"Sometimes we dance for our Fathers..."
This thought occurred to me earlier this year, after a conversation with Natasha Carlitz as we stood in the lobby of ODC Theater, following her company's performance. I had been touched by an opening to one of her dances and she explained to me that it was a dance she choreographed for her father as he lay dying of cancer. I was moved even more by the gift she had created for her father and for herself. So, from time to time, throughout the year, my mind has wandered back to that evening with Ms Carlitz and her work of art. I realize now she started me on a journey that has brought me to this blessay: BADw's Top 5 Emotional Dance Moments for 2011. In honor of Ms Carlitz, her company of dancers, her father, the dancers mentioned below and the local dance scene in general, I dedicate this blessay.
#5: End Love by Saki Suto.
LINES Dance Center S.F.
From medical operation to the dance floor in a single leap: Ms Saki had a hip operation in January 2011, and by spring she was back on the dance floor. She returned so quickly by designing a solo which has her sitting in a chair keeping as much weight off her hips as possible. It's her dance from the waist up; with lots of arm and hand movements, she sways, spins and slides her strong, petite body in every direction - all of it deriving from her boundless energy. It's a solo where East meets West with some modern hip hop thrown in. BADw has had the good fortune to witness End Love on several occasions when Ms Saki performed as a guest artist at Kathy Mata's Ballet Showcases.
(To enlarge video to Full Screen - click icon lower right hand corner of video.)
#4: 7 Ways to Hide yourself from the World (ODC)
by Kelly Kemp/Leah Rybolt and Number9 Dance Company.
Sign Language as dance that's taken to a whole new level: This is not the sign language that is used by and for people who are hard of hearing, but a new language that comes from all of us, literally. Kelly Kemp sent her unique dancers out into the everyday world, on their own, where each was assigned the same task. They were to observe and memorize people's hands and arm gestures which were used while speaking. Ms Kemp then had her dancers team up in pairs to merge their respective movements - afterwards bringing the whole company together and mixing all the gestures into one long segment of dance. Leah Rybolt, while seated, danced this gorgeous, strange combination at Number9's January 2011 Home Season at ODC - another dance from the waist up. I remember joking with the dancers of Number9 that they would all make great gang members, since many of their gestures looked like gang signals, parlayed into dance. In the video below, Ms Leah is seated in the lower left hand corner.
#3: Six Years Dreaming by Gretchen Garnett
CounterPulse, S.F. (Haunting dream music by Brendan Berry - on FB !!)
Every dream has a center - a beating heart if you will: The center of Six Years Dreaming is a two minute segment of dance meant as a loving homage to five generations of female dancers - each dancing a solo, one at a time, then passing on, so the next may dance. It takes place under a spotlight on a darkened stage. Jackie Goneconti starts with a sitting solo. After a few moments, the next dancer, Leah Curran, walks up to the rim of the circle of light and waits patiently at the darkened side of the rim for her turn to enter. When Jackie is ready, the two women sync themselves in both posture & movements, as Jackie glides out of the light and Leah glades in. With Leah's new solo, the cycle of life begins all over again. It's a dance, a story of a daughter patiently waiting out of respect for her mother, and the mother, in turn passing on her knowledge and experience thru their synchronized movements. The dance ritual is performed through five generations of dancers - a reminder that the beauty of our mothers resides in their unique life solos, as well as in their transference.
#2: Tempus Fugit by Natasha Carlitz
(ODC Theater)
Ms Carlitz's dance begins in a darkened stage with three separate spotlights. Under each light is a lone female dancer lying on her back - with only arms and legs visible dancing in the air. Watching this dance for the first time, all I could think and feel was...if the opening of this dance were shown to all the young girls in elementary schools, every one would want to be a dancer when she grows up.. I shared my reaction with Natasha right after her dance at ODC and she described how she choreographed the dance for her father as he was dying of cancer. To which I asked, Did he see his dance? ...only the first part, Natasha explained. At that moment I realized, dance subjects don't get much better than when we dance for our fathers...
(Photo by Elazar Harel. Video to follow at later date.)
