Bridey Heing
BodyVox brings Reverie to Anchorage
Courtesy Photo
This weekend the Discovery Theatre will be hosting dance company BodyVox’s innovative performance Reverie, part of the Anchorage Concert Association’s 2014-15 season. Bringing together dance, film, and theater to create an eclectic and engaging piece, Reverie has been enjoyed by audiences around the world since it premiered in 2001. The work, which was inspired by the Impressionist era, will be performed on both Friday and Saturday.
Based in Portland, Oregon, BodyVox’s imaginative performances weave storytelling and dance into an experience unlike any other. Their choreography showcases the athleticism for which the dance company is known, recalling the acrobatics of Cirque du Soleil with a vaudeville flair. Artistic directors Jamey Hampton and Ashley Roland are both Emmy-winning choreographers, and their signature blend of film and dance as seen in Reverie has won them praise from the New York Times, Newsday, and international press.
Reverie brings together two surprising sources of inspiration: The Impressionist era and 9/11. In the months surrounding 9/11, Hampton and Roland felt it important to make a statement regarding the eternal power of beauty, art and humanity. The statement made in Reverie is one Roland feels retains great importance 14 years later. “Now more than ever, I think there is a call for that,” she shared via email. “People crave an experience that puts things in perspective, that enriches and uplifts their life.”
They turned to the Impressionists, with an early version of the titular dance staged to Debussy’s “Afternoon of the Faun”. Although that particular dance was eventually changed to “The Flower Duet” from the opera Lakme, Roland explained that the show retains the Impressionist ethos. “Although the work evolved and encompasses other influences, its heart still lies in the garden, an Impressionistic garden. There is a dreamy sensibility to the work, a haunting, sensual beauty that evokes the Impressionist era.”
If this all sounds a bit stuffy, fear not. BodyVox is known for performances that inspire, delight and thrill. The carefully crafted choreography that makes up the backbone of all dance within a BodyVox performance can be anything from delicate and graceful to well-tuned anarchic routines designed to elicit laughs. BodyVox is far from buttoned-up and classic, opting instead to bring performances to life with unique ways of reimagining their chosen medium. The show also isn’t one dimensional; rather than just look at idyllic ideas of beauty, Reverie dives into complex emotional manifestations. “Even though there is sadness or melancholy at times there can still be beauty,” Roland explains.
One such tweak that makes a BodyVox performance stand out is the use of film during shows. These films are a way to create stunning visuals on stage, showing choreography that supplements and strengthens what’s taking place live. According to Roland, “the films are fully integrated into the show,” and help make some of the more imaginative performances possible. “It’s always fascinating for us to see how audiences engage with the mix of live and filmed performance...The films engage the audience in a more casual way.”
Reverie is made up of 10 unique dances, two of which are films. Although short, each work reinterprets the theme of beauty and culture. The soundtrack is a surprising and at times offbeat selection of classics and modern tracks, ranging from Verdi’s La Traviata to Aphex Twin to Brian Eno. Although it may sound disparate at first, Roland describes the shows she and co-artistic director Jamey Hampton create as being put “together like a novel; each chapter has a particular dramatic subject.” The music they choose reflects that connection, while also exploring the many facets of their chosen theme. Given the expansive possibilities in the central themes of Reverie, it’s no wonder the soundtrack and corresponding choreography covers so much ground.
The impression left by Reverie is in part dependent on what the viewer brings to the performance, and the way the individual interprets the expressions of beauty. “Our work is multi-layered and very accessible, so the audience brings to the work their own overriding story,” Roland explains. “We aim to lead the audience down a clever path of metaphor, through which they can find greater meaning for themselves.”
Reverie will be performed at 7:30 both Friday and Saturday, with both performances preceded by a free 30-minute talk about the show that’s opened to non-ticket holders. Tickets are available at alaskapac.centertix.net. To learn more about BodyVox, visit www.bodyvox.com.
Tags:
film and theatre
Anchorage Concert Association
Theatre