I don't usually include dance in this blog because, although I love it, I can't analyze it and have no vocabulary for discussing it. The Seldoms' pieces, though, can verge toward dance theater.
Carrie Hanson and Doug Stapleton are the choreographer and dramaturg of The Seldoms. Hanson is a beautiful dancer, an ambitious choreographer, and a consummate collaborator (with wonderful taste). As artistic director of The Seldoms, Hanson's pieces typically involve collaborations with visual artists, costume artists, and musicians. In fact, her relationship with Stapleton is a testament to her collaborative nature. It's also a testament to her ambition. As a choreographer and artistic director, she wants to create innovative movement but she also wants to create and convey meaning beyond the physical. Their collaborations, however, don't always work and I've seen some spectacular failures. The Seldoms is also a small and poor dance company that can't afford to hire great dancers. They try to make do.
"Monument" is one of Hansen's most ambitious pieces to date. It looks at the amount of waste Americans consume and waste. Monument refers to a a trash heap in NY that is so large that it is visible from space. Apparently, it's larger than the Statue of Liberty. This trash heap is a monument to our consumerism and tendency to waste. The show's set includes beautiful video and its music adds effectively to its mood. The composer has rearranged "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" and made it slower -- sad and reflective. It lends the piece a beautiful tension.
With all the wonderful artistic collaboration, the treat in seeing this piece is still the choreography and dancing. Hansen has found a team of strong dancers who make her choreography seem light and effortless, a luxury she's always lacked in the past. The partnering is complex, unexpected, and sometimes breathtaking. The choreography's vocabulary is tight. We see certain movements repeated and with each repetition they seem more poetic. The movement also frequently approaches literal meaning, or recognizable gestures.
I hope we see move of this from The Seldoms. This is the most exciting piece of dance I've seen by a small, local company in years. It gives me hope that something meaningful might develop in Chicago.
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