October 2008

Woods around the Pillow

Summer has been exceptionally busy this year, with arangetram assignments, photographing a few professional companies, and taking time to enjoy the country. The highlight was the time I spent at Jacob's Pillow and the North.

Pillow Icon - Top of Ted Shawn Theater Complex

I was at the Pillow for the first time, during the final week of the season. The temperature was in the sixties when I reached there, and the campus/space had the feel of a Texas Spring (my favorite time of the year). That was the icing on the cake. The staff were extremely friendly and accommodating, and the space had a wonderful energy about it. The place has an old feel - both in the ambiance and the pacing of life. Yet the place ran like a well oiled machine (at least what I experienced).

Lighting Designer sets gobos for the closing moment of Leatherwing Bat

Most of my time was spent with Trey McIntyre Project. They were kicking off their company premier at the Pillow, with a mixed rep. It was full time work documenting their rehearsals/class, tech rehearsal, dress rehearsal, and live from the wings.

TMP in rehearsal

It has been a while since I experienced Mr. McIntyre's work. He has a very unique prospective and style. I am not sure how his work has evolved in the past few years. His use of lines is creative, and they come unexpectedly in a flash. The two world premiers - Leatherwing Bat and Surrender had strong emotional foundations. Surrender was a short, highly energetic, pas de deux, based on a high school love story. The music was a mix of pop and classical, and transitioned swiftly through a myriad of emotions. Leatherwing Bat was a deeper piece, set to lovely timeless music by Peter, Paul and Mary. The theme is growth and maturity - with the spectrum of emotions from childhood, teen years, and adulthood. This was my favorite piece of the three.

TMP's Reassuring Effects

The Reassuring Effects (of Form and Poetry) is an older piece, celebrating pure dance, with some beautiful and unique lines.

Inside/Out with Keigwin+Co

Keigwin+Company (from NYC) has enjoyed a great deal of success this year - form performing at the Joyce, Fall for dance, ADF, Vail International Festival, and of course the Pillow. They seem to take a more fun approach - although they do have a serious side.

Inside/Out with Keigwin+Co

The company performed both in the Inside/Out series (the free outdoor shows) as well as the smaller space of the Dorris Duke Theater. In Inside/Out, the company presented excerpts from larger works, including Elements (that toured and was presented at the Pillow), and a couple of small PDDs. This was my first experience of the company, and technically I found the choreography and dancing to be good. It was an interesting but not a memorable performance (except for one PDD).

Inside/Out with Keigwin+Co

It became evident during the Dress Rehearsal of Elements, that the works rely a great deal on the costume and lighting. The same sections took on a whole different experience. Elements had four major sections - each focusing on one element.

Keigwin+Co in rehearsal and Dress of Elements

All of them had humor and sarcasm running through them. There were some serious moments - dealing with vanity and a couple of other topics. However, overall it was just fun (by not taking anything too seriously) without any message being stuffed down our throats.

Of the remaining two companies in the Inside/Out series, both LEVYDance ( San Fran based) and GERALDCASELDANCE (NYC based), I found LevyDance to be the more interesting.

Inside/Out with LEVYDance

While some of the themes (a quivering dancer/moments being pacified/transformed by another dancer), was a little repetitive, the music used was unusual and the vocabulary technically challenging and complex (in many sections). It is difficult to come to a conclusion after seeing a company once, and LEVYDance caught my interest enough to be curious about their remaining repertory and evolution.

Inside/Out with GERALDCaselDance

From the Pillow I had a very enjoyable drive to Concord and Portsmouth , New Hampshire to visit a friend. Next was a drive to NYC and a few days there with another friend, before returning to Austin. I was quite proud that I could be separated from my camera during these social trips, but I just could not resist capturing a lovely sunset in NYC one evening!





Images from NYC and some of the ambiance at the Pillow can be viewed in the places gallery. The images from the performances at the Pillow will show up over several months starting in November, in the Dance galleries.