So when discovered that I had double booked myself for her upcoming Summer Dance concert (June 16-18, 2011, 8pm at AustinVentures Studio Theater 3rd and San Antonio, Austin, TX), I could've kicked myself.
So I asked Kathy for the favor of the next best thing: A rehearsal visit. She said yes.
So I saw a rehearsal yesterday. Realizing that this is a new dance, three weeks away from its debut, let me share with you what I saw.
In one of the links above, I said something about having watched Kathy grow as an artist in the ten+ years that I've been watching her. This new piece continues her current direction that I felt started with Alone, Alone and was also evident in Here.Me.Now. These pieces all feel like they're coming from a different place from some of Kathy's past work. They're more serious. They take time for stillness. Where as before, Kathy wowed with bright colors, flashy moves and non-stop action (all of which, I'd say, were facades for more serious thought below the surface), here Kathy is letting the dancers---and hence the audience---have more time for reflection, more interior moments. Her sense of humor is still there (a tango for three is hard to not find humorous), but there is emerging in her work a voice that is asking us to take some things seriously.
This new work is call Murmur. Kathy tells me that behind this dance are her ruminations on threats that begin so softly, so quietly, that we don't notice them growing. What's the line between a quiet murmur of trouble and a shout of emergency?
The rehearsal I saw---and it was a rehearsal, with all the stops and starts a rehearsal entails---reveals a definite rhythm to the piece. Throughout, phrases of sustained, slow movement is alternated with phrases of quick, sharp gestures. The wonder of this pattern is how many different ways this it can be played. Solo dancers and duos and larger groups follow this pattern and the dynamic is always shifting.
This was most apparent to me in the duets. Kathy is somewhat known for the partnering in her choreography. Just when I think I know a KDH partnering phrase, she finds new ways for two people to interact. What's most intriguing to me in this piece is that I found the duets to have a significant range of emotional content. Some were tender, some were playful, some were coldly dutiful. I saw moments where something started out tender, but were really just practical, expedient even. Some moments looked like they were pairings of simple social convention.
Kathy tells me that she made this dance with some specific lighting in mind. She described a bit to me what would be happening there. I won't try to repeat her concept, but it all does make me sadder that I won't see the final piece. I hope some of you will see it. You're welcome to come back here and tell me about it in the comments section below.
I should also mention that, sharing the bill for Summer Dance, is NobleMotion Dance, another company I've written about a time or two. I had been looking forward to seeing these two exciting companies perform next to each other. Really, if you're in Austin or can there that weekend, see this concert. It should be a dance watcher's treat.
I thought I'd also share some video Kathy made about her process. I had trouble imbedding the video, so follow the urls below:
http://vimeo.com/23760101
http://vimeo.com/23944201
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