Let me start this review by reminding you all where my dance lover’s heart resides: in Portland. More specifically, with NW Dance Project. I simply adore this company, more than I can say, and was absolutely heart broken that my inability to plan well cost me the opportunity to see their fall show in October, and the final performance of the marvelous Ching Ching Wong. So, when I realized there was a winter show, I simply had to drive myself down to see it, because not only would I get to see my beloved NW Dance Project dancers do what they do best, but it was a relaunch of Ihsan Rustem’s Bolero +, which as you’ll recall from my review of the premier, it is one of my all time favorite pieces I’ve ever seen. And I love me some Billie Holliday, so to Portland I trekked.
The evening started on a wonderful high, dining with two of my favorite people on the planet at the nearby Raven & Rose (I highly recommend you check that out, btw), and then off to the performance hall we went. As I took my seat, and looked through the program, I saw that the choreographers for the Billie part of the program were the dancers themselves! And Artistic Director, Sarah Slipper explained during her curtain speech that at NW Dance Project, they are not only developing outstanding dancers, but also the next generation of choreographers, so the winter show is the time in the season where the dancers get to flex their creative, choreographic muscles. Intrigued? So was I. So let’s get into it, shall we?
So Billie came first, and it was set to a montage of songs sung by the incomparable Billie Holiday. And the dancers set up a scenario of a holiday party where Billie is the musical act, and the cast of characters navigate their way through the evening as Ms. Holiday sings all the feelings, and for me, this program took me on a rollercoaster of an experience with some lovely highs, and some unfortunate lows.
Concept and design were two of the major high points! I loved the lighting, the minimal set, and the single old microphone with a single spot light on it where I could almost see the ghost of Billie Holiday standing there crooning. The costumes were era specific, fit beautifully, and seriously, nobody wears a fedora like my beloved Franco Nieto! Bellissimo! The show opens with the entire company slowly entering the party, where each dancer played out a different character (some as couples, some as hopeful singles looking to meet someone new, some as smooth swaggering studs) and all were wonderfully done. Good acting all the way around. An outstanding start.
And from there the dancers navigated through 13 different pieces each set to a different song, and each song brought a new level of intensity and catastrophe because the characters were getting drunker by the 8 count. And to be frank, the more the program went on, the more my stress level went up, because in the first few numbers, the intentions were clear, the narrative of each piece beautifully danced and executed, and the story was believable. But as the program went on, intentions got muddy, the narrative got confusing, and the story took a weird tangent before it found its way back.
I found Kody Jauron’s choreography on Franco Nieto during the Leonard Feather announcement section in the first half of this piece particularly stunning. A short piece, but very powerful and impactful all at once. Then, be still, my dance lover’s heart, not only are Elijah Labay and Franco Nieto two of my favorite dancers, but seeing the beauty they created in their first pieces set to What A Little Moonlight Can Do and Summertime 
respectfully put them on the list of future choreographers I will no doubt fall in love with because the work was good! Creative, flowing movements, that matched the easy, haunting beauty that flows from Billie’s voice, fully embracing the sultry tempos, and utilizing the stage and the light to really showcase the music as well as the dancer. Loved it! And this was my first time seeing Katherine Disehof perform, and she absolutely won my heart dancing Mr. Labay’s piece. What a wonderful addition to the company!
Although I must say, my favorite piece in the first half of this program was created by Lindsey McGill to On the Sunny Side of the Street. This piece, danced by Mr. Jauron, Mr. Nieto, and the always stunning Andrea Parson was witty and fun, and to be honest, was such a nice wrap up from the pieces that came before it, I thought it was the finale piece. Ooops! But in my defense, it was such a well rounded creation, with a strong story, clear and crisp phrases that highlighted the talents of each of these dancers, and the whole company was involved, and the piece was beautiful and amazing and it just felt like a perfect end to a party on a high note! I was really impressed, and look forward to seeing more choreography from Ms. McGill in the future.