#1: The Woman Invisible to Herself by Mary Armantrout
(The Sunshine Biscuit Factory, Oakland, CA)
Some of the most moving autobiographical words I've ever heard on a stage form the very cornerstone of Mary's performance piece. She recites them to us inside a large bathroom in the abandoned Sunshine Biscuit Factory in Oakland, CA. Her words tell the story of a young girl, Mary herself, about 13 yrs old, whose father comes out of the closet and starts his new life. Young Mary wants to go with her Dad on his new journey. But how to do it? Does she need to create her own gay male side to accompany him? In the end, she realizes she just wants to stay the apple of his eye - remain the little princess to the first man in her life. This is an expansive site-specific piece that moves along bending hallways that are both wide & narrow. It takes us down stairways to the subterranian, thru covered alleyways and to the back of buildings with their chainlink fences. We are looking for the invisible part of Mary - the many sides of her. This could be titled: In Search of Mary - Full of Grace. From the bathroom to the rooftop, Mary leads the way, bringing Beethoveen along with his 7th Symphony. And once on the roof, surrounded by that unique bluish-tint Oakland light as it bounces off the Bay waters, Mary treats us to her creative use of Beethoveen's masterpice and shows us why the music is also named The Dance Symphony...
__________________________
Most Disturbing Moments 2011
(1) Megan Nicely: CounterPulse, 2nd Sundays. Ms Megan lying on her belly completely disabled, dragging herself by her chin, chasing a microphone being pulled across the stage in front of her by partner. A reminder: we all want attention & love, no matter how shallow.
(2) Raisa Punkki: The Garage/DMT. Solo dance Waiting - final image one part wedding dress other part suffering creature.
_________________________
Most Disturbing Subjects 2011
(1) Ashley Trottier: Mills/ODC: Good Morning. Attack on pornography using movie like images with feral looking dancers.
(2) Mary Carbonara: KUNST-STOFF: What does it feel like to kill someone? Killing in the form of rape.
(3) Samantha Giorn: CounterPulse: sex,love,money. Marriage as a battle ground.
_____________________
Most Elegant Dances 2011
(1) Deborah Slater: SFMOMA. w/Wendy Rein, Melissa Caywood, Kelly Kemp - all three dressed in black, dancing on the steel gray bridge, 5th floor, inside the museum.
(2) Liss Fain: YBCA. The False & True are One - words forming dance. Performed at a site specific but on a stage - four galleries built for dancers & audience to mingle together during performance.
_______________________
Most Surprising Dance 2011
LEVYdance: ROMP, Zspace. Everyone on stage! "Thank you for setting the table with dancers! We await the next course..."
___________________________________
Most glorious tribute to our Mothers! 2011
Paris Wages: Z-Space. Google Woman. Our Mothers would be amazed to witness this performance, gifted to us on Mother's Day Weekend. God, I wish my mother could have seen this one Ms Wages!
_______________________________
Most Creative Site-Specific Dance 2011
Wendy Rain & Ryan Smith: Orson's Restaurant. A Public Affair - dancing in middle of restaurant during dinner time. Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers who??
______________________________
Most "pushing the envelope big" 2011
Stacey Printz: Z-Space. Hover Space - 2nd dance floor floating above stage. At times looking like a boxing ring. Reminder, sometimes in relationships we have to be athletes.
________________________________
Most surprising dance at a festival 2011
Westwave - Joan Lazarus: ODC. Duets ...falling in love with dance for the first time, all over again...
________________________________________
Most humorous performance-piece moment 2011
Lisa Townsend: 2nd Sundays, CounterPULSE. Lisa describing & mimicking beating up someone who asked for it - with 3 dancers duplicating her gestures in silence. Sounds of an individual fight, visuals of a gang fight. Ms Townsend is coming into focus & it's blurry! Hilarious. p.s. nothing is her fault...
______________________________________
Most rewarding, visiting dance companies 2011
(1) Kibbutz - SFJCC (SPECIAL thanks Dana Raz - we dance in next lifetime!)
(2) Modern Garage Movement from N.Y. (Berkeley's Subterranean)
(3) Netherland's Dance Theater (Zellerbach)
(4) Wayne McGregor (YBCA)
(5) Kdub L.A. (CounterPulse)
BayAreaDanceWatch shares THANKS to the following for giving so much respect to me, despite my many shortcomings!!
