AUDITORIUM, 2222 SW CLAY ST.,
222-5538 7:30 PM THURSDAY, FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS, OCT. 16-24; 2 PM SUNDAY,
OCT. 18. $12-$75.
THE BILL T. JONES/ARNIE ZANE DANCE COMPANY
After an absence of more than 10 years, acclaimed dancer and choreographer
Bill T. Jones, recipient of a MacArthur "Genius" Grant, returns to Portland
with a dance company noted for its power and beauty. The multicultural
company, founded by Jones and his late partner, photographer and choreographer
Arnie Zane, gave its first performance, Intuitive Momentum, in
1982 with the legendary drummer Max Roach. Now, 16 years later, the
10-member ensemble has a repertoire of more than 50 works that frequently
fuse elements of theater with contemporary modern dance. Besides numerous
commissions to choreograph and perform new works worldwide, The Bill
T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company has been the recipient of several
dance awards for musical scoring, choreography and costume design. In
recent years, the company has collaborated with a variety of opera companies
around the world, and the making of its critically acclaimed work Still/Here
was the subject of a PBS documentary hosted by Bill Moyers.
WHITE BIRD PRESENTS, ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL, 1037 SW BROADWAY,
224-8499. 7:30 PM TUESDAY, MARCH 2. TICKET PRICES TBA.
ANN CARLSON
In her new work, Grass, Bird, Rodeo, choreographer and performance
artist Ann Carlson blends movement, visual elements and sound and voice
sequences. In Grass, she discusses the privilege of safety while
dressed in an Astroturf suit; in Bird, she incorporates text
from the children's book Hey Al in a performance as a burlesque
dancer, accompanied by Frank Sinatra's rendition of "I've Got You Under
My Skin"; and in Rodeo, she plays a prophetic radio announcer
who falls into an amnesiac dream, to music composed by Irish pop musician
Pierce Turner and performed by a string quartet.
WHITE BIRD PRESENTS, ECHO THEATER, 1515 SE 37TH AVE., 242-1419. 8 PM
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, MARCH 12 & 13. $12-$15.
POLES
Dance meets virtual reality in a groundbreaking multimedia 4-D performance
from PPS Danse Montréal. Dancers and choreographers Pierre-Paul
Savoie and Jeff Hall will explore the concept of harmony and cooperation
in a dance of visual sorcery with virtual-reality images, illusions
created by artists Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon. The artists will
also conduct outreach workshops and talks during the week of the performance.
PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY, LINCOLN HALL, 1620 SW PARK AVE., 725-3352.
8 PM THURSDAY-SATURDAY, MARCH 18-20; 2 PM SUNDAY, MARCH 21. $20
LUCY GUERIN
Lucy Guerin's innovative choreographic and dance styles were influenced
by the art cultures of Melbourne and New York. Her new piece, Heavy,
is a descent through the stages of sleep into dreaming. Constructed
around scientific analysis and study of sleep juxtaposed with the actual
physical experience, Heavy uses the sleep cycle, sleep disorders
and the mysterious influence of dreams to examine our fascination with
both our bodily processes and our limited ability to fully comprehend
them.
PICA, ECHO THEATER, 1515 SE 37TH AVE., 242-1419. 8 PM FRIDAY AND SATURDAY,
MAY 28 & 29. $12-$15.
MOVING SIGNATURES
James Canfield presents world première performances emphasizing
raw choreography over elaborate costumes and scenes in a venue that
makes you feel as if you're watching from your living room. The audience
gets the opportunity to ask questions of Canfield, company dancers and
choreographers in an open-mike forum following the performance.
OREGON BALLET THEATER, PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY, LINCOLN HALL, 1620
SW PARK AVE., 224-8499. 7:30 PM WEDNESDAY, THURSDAYS, FRIDAYS, SATURDAYS
AND SUNDAY, APRIL 1-10; 2 PM SATURDAYS AND SUNDAY, APRIL 3-10. $17.
THE PARSONS DANCE COMPANY
A former leading dancer with the Paul Taylor Dance Company, David
Parsons created the Parsons Dance Company in 1987, and its popularity
has been escalating ever since. Noted for its athletic dances, energetic
music and creative lighting effects, the company has a twofold mission.
It strives to bring modern dance to the widest possible audience, which
it has done through television appearances here and in Europe and through
nearly 700 performances worldwide in the last decade. It also aims to
be a vehicle both for new choreography by Parsons and for commission
of musical scores and theatrical designs. If the roster of composers
associated with it--including Milton Nascimento, Leslie Stuck, the Turtle
Island String Quartet and John Corigliano--is any indication of the
quality of its performances, this is a company to watch.
WHITE BIRD PRESENTS, ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL, 1037 SW BROADWAY,
224-8499. 7:30 PM TUESDAY, APRIL 20.
LIMON DANCE COMPANY
"I believe that we are never more truly and profoundly human than
when we dance," said José Limón (1908-1972). An electrifying
dancer, Limón created one of America's most important modern-dance
organizations. Limón is a prolific choreographer with an emotionally
powerful aesthetic, and many of his works are considered masterpieces
of modern dance. The institute he formed has gone on to influence modern
dancers and companies worldwide through teaching its founder's technique
and philosophy. Under the artistic direction of Donald McKayle, a choreographer
with a passion for music, the company's multiracial, multicultural ensemble
of 14 dancers will perform Limón classics and contemporary masterpieces
by new choreographers.
WHITE BIRD PRESENTS, ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL, 1037 SW BROADWAY,
224-8499. 7:30 PM WEDNESDAY, MAY 26. TICKET PRICES TBA.
THE BEBE MILLER DANCE COMPANY
New York choreographer Bebe Miller, PICA's artist-in-residence,
presents Going to the Wall, a kinetic examination of cultural
and personal identity that explores how issues of identity, aesthetics,
politics and vision overlap with the creative process. Going to the
Wall is based on an exercise in which dancers are divided according
to shared experiences revealed by their answers to a series of questions.
The result is two groups, those who belong and those who don't. The
choreography intends to reveal a deeper level of human experience than
that of dominant cultural constructions. The Bebe Miller Dance Company
will be in residence with PICA and will further develop this concept
through workshops with local artists and the community at large.
PICA, PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY, LINCOLN HALL, 1620 SW PARK AVE., 242-1419.
8 PM FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, JUNE 11 & 12; 2 PM SUNDAY, JUNE 13. $15-$18.
AMERICAN CHOREOGRAPHERS SHOWCASE 9
In its final flourish of the season, OBT offers three different
programs of hallmarks from past seasons of American Choreographers Showcase.
The first program covers a wide spectrum of emotion and music with Bebe
Miller's A Certain Depth of Heart and Also Love (performed
to an eclectic selection of music by Led Zeppelin, The Pogues, Janis
Joplin, Van Morrison and Robert Schumann); Josie Moseley's emotional
journey in the compassionate With; James Canfield's Edie;
and Trey McIntyre's Like a Samba, described as an evocation of
a 1940s Brazilian nightclub. The second program 2 features Dennis Spaight's
Theatre Dances, John Selya's Six Foot Catalogue and James
Canfield's cq (charmed quark). The third program includes Paul
Vasterling's Seasons, James Canfield's Trois Gnossiennes,
Trey McIntyre's Speak and Donald Byrd's Cracked Narrative,
a stylish, high-energy piece (in which the dancers literally speak to
the audience) exploring the world of 19th century-ballet.
OREGON BALLET THEATER, PORTLAND CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, NEWMARK
THEATRE, 1111 SW BROADWAY, 224-8499. CALL FOR SCHEDULE. $12-$75.
originally published
September 9, 1998
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