The Space Movement Project (TSMP) celebrates their 20-year anniversary with “Cycle,” Feb. 14 & 15 at Dovetail Studios. The program contains new work developed and performed by Anne Kasdorf, Molly Strom, Andrea Cerniglia, Elise Butterfield, Sofía Gabriel and Leah Raffanti, with lighting design by Chriss Wooten.
The opening work, “The Opera Before the Opera (Feb. 14 only), set the tone of the evening, slow, deliberate and meditative. A soft yellow light illuminates the trio of Kasdorf, Strom and Cerniglia. The sound of a distant rumble (but growing closer) elicits the gradual transformation of their bodies into poses that build up and erode like the formation of natural rocky monuments seen through timelapse, creating all manner of abstract shapes in the negative spaces between them. The rumble subsides as a baritone voice sings the melody from Schubert’s “Winterreise, D. 911,” and the trio spreads out, crawling over each other, one balancing on another’s hip like a tilting tabletop. Sections where the dancers perform different movement phrases are hard to take in at the same time, but the long sections where they interact produce fantastic imagery for the viewer to interpret.
"Cycle," with The Space Movement Project; Photo by Lumosco
Two solos, “First Fiber” by Kasdorf, and “An Ultradian Rhythm” by Strom, are similar in approach but different in intention. “First Fiber” shows Kasdorf like a person made from rock, stiff and straining to move but with intense purpose. A metronome beating 4/4 time is overlaid the sound of an ominous drone. Kasdorf glares suspiciously outward while breaking their ankle and placing a foot sideways, then leans forward into a low crouch with flat back—anyone who has held a crouch longer than 30 seconds knows how difficult these static poses are to maintain. Precise and methodical, Kasdorf shifts her stature infrequently, allowing the audience ample time for reflection as we ponder the meaning behind this figure made of stone and flesh.
“An Ultradian Rhythm”—“ultradian” ostensibly referring to the natural cycle in the body that repeats multiple times throughout the day, lasting less than 24 hours—shows Strom embodying the ups and downs of a daily routine. Choral music heavy in sustained 4ths suggests the emergence of the sun at dawn, and a halo of white light gives Strom an angelic quality. Strom engages in medium-deep lunges, arms curved in front and overhead like the warmup of a ballet class. This exertion leads to a static rest. Then, Strom crosses the length of the floor in a diagonal, crawling on one foot, and rests again, keeled over, panting, illuminated in red by a near footlight. After a lengthy pause, Strom explodes upward, like a superhuman doing pushups that launch their body horizontally in the air, then moves forward by galloping on all fours like a gazelle evading a predator. Rest again. Strom encapsulates the feeling of an entire busy day into a matter of minutes, a nice juxtaposition to Kasdorf, the latter fighting to move an inch while the former wears themselves out through dynamic bursts of energy.
The finale leaves plenty of room for interpretation. “Willingly” features dancers Kasdorf, Butterfield, Raffanti and Gabriel. Live musical accompaniment by Dorothy Carlos on cello focuses on overtones, scratches and harmonics, like spiders tap dancing on an electric powerline. Gabriel, Kasdorf and Butterfield appear as three people waking up in a delusional fog, with Raffanti trying desperately to prop them up lest they capitulate into delirium. Like spooked birds the trio fly in different directions, with Raffanti gently guiding their wings, or wrestling with them like a parent having to restrain an unruly child. One could overlay whatever story they like—perhaps Raffanti is a God who cares enough to actually intervene in the lives of their constituency, or they are a responsible friend taking care of their peers the morning after a long night of partying. However one interprets the work, the theme of caring for those spinning out of control is pervasive and inspires feelings of sympathy and camaraderie.
TSMP’s pensive style might feel underwhelming for some. Long phrases of near-motionless cause the mind to wander. But where the mind goes is part of the experience. “Cycle” is a thoughtful oasis in a tumultuous world, and we might all learn a lesson, to pay attention to our natural cycle, move when we must and rest when we need.
“Cycle” is presented by The Space Movement Project from Feb. 14-15 at Dovetail Studios, 2853 W. Montrose. For more information, click the company link below.
