|
Brought to
you by
the New
York manufacturer of fine dance apparel for women and girls. Click
here to see a sample of our products and a list of web sites
for purchasing.
With Body Wrappers it's always performance
at its best.
Go back to Flash Reviews
Go
Home
Flash Review 3, 1-23:
Move's Martha: Bitch or Queen?
Move Moves Martha@ Uptown
By Kelly Hargraves
Copyright 2001 Kelly Hargraves
It all depends on how
you look at it.
*Martha Graham could
be the greatest choreographer of all time, or she could be a royal
bitch...or both.*
Richard Move approaches
his portrayal of Martha Graham with the reverence of a trained dancer
and the sass of a queen. Faithfully adhering to the details of Graham's
storied past, Move's innuendo is seen in each tilt of his head and
batting of his luscious lashes. As he introduces legends like Merce
Cunningham and Meredith Monk Saturday at Martha@Town Hall, he refers
to them as "former students or dancers who may have started their
own work," consciously belittling their obvious achievements. Move's
interview with Cunningham is brilliant in its droll attempt to make
everything Merce has ever done reflect back on Martha. When Cunningham
tells of meeting Helen Keller, Move responds that although the story
is charming (s)he'd rather hear about Cunningham's experience in
the Graham company.
*Richard Move could be
a great dancer/impresario of our time or he could just be a great
drag queen...or both.*
Move and Co. present
pieces taken from Graham's repertoire -- although they are in no
way reconstructions. "The Legend of Phaedra" shows the structure
of Graham's epic stories and vocabulary as well as her penchant
for near naked men, "Mary's Moment" and "Lament" add a new telling
to Graham's creations. Each piece is ripe with irony and humor,
yet because many of the dancers in this company have trained at
the Graham School and even danced in the Graham company, they are
also prime examples of the Graham technique.
*These performers could
be the greatest contemporary artists or they could be part of a
vaudeville variety show doing tricks.*
This eclectic mix of
performers presents such a unique type of work that it's like a
vaudeville show with Martha Graham as MC. Move has put together
a program that includes pieces from some of the greatest names in
dance -- Mark Morris, Merce Cunningham, Meredith Monk and Sharon
Kinney (presenting Paul Taylor's "Epic," which was scandalous when
it premiered in 1957) -- as well as new talents like David Neumann
and Stacy Dawson and the extraordinary performer Bill "Crutchmaster"
Shannon. Move introduces the pieces with a mini-history of their
origins that usually references Graham in some way. Accomplished
filmmaker Charles Atlas presents a collage of Martha-themed clips
such as snippets from "Who's Afraid of Virgina Wolfe?" to create
a symphony of Marthas.
*Martha@ could be the
best contemporary dance history lesson around ...or it could just
be the latest fad...or it could be both.*
I never made it to Martha@Mother
because it was always sold out or way past my bedtime...or both,
but I knew of the legendary weekend series in Manhattan's meat-packing
district. Now Martha@ has gone uptown, to Town Hall, complete with
a prestigious agent, IMG, representing it. Move has toured his ode
to Martha Graham throughout the world and now seems primed to take
on Broadway.
*The stage show could
be the reason to go or the audience in the lobby could be the most
interesting thing to watch...or both.*
Saturday's SRO crowd
includes celebs like rock goddess Debbie Harry and the guy from
Channel 11 News as well as dance pioneers such as Yvonne Rainer
and countless others. It also includes some of the best-dressed
drag queens around as well as hundreds of patrons from the show's
downtown club roots. As one audience member says, it is ground zero
for the New York avant-garde. Moves says it best when he dubs the
evening "ultra ultra"(pronounced oou-tra)...or both.
Go
back to Flash Reviews
Go Home
|