Joe Kreiter, Joe Landini, Kathy Mata, Christy Bolingbroke, Jennifer Meek, Kat Worthington, Robin Anderson, Jessica Robinson Love, Jamie Wright, Travis Rowland, Michelle Fletcher, Amy Seiwert, Jackie Goneconti, Jodie Renaud, Frances Rosario, Kim Epifano, Dominic Duong, Gary Masters, Dalia Rawson, Maria Basile, Tanya Bello, Jaclyn Anku, Shamsher Virk, Randy Symank, Kat Cole, Eric Garcia, Stella Adelman, Noelle Durant, Stacie Powers, Krissy Keefer, Tanya Bello, Annebelle Henry, Katherine Wells, Julie Potter, Gina Marie Shorten, Raissa Simpson, Robert Moses, Bianca Cabrera, Bianca Brzezinski, Victor Talledos, Dudley Flores, Kerry Demme, Laura Sharp, Jenni Bregman, Christine Bonansea, Jennifer Mellor, Kelly Bowker, Nol Simonse (Nol, giving me the Biggest hug ever @DMT!), Afshin Odabaee, Christine Germain, Aaron Jessup, Antoine Hunter, Cindy Pop, Colin Epstein, Daniel Berkman, Dan Wool, Erica Rose Jeffrey, Evangel King, Hilary Palanza, Jamie Venci, Jennifer Raine Kostel, Joseph Copley, Julie Mahony, Krystal Harfert, Lynda Penados, Marina Hotchkiss, Mary Alice Fry, Milissa Payne Bradley, Norma Fong, Patric Cashman, Philein ZiRu, Scott Marlowe, Yuri Zhukov, SF Conservatory of Dance and the SF/Bay Area Dance Scene ALL.....not sure I deserve it, but I don't want to give any of it back...
And a BIG Special thank you to my "Three Musketeers"
Alyce Finwall: Giving me my best Film Noir moment in my lifetime!
Pearl Marill: Restoring life's smile & stretching my humor & creativity!
Kelly Kemp: 1st dance commission - my parents never would have dreamt!
See you at the dances...
.
This thought occurred to me earlier this year, after a conversation with Natasha Carlitz as we stood in the lobby of ODC Theater, following her company's performance. I had been touched by an opening to one of her dances and she explained to me that it was a dance she choreographed for her father as he lay dying of cancer. I was moved even more by the gift she had created for her father and for herself. So, from time to time, throughout the year, my mind has wandered back to that evening with Ms Carlitz and her work of art. I realize now she started me on a journey that has brought me to this blessay: BADw's Top 5 Emotional Dance Moments for 2011. In honor of Ms Carlitz, her company of dancers, her father, the dancers mentioned below and the local dance scene in general, I dedicate this blessay.
#5: End Love by Saki Suto.
LINES Dance Center S.F.
From medical operation to the dance floor in a single leap: Ms Saki had a hip operation in January 2011, and by spring she was back on the dance floor. She returned so quickly by designing a solo which has her sitting in a chair keeping as much weight off her hips as possible. It's her dance from the waist up; with lots of arm and hand movements, she sways, spins and slides her strong, petite body in every direction - all of it deriving from her boundless energy. It's a solo where East meets West with some modern hip hop thrown in. BADw has had the good fortune to witness End Love on several occasions when Ms Saki performed as a guest artist at Kathy Mata's Ballet Showcases.
(To enlarge video to Full Screen - click icon lower right hand corner of video.)
#4: 7 Ways to Hide yourself from the World (ODC)
by Kelly Kemp/Leah Rybolt and Number9 Dance Company.
Sign Language as dance that's taken to a whole new level: This is not the sign language that is used by and for people who are hard of hearing, but a new language that comes from all of us, literally. Kelly Kemp sent her unique dancers out into the everyday world, on their own, where each was assigned the same task. They were to observe and memorize people's hands and arm gestures which were used while speaking. Ms Kemp then had her dancers team up in pairs to merge their respective movements - afterwards bringing the whole company together and mixing all the gestures into one long segment of dance. Leah Rybolt, while seated, danced this gorgeous, strange combination at Number9's January 2011 Home Season at ODC - another dance from the waist up. I remember joking with the dancers of Number9 that they would all make great gang members, since many of their gestures looked like gang signals, parlayed into dance. In the video below, Ms Leah is seated in the lower left hand corner.
