Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre presented “Soul Remedy,” choreographed by Monique Haley, as part of their “Inside/Out” series at Dovetail Studios on Oct. 19. “Inside/Out” tends to be more informal, without lighting designs, costumes, multimedia or no defined beginning, middle and end. There are explanations either before or after each work, allowing a deeper understanding behind the thought process/message that the choreographer or artistic director is striving for. The evening also marks the debut of Cerqua Rivera’s second company, CRDT II.
The first segment starts with four dancers in a diamond shape. Three have their backs to the audience, and one facing us. As1920’s jazz music plays from the speakers, a solo begins with the dancer facing front. A smile is worn on her face as she displays jazz movements from that roaring era.
The Jazz Orchestra in the back begins to play, and all the dancers join in. All across the stage, the embodiment is joyous and fun, even celebratory. This is illustrated by large, full bodied dancing with moments of sassy isolations.
As mentioned, a discussion or sharing of the thought process is a part of these experiences. A walking exercise with performers and audience members showcased tempo, or how walking on certain counts alter the expression of the body—a fun moment of audience participation.
The dancers of CRDT II; Photo by Andrew Weeks
“The Remedy,” was about a conversation between vocalist and saxophone, an unlikely and exciting exchange in a dance show. A female soloist enters the performance space with sustained jazz walks. Her solo carries on with attitude turns, hip swivels, distal movements, leaps, floor work and extensions in an energetic, fun manner. Something very exciting and rarely seen was when she interacted with the female vocalist, there was physical contact. And a real level of comfort of not being shy to get up close and personal. It was a thrill to observe.
If this wasn't enough to entice your senses, we had the luxury of experiencing that moment a second time, with a different dancer and new movement quality, though the choreography remained the same. In this revisited storytelling, the new dancer executed sustained and melting movements along with a distant, dreamy, joyous expression, as opposed to the former dancer who was sassy. Even her physical contact with the vocalist was done in her way. It illustrated so beautifully how truly no two bodies are the same.
Rivera offered more audience participation, this time mental, not physical. He asked the simple (but still complex) question, “What did you see? What differences did you notice?” I was refreshed since I’ve spent most of my adult life talking about dance with other dancers or artists. I was more than ready to hear Joe Shmoe discuss what they observed.
One thing that came up was costuming, and how that affected the visual story. Sure, both dancers were women, in all black and barefoot. But while our first “The Remedy” dancer had a form fitting tank with thigh hugging pants, showing her flexible and powerful form, the second had a long sleeve button up with flowy pants. This led to the former looking sharper and crisper, while the latter was described with more flow and softness. Their attire helped the audience converse in two different dialects despite telling the same choreographic story.
The final piece was the rehearsal rendition of the opening performance. The joyous movement is more flavorful, with more hand claps, the head and feet keeping time, hip circles, rounded arms, shoulder bounces and outward knee pulses. They’re getting down honey! The choreography beautifully shows how jazz has always been rooted and birthed in the black experience.
Haley’s work is the physical embodiment of the philosophy that just because our ideas aren’t physical reality does not make them any less powerful. “Inside/Out with CRDT II & Soul Remedy” generates a genuine excitement of what's to come next for Cerqua Rivera.
"Inside/Out with CRDT II & Soul Remedy" was presented by Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre on Oct. 19 at Dovetail Studios, 2853 W. Montrose. For more information, click the company link below.
