Young Urban Warriors from San Francisco !

In the military, soldiers often moved to surround themselves with the best. They knew they were heading into the valley of trouble, the valley of death - to increase survival, bring the best.

And so next month, 1st week May 2011, Alyce Finwall flies off to New York City with her theater company. A company composed of some of San Francisco’s finest young dancers. But they not only dance, they act. They are San Francisco’s young female urban warriors. From walled city to walled city, this band of dancers will travel, and with them they take, “Evenfall.“

Evenfall is their ritual of dance where many things seem in reverse. A dance that is performed mostly in the dark, where the light becomes the shadows. Where there are no men and so women fill all the roles, all the needs.

The lamenting of a lone chirping bird begins the play - the dance. That chirping is slowly followed by the sounds of splashing waves, ducks, geese and other night sounds that live and reside in the dark. Long exaggerated cricket sounds helped filled the darkened air. With a lone beam of a flashlight bouncing all about and partial figures of creatures crossing over and thru that small, moving illuminating light.

Those same partial human creatures were animals first, then morphing into full body dancers. They worked in solo, duets and small companion groupings. They helped each other with their movements; lifting of legs, twirling of bodies. Then they pushed each other apart, they even fought. At times they tear at each other's clothing. Then back once again helping and dancing with each other. Back and forth they traverse thru their night time of dance. Not everything is connected in the dark.

Towards the end of the dance piece two very tall dancers (Malindia LaVelle and Julia Hollas) stand toe to toe, a foot apart. Their communication of physical sign language is not the official sign language that we see from time to time - that sign language of the deaf that we recognize so easily but don't understand. No, this is a new language using original hand, arms and body signals. In this version, the two females use their own body and the body of her opponent. Not just weaving their signals about but actually hitting each other with their sign movements. During this whole occurrence, one of the two dancers (Malindia LaVelle) is backing up as the other marches forward, each threatening the other every step of the way.

At one point in this ceremony of communication, Malinda turns her head completely away from the "fight." And while looking to her right, into the far off unseeable distance, it made one wonder, "What is she looking at?" And perhaps the answer she makes is - she wants to be distracted. She might even want out.

I look forward to seeing this dance again. And maybe next time, I'll see what Malinda is looking at in that unseeable far off place.

Postscript:

Alyce Finwall Dance Theater will be appearing at the Joyce Theater in SoHo, NYC on May 5th thru 7th.

Can contact Alyce Dance Theater thru their web site:
http://www.afdancetheater.com/

or

Contact Joyce SoHo directly:
http://www.joyce.org/performancestickets/calendar_detail.php?event=379&theater=2


...