#3: Six Years Dreaming by Gretchen Garnett
CounterPulse, S.F. (Haunting dream music by Brendan Berry - on FB !!)
Every dream has a center - a beating heart if you will: The center of Six Years Dreaming is a two minute segment of dance meant as a loving homage to five generations of female dancers - each dancing a solo, one at a time, then passing on, so the next may dance. It takes place under a spotlight on a darkened stage. Jackie Goneconti starts with a sitting solo. After a few moments, the next dancer, Leah Curran, walks up to the rim of the circle of light and waits patiently at the darkened side of the rim for her turn to enter. When Jackie is ready, the two women sync themselves in both posture & movements, as Jackie glides out of the light and Leah glades in. With Leah's new solo, the cycle of life begins all over again. It's a dance, a story of a daughter patiently waiting out of respect for her mother, and the mother, in turn passing on her knowledge and experience thru their synchronized movements. The dance ritual is performed through five generations of dancers - a reminder that the beauty of our mothers resides in their unique life solos, as well as in their transference.
#2: Tempus Fugit by Natasha Carlitz
(ODC Theater)
Ms Carlitz's dance begins in a darkened stage with three separate spotlights. Under each light is a lone female dancer lying on her back - with only arms and legs visible dancing in the air. Watching this dance for the first time, all I could think and feel was...if the opening of this dance were shown to all the young girls in elementary schools, every one would want to be a dancer when she grows up.. I shared my reaction with Natasha right after her dance at ODC and she described how she choreographed the dance for her father as he was dying of cancer. To which I asked, Did he see his dance? ...only the first part, Natasha explained. At that moment I realized, dance subjects don't get much better than when we dance for our fathers...
(Photo by Elazar Harel. Video to follow at later date.)
#1: The Woman Invisible to Herself by Mary Armantrout
(The Sunshine Biscuit Factory, Oakland, CA)
Some of the most moving autobiographical words I've ever heard on a stage form the very cornerstone of Mary's performance piece. She recites them to us inside a large bathroom in the abandoned Sunshine Biscuit Factory in Oakland, CA. Her words tell the story of a young girl, Mary herself, about 13 yrs old, whose father comes out of the closet and starts his new life. Young Mary wants to go with her Dad on his new journey. But how to do it? Does she need to create her own gay male side to accompany him? In the end, she realizes she just wants to stay the apple of his eye - remain the little princess to the first man in her life. This is an expansive site-specific piece that moves along bending hallways that are both wide & narrow. It takes us down stairways to the subterranian, thru covered alleyways and to the back of buildings with their chainlink fences. We are looking for the invisible part of Mary - the many sides of her. This could be titled: In Search of Mary - Full of Grace. From the bathroom to the rooftop, Mary leads the way, bringing Beethoveen along with his 7th Symphony. And once on the roof, surrounded by that unique bluish-tint Oakland light as it bounces off the Bay waters, Mary treats us to her creative use of Beethoveen's masterpice and shows us why the music is also named The Dance Symphony...
__________________________
Most Disturbing Moments 2011
(1) Megan Nicely: CounterPulse, 2nd Sundays. Ms Megan lying on her belly completely disabled, dragging herself by her chin, chasing a microphone being pulled across the stage in front of her by partner. A reminder: we all want attention & love, no matter how shallow.
(2) Raisa Punkki: The Garage/DMT. Solo dance Waiting - final image one part wedding dress other part suffering creature.
_________________________
Most Disturbing Subjects 2011
(1) Ashley Trottier: Mills/ODC: Good Morning. Attack on pornography using movie like images with feral looking dancers.
(2) Mary Carbonara: KUNST-STOFF: What does it feel like to kill someone? Killing in the form of rape.
(3) Samantha Giorn: CounterPulse: sex,love,money. Marriage as a battle ground.
_____________________
Most Elegant Dances 2011
(1) Deborah Slater: SFMOMA. w/Wendy Rein, Melissa Caywood, Kelly Kemp - all three dressed in black, dancing on the steel gray bridge, 5th floor, inside the museum.
