By Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
(From left) M'Bala, Debroah Powell-Valentino, Neila Ebanks and Rudy Valentino in the whimsical dance 'Collage Du Jour' which expressed Valentino's willingness to choroegraph outside the box at Dance Fest 2004.
YOUTH, TALENT and imagination collided and colluded to produce Dance Fest 2004: A Celebration of Dance in Small Spaces.
The event took place at the Weekendz Bar and Bistro on Constant Spring Road on Saturday night. The venue was an unusual place to have a dance show, and the choreography fell in line by proving to be more than the run of the mill.
The show, conceptualised and produced by Shelly-Ann Maxwell, featured the works of five choreographers. Along with Maxwell, Dance Fest featured the works of Neila Ebanks, Debroah Powell-Valentino (who is also currently dancing with the National Dance Theatre Company), Onaje Bell and Kirk Rowe.
CONVENTIONS
The dances generally showed a willingness to step away from conventions. Among the strongest of these were 'Rasta Talk Rasta Walk', 'Twisted', 'Ode To Blacks', 'Collage Du Jour', and 'In Honour of Locks with Keys and Coupons To My Heart'.
'In Honour of Locks With Keys and Coupons To My Heart' tells one to expect something different and it does not disappoint. One of the two dances choreographed by Neila Ebanks, the dance represented an intriguing use of limited space. The solo piece, performed by its choreographer, was performed almost in one spot.
STAGE AREA
When a performance uses space well, it normally suggests that the stage area is adequately used. 'In Honour of Locks With Keys and Coupons To My Heart However' turned this notion on its head as the dancer's stillness kept one quite focused on her inability to break free from insecurities. Thus, not using all the space at her disposal became an integral part of the choreography. The dance displayed Ebanks' talent as a choreographer as well as her technical skill and expressiveness as a dancer.
Her second piece, 'Ode To Blacks' which featured poet Samuel Gordon, who helped to devise some of the movement, was an even further step away from the box. Unfortunately, the piece fell under the sword of technical failure as Gordon's microphone failed. The result was that Celine Dion's wailing of a broken heart which issued from next door, was much clearer than his words.
However, those closer to the stage could hear, and the movement was clearly strong enough to carry the message.
Bold, different and strong could easily describe Powell-Valentino's strengths as a dancer and choreographer. She choreographed three of the nights pieces. Her first choreography and solo of the evening, 'Twisted', easily gripped the audience's attention and imagination. Though her costume (the top half of which was a smudge of paint) showed her ability to be bold, the dance was much more.
WHIMSICAL DEPARTURE
The piece 'Collage Du Jour', which involved the musicians, M'Bala (on percussions) and Ruddy Valentino (acoustic guitar) in the movement, was a whimsical departure. Her third piece 'I 'N' I Binghi' borrowed beautifully from the rasta tradition to show strength and determination. Maxwell also choreographed three pieces. The piece 'Rasta Talk Rasta Walk' showed the growing interest young choreographers are showing in moving to the rhythm of words. The piece was done to Mutabaruka's 'Dis Poem' and Fab 5's 'Who Wha'. The first segment was a tribute to the revolutionary nature of Rastafari, while the second more whimsical piece celebrated the 'rude bwoi' culture which has become an intrinsic part of Jamaican popular culture, and also gets linked with some elements of Rastafari, with the elusive speech patterns.
Onaje Bell and Kirk Rowe's works also showed them to be competent choreographers, though 'Flava' (Bell) and 'Return to the Root' (Rowe) were the two weakest dances of the evening. 'Flava' the first popular dance of the night was unimpressive in its adherence to formula, as it presented nothing more than a string of popular moves, adequately performed.
The second popular dance piece of the night, 'H-O-T', also choreographed by Bell, could have easily fallen to the same fate. It was in large part saved by the strength of Maxwell's performance. 'Returning to the Root' lacked an imaginative conception and was also poorly executed.
The general strength of the night's dances and dancers however, made Dance Fest 2004 a feast of difference and a celebration of youth and ingenuity.
