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CANDICE THOMPSON |
Last night I went to see “A Two Part Affair” by Brian Reeder and Pam Tanowitz commissioned by Works & Process at the Guggenheim. It was my first time seeing one of the Works & Process programs and I am sold–I love the whole concept. It is part performance, part James Lipton–Inside the Actor’s Studio style panel discussion with a moderator and the choreographers and collaborative artists. It is a beautiful and intimate theatre space and the programming, at least last night, was well edited and tight, in the best sense.
This program was true to its title: a dance in two parts, juxtaposing classicism and modernism from every plausible angle. Renaissance music v. Music from the New Waltz Project, Modern Choreographer (Pam Tanowitz) v. Ballet Choreographer (Brian Reeder), bare feet v. pointe shoes, forward thinking costumes by a designer with a feel for and background in classicism. But as Ms. Tanowitz said best, the goal of this commission was to form a new kind of collaboration, not just have “a pointed foot v. flexed foot smackdown”. Both choreographers said they got to the place where they stopped seeing their individual contributions, lost themselves a little bit and started seeing the work in “our dance” terms. They brought in Jillian Lewis, of Project Runway fame, to design the costumes before they had even choreographed a single step so that she could also be a full participant in the melting pot.
The end result? A pleasant and enjoyable but at times, rather innocuous performance. The dancers were lovely and I was never bored but also not often moved or challenged. The costumes, at their best and most pared down moments, were sleek and evocative of the human anatomy that was said to inspire them:
This photo represents my two favorite elements: the men’s tights–which are amazing! and really accentuate the male dancer’s leg line–as well as the fun and unexpected fluffy boa that was part of Ms. Lentz’s leotard.
The skirts, though whimsical on their own terms, were a nuissance to the total design– the bodies of the ballet dancers were flattered more without them. There was this awkward line when the girls faced upstage where the skirts sat quite low on the hips and the lines of the leotard cut in so drastically it looked as though there were only a very French cut, Jane Fonda style leotard underneath. But without the skirt, you could see clearly those lines were not the end of the leotard leg, but rather part of an inventive cutout above the hip. Ms. Lewis mentioned that in fact she designed the leotards to be worn alone and the skirts and boa were added after the fact, to accessorize the Renaissance section.
The palette of pale peaches and light silvery blues was effective and at turns gorgeous in Phillip Trevino’s lighting design. Each dancer was monochromatic but with a satisfying amount of texture, in fabric choices ranging from shiny to sheer. All in all, I think the costumes might have been the best part………but since I am a costume designer you can take that with a grain of salt.
CLICK HERE to see Jillian’s inspired sketches.
{Above photos by Richard Termine. Dancers featured: Dylan Crossman, Helen Hansen, Anne Lentz, Simone Messmer, Geln Rumsey, and Roman Zhurbin.)
On the way out, the Guggenheim was also unveiling the restoration of the famed exterior of the museum, after being under scaffolding since 2006. At night, there is currently a very dramatic projection of work (poems, writings) by conceptual artist Jenny Holzer projected on the spirals designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
I was so glad to have caught “Corpses” at the moment it started scrolling. It created two contrasts for me: a feeling of mystery mixed with somber weight and an ethereal vision of large white words floating on the backdrop of a large dark building.
And so the evening was bookended with art and some discussion and insight inbetween. I walked away wondering about the duality of all things, art and otherwise, in this world.