Sadly for me, that was where the magic ended for a bit, because as the program went on, the dance, the dancers, and the energy got extremely frantic and uncontrolled to an uncomfortable level. As the characters got deeper into the party, I felt the dancers got too deep into their characters as to forget that the dancer must control the dance to ensure that no one gets hurt. And to be frank, I was seriously concerned during a couple of lifts because the landings, or better phrased, the falls, were completely out of control. Additionally, there was a lot of pushing and falling going on, and either the fallers weren’t falling where they were supposed to, or the catchers weren’t where they were supposed to be, but something felt very chaotically off, and I had a hard time relaxing and enjoying the show as I was worried about my beloved dancers getting broken out there! One moment in particular, where Mr. Jauron was launched into the air with such reckless abandon, that he landed, stumbled, and fell quite loudly onto the stage (and I wasn’t sitting that close!), the impact had me clutching my pearls and the leg of my friend sitting next to me out of sheer fright for my favorite sprite’s tail bone!
The story also moved on to include a brawl between Mr. Labay and Mr. Jauron, and while I adore them both, I don’t think either of them have ever thrown a punch, or have been punched in their lives, cuz the movement was completely over the top, and not in a dramatic artistic way, but in a “I think this is how drunk people would brawl” kind of way. So many unrealistic falls, and pulled punches, it was rough to watch. Stage combat is a true craft, and getting it right is a challenge, and I hope in the future, should any fight sequences be utilized in the winter shows where the company choreographs themselves, that they’ll recall the beauty and grace with which they pulled that off during Carmen, and emulate that style more than what I saw on Saturday night.
So the midsection was a bit all over the place, including a very uncomfortable spoken word section that felt very forced, and out of place because there was no Billie beneath this section, and it just didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the storyline.
However, as the company approached the end, they won back my heart through the lithe and graceful lines of Samantha Campbell and Anthony Pucci dancing to Mr. Jauron’s choreography once again. These two, the most adorable storyline of the night, tugged on my hopeless romantic heartstrings as these two adorable lonely souls find each other, and danced so beautifully together that it truly re-anchored the show into what it started out as: beautiful movement gliding and flowing around the stage while Billie Holiday croons on all around them. This section, was, in a word, lovely.
And the finale, set appropriately to I’ll Be Seeing You, was a wonderful bookend to the beginning of the show. Character appropriate exits, tons of good acting, witty movement and humor, wrapped the show up in a pretty decent bow.
All in all, my biggest cheer for Billie was the main concept of a Billie Holiday holiday party, and it was when numbers strayed from that concept and/or pushed the concept too far into the ridiculous that it didn’t work for me. Choreography is a different animal from performing, and I applaud the dancers for taking this on, and I applaud Ms. Slipper for giving her dancers this opportunity to explore this side of their creativity and grow as artists. While the entire company looked like they were having fun up on the stage throughout every section of Billie, with stronger editing and conceptualization from start to finish to ensure there aren’t random tangents that don’t fit, this show could turn into something timeless, and I hope to see a stronger edited show next winter, because I’ll definitely be back to see what new creation these dancers come up with next time.
Now, onto Bolero+….(those dots are me heavy sighing)….where to begin….this is a relaunch, and I was sooooooooooo excited to see this piece again, although Ching Ching Wong had such an epic part in the original, so I was already going into it like, who was going to dance her part, and how would that look, and all those wonderings you do when you follow a dance company as closely as I follow NW Dance Project. So upon arrival, I was given a tip that sadly, there was a snafu with the body paint, and so the dancers would be dancing the whole thing in the costumes from Mother tongue, which are black pants, shirtless for the men, and flesh toned bandeau tops for the women. And my heart sunk.
The body paint is the main design component of the piece, and when painted on the dancers, creates this fluid, sensual, naughty kaleidoscope of sorts that pulls you into the piece as you are almost hypnotized by the paint patterns on perfectly taut bodies. So to not have the paint on the dancers, and instead have them all in garments literally devoid of color, well to be honest, it was weird. It was like going from seeing it in Ultra HD Technicolor to seeing it again in black and white. Picture seeing the Wizard of Oz, except when Dorothy gets to Oz, the color doesn’t show up. It’s just black and white the whole time. Something about the body paint added to the camp and wit of the piece and without it, the piece just didn’t have the depth of concept I got in the original.