(2) Liss Fain: YBCA. The False & True are One - words forming dance. Performed at a site specific but on a stage - four galleries built for dancers & audience to mingle together during performance.
_______________________
Most Surprising Dance 2011
LEVYdance: ROMP, Zspace. Everyone on stage! "Thank you for setting the table with dancers! We await the next course..."
___________________________________
Most glorious tribute to our Mothers! 2011
Paris Wages: Z-Space. Google Woman. Our Mothers would be amazed to witness this performance, gifted to us on Mother's Day Weekend. God, I wish my mother could have seen this one Ms Wages!
_______________________________
Most Creative Site-Specific Dance 2011
Wendy Rain & Ryan Smith: Orson's Restaurant. A Public Affair - dancing in middle of restaurant during dinner time. Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers who??
______________________________
Most "pushing the envelope big" 2011
Stacey Printz: Z-Space. Hover Space - 2nd dance floor floating above stage. At times looking like a boxing ring. Reminder, sometimes in relationships we have to be athletes.
________________________________
Most surprising dance at a festival 2011
Westwave - Joan Lazarus: ODC. Duets ...falling in love with dance for the first time, all over again...
________________________________________
Most humorous performance-piece moment 2011
Lisa Townsend: 2nd Sundays, CounterPULSE. Lisa describing & mimicking beating up someone who asked for it - with 3 dancers duplicating her gestures in silence. Sounds of an individual fight, visuals of a gang fight. Ms Townsend is coming into focus & it's blurry! Hilarious. p.s. nothing is her fault...
______________________________________
Most rewarding, visiting dance companies 2011
(1) Kibbutz - SFJCC (SPECIAL thanks Dana Raz - we dance in next lifetime!)
(2) Modern Garage Movement from N.Y. (Berkeley's Subterranean)
(3) Netherland's Dance Theater (Zellerbach)
(4) Wayne McGregor (YBCA)
(5) Kdub L.A. (CounterPulse)
BayAreaDanceWatch shares THANKS to the following for giving so much respect to me, despite my many shortcomings!!
Joe Kreiter, Joe Landini, Kathy Mata, Christy Bolingbroke, Jennifer Meek, Kat Worthington, Robin Anderson, Jessica Robinson Love, Jamie Wright, Travis Rowland, Michelle Fletcher, Amy Seiwert, Jackie Goneconti, Jodie Renaud, Frances Rosario, Kim Epifano, Dominic Duong, Gary Masters, Dalia Rawson, Maria Basile, Tanya Bello, Jaclyn Anku, Shamsher Virk, Randy Symank, Kat Cole, Eric Garcia, Stella Adelman, Noelle Durant, Stacie Powers, Krissy Keefer, Tanya Bello, Annebelle Henry, Katherine Wells, Julie Potter, Gina Marie Shorten, Raissa Simpson, Robert Moses, Bianca Cabrera, Bianca Brzezinski, Victor Talledos, Dudley Flores, Kerry Demme, Laura Sharp, Jenni Bregman, Christine Bonansea, Jennifer Mellor, Kelly Bowker, Nol Simonse (Nol, giving me the Biggest hug ever @DMT!), Afshin Odabaee, Christine Germain, Aaron Jessup, Antoine Hunter, Cindy Pop, Colin Epstein, Daniel Berkman, Dan Wool, Erica Rose Jeffrey, Evangel King, Hilary Palanza, Jamie Venci, Jennifer Raine Kostel, Joseph Copley, Julie Mahony, Krystal Harfert, Lynda Penados, Marina Hotchkiss, Mary Alice Fry, Milissa Payne Bradley, Norma Fong, Patric Cashman, Philein ZiRu, Scott Marlowe, Yuri Zhukov, SF Conservatory of Dance and the SF/Bay Area Dance Scene ALL.....not sure I deserve it, but I don't want to give any of it back...
And a BIG Special thank you to my "Three Musketeers"
Alyce Finwall: Giving me my best Film Noir moment in my lifetime!
Pearl Marill: Restoring life's smile & stretching my humor & creativity!
Kelly Kemp: 1st dance commission - my parents never would have dreamt!
See you at the dances...
.
FROM: Lisa Townsend - S.F. Dancer, Choreographer, actress...