There were also some tech challenges with the flower props/drops, missed lighting cues, and ill-fitting pants for a few of the men. It was like going from a campy flirty rom com to a dark, strange film noir. I preferred it as the former.
On the upside, the choreography is still brilliant, and I will say again, I was highly impressed with the new dancers, Mr. Pucci and Ms. Disenhof. They definitely hold their own with the dynamic dancers of NW Dance Project. Their stealth technique and gorgeous lines add to those of the company, and they performed Mr. Rustem’s movement very well. I am very excited to see what all they are capable of in future programs!
Overall, I always enjoy being at the Lincoln Performance Hall watching my favorite dance company, because a day I get to watch these wonderful dancers dance is better than a day I don’t, and Saturday was no exception. The rollercoaster ride of this show left me with some lovely highs and some opportunities where I see growth for the company, and as a fan of the company, that is exciting to find out what new heights they will grow to from each experience.
I can’t wait to come back in the Spring and see what they do next, and until then, as always, I leave my heart in Portland with these amazing artists, and I will gladly make the trek from Seattle any time I can to see them perform.
Well, that’s all on this one. Here’s me wishing everyone who reads this a very happy 
holidays and wonderful New Year, and to NW Dance Project, I send you all my love and support! I will see you all in the Spring to meet Hedda and find out what she’s all about!
Ciao for now,
Photos from NW Dance Project’s Facebook page
Christine Tschirgi’s costumes were in a word, epic! From her modern dress to her outlandish creative pieces, she dressed each character perfectly! Each new character who joined the show had a look and style all their own, each so clearly defined, that you really did lose the actor playing, and just saw the character. And is there any better compliment to give? I could gush about the brilliance of Ms. Tschirgi’s work, but if I did, I’d give too much away, and I really want you to go see this show. Ok, one teaser – Miami Vice meets Bubble Tea! GO!
Stan Egl as Larry Yee, the title character, gave us so much fun loving dad stuff, that he had me and my friends in the palm of his hand. He was goofy and delightful, and gave both my funny bone and my heart strings a workout during his performance.
Seriously, though, these actors are no joke, and are expertly directed by Desdemona Chiang. She truly created a space for actors to play, and the way she brought the real Lauren Yee’s words to life was delightful and thought provoking. Her staging in the challenging round theatre was fantastically simple, and allowed for the actors to just listen to each other and lean in to each other, and create real, powerful moments on stage. Some will leave you dying laughing. Some will leave you thinking about your relationships with your own heritage. And for this theatre lover, it left me so damn proud that I live in a city filled with such talented people, and theatres that invest in such good work, where my talented friends can share their gifts with the world. But I guarantee, whoever you are, this show will leave you wanting to be a Yee!
The light on her was so crisp and clear, and was a lovely contrast to the blur of businessmen surrounding her on stage.
The Esoterics sang parts of Cavafy’s poetry throughout the piece, sometimes from their chairs, sometimes joining the dancers on stage. I will say, I didn’t enjoy when they came on stage so much, as I found it more distracting than anything. They were often blocking my ability to see the choreography, and I hated missing even a minute of the beautiful movement Mr. Wevers created. I also didn’t find the singers to react well in the scenes where the dancers interacted with them, which again, distracted me from watching the nuances of the dancers. I think it was more about where I was sitting, though, as I had friends with me who sat on the other side of the stage and said they didn’t find the singers distracting at all, and never had their view of the dancers blocked. Not sure if this frustration was part of Mr. Wevers’ vision, in staging the way he did where only part of the audience could see certain parts to mirror Cavafy’s dual life where he hid parts of himself from the world. Either way, I just hated missing any part of the dance, so for me, the singers needed to keep their lovely voices in the chairs on the side of the stage so I could watch the dancers dance.