ReplyDeleteYour (blessay) is great. Thank you for doing this. We are very lucky to have your voice. I look forward to reading more. Thanks for mentioning me. That section is a fun ride.
FROM: Ms Saki Suto - S.F. Dancer, teacher, choreographer w/endless energy...
ReplyDeleteHello Mr.Tobin. Thank you so much for a GREAT surprise!!! I love it!!
WONDERFUL!
ReplyDeleteFROM: Kathy Mata Ballet (S.F. LINES Ctr)
ReplyDeleteIt's official, dancers of KMB love the new blessay with Ms Saki & her chair dance !!
FROM: Alyce Finwall (S.F. Choreographer Leader)
ReplyDeleteWonderful !!
FROM: Kelly Kemp (S.F. Choreographer/Dancer)
ReplyDeleteWooohooo on your "ride" Jim. Way to go. Congratulations!!
FROM: Jo Kreiter (S.F. Artistic Director)
ReplyDeletehey jim thanks for taking the time & care to let us know whats going on here in dance.. much appreciated!!! jo
FROM: Jennifer Meek (S.F./Oakland Dancer)
ReplyDeleteI love the blessay! So much talent in the bay area:)
FROM: Christy Bolingbroke (S.F. Theater Mgr)
ReplyDeleteI thought your recounting of the year was very lovely and genuine. The arts really are about bringing a little more humanity into our lives.
FROM: Judy S. (Dancer Dir)
ReplyDeleteGreat read! Thanks Jim.
FROM: Jackie Goneconti (S.F. Dancer)
ReplyDeleteHi Jim, We are very honored our creation was included in one of your top 5 most emotional moments. My goal, perhaps more so than dancing technically well, is communicating an emotional narrative.
FROM: Liss Fain (S.F. Artistic Dir)
ReplyDeleteHI Jim,
I always appreciate your support and your feedback. Thank you for always going out of your way to experience everything and see the strengths in each company's work.
FROM: Andi Shirazi (S.F. Dancer)
ReplyDeleteJim! Love the newest blessay, so great.
FROM: Dominic Duong (S.J. Choreographer/Dancer)
ReplyDeleteDear Jim. It's such an honor to even make your list. Thank You! For being so influential in the Dance Community!
FROM: Stacey Printz (S.F. Artistic Dir)
ReplyDeleteThanks for including us! Fun to read your take on the year...
Ashley T. (Oakland Choreographer/Dancer)
ReplyDeleteThanks goodness the dance community has you to keep up with everyone. It would be so overwhelming otherwise!
Well it is very inspiring. Maybe my new years resolution will be to keep up with you!
FROM: E. King (S.F. Choreographer)
ReplyDeleteThanks Jim you really show us the abundance of dance that exists here
FROM: Eric Garcia (S.F. Dancer)
ReplyDeleteProud to be a part of Kelly Kemp's Numer9 dance company! Congrats on making top 5 on BADW!
FROM: Natasha Carlitz (SF/Bay Area Artistic Dir)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the Bay Area Dance Watch write-up! It makes me happy all over again to see that you found my father's dance so moving. And it's a great tribute to the dancers; I have forwarded it to everyone in the company and they are all touched.
FROM: Randee P (SF/Oakland Artistic Dir)
ReplyDeleteDear Jim,
I received your email list of S.F. Top 5 Emotional Moments in Dance and was indeed very touched, both by the moments themselves (many of which I witnessed live), and that you care so much about Bay Area dance.
FROM: Joan Lazarus Dobkowski (S.F. Westwave Director)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the capsule of the year --- and I look forward to your recommendations for 2012.
And the Most Improved Writer of 2011 goes to...
ReplyDeleteJim Tobin of BADw!!!
Hey Jim,
Well, some of your Top 5 are unique shall we say....that rooftop dance was too strange for me for #1...though I liked the Beethoven beat!
My FAV is the Six Years Dreaming. I understood it and liked the transitional choreography of the music and dancing.
Your best idea is all of the "Most" categories. From what I can tell most everyone who wrote in noted their segment and was honored to be included...the more you include them the merrier Jim!
Wonderful progress on your journey!
Dance it up in 2012,
Loren Wright
San Jose, CA