effortlessly, telling the tales of this heartbreaking poetry. Liane Aung, with her amazing lines, and those breathtaking feet dazzled me as she always does. Mia Monteabaro danced a stunning pas de deux with Ms. Aung that was both sensual and joyful, and together these women ignited the hope portion of the program. You couldn’t help but smile watching that part of the program. And that duet was a striking contrast to my favorite part of the show which was a pas de deux with Patrick Kilbane and Karl Watson dancing on either side of a mirror that was so 
hauntingly tranced, that I feared blinking in case I missed one moment. Mr. Kilbane, facing the audience, Mr. Watson, dancing his reflection, these two men are not even remotely built the same, however, somehow, the movement was so mesmerizing that I was able to 100% suspend my disbelief and got lost in Mr. Kilbane anxiously exploring his reflection, trying desperately to figure out who he is, addressing his facade, and it was absolutely gorgeous.
The final section of this show that I want to write about was a danced by Mr. Watson, Mr. Kilbane, Jim Kent, and Justin Reiter. Mr. Kent, completely vulnerable dancing in only his white shorts, no shirt, lounges on top of Mr. Reiter, Mr. Kilbane and Mr. Watson who were all dressed in their suits, complete with hates, in the most glorious moment of this show for me. Mr. Kent was pushed, pulled, lifted, twirled, and slid all over the stage by these three men in suits, and it felt like the wish from Mr. Wevers for all the closeted gay artists out there to say, “You don’t have to hide! You can be you! And that which you hid behind, let them lift you up, because what you create is about them, too, and is part of them, too, and you don’t have to be them to be ok.” And I just loved it! I have no idea if that’s what Mr. Wevers intended for that moment, but it is the emotion it evoked in me, and I am so proud of these men for so beautifully bringing that out in me. It was the only moment in this piece that touched me to the point of tears, because the so much of the show brought out anger and frustration for me at the closeted life of so many. But to have this hopeful moment at the end, yeah, tears rolled down my face, and I’m so grateful for them.
My beloved Justin…what can I say?!? I am going to miss you so very much. It is through you, and the wonderful people you call friends, who helped me find Whim W’Him in the first place. And I will never forget the first time I saw you dance. You blew my mind with your fluidity, and your honesty, and your raw emotion on stage. You, my darling, are the stuffs that dance lover’s dreams are made of, and I’m so grateful that I had the privilege to watch you dance for the past three years. You, and those amazing lines of yours, have a special place in my heart. Please let me know where your next chapters lead you so that I can continue to come watch and support you throughout your career. All the best, my darling!
recovery, and people, it was spectacular! My beloved Elijah Labay, ever the stunning dancer, showed me a new level of acting I hadn’t seen from him before as he danced the role of Monsieur Delcroix. Watching Mr. Labay struggle physically as the injured Monsieur Delcroix was heartbreaking. His ability to portray a broken body, broken spirit, to then push back against the universe as if to say, “The hell you will keep me down! I will dance again!” was so real, so raw, so emotional that I couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down my face. And at first they were tears of sadness that Monsieur Delcroix had suffered such trauma. Tears of anger that he had to struggle physically to get back, while internally and mentally he was always moving, always dancing, always fighting. And then tears of joy at the end of the piece when Mr. Labay walked confidently tall and strong around his company of dancers as they moved to his chroegraphy. He was back! He was healed! He was creating! He was home!
Now let’s get into the best part of this show, shall we? The characters. The ladies, the amazing, outstanding ladies, whose characters were all so clear and mesmerizing, even more so than when I watched them all in rehearsals. The fierceness of the “Wolf Pack Ladies,” as Mr. Rustem dubbed them, were ferocious and feral and yet synchronized like a pack who stalked and moved this piece forward. To quote Ching Ching Wong in a promo video for Carmen, she described these amazing characters perfectly when she said, “…We are vicious and feisty and we love gossip and we’re in this kind of utopia town where our world revolves around us and our men, and then Carmen comes into it, and the worlf pack ladies are fearful and jealous and this mob against her.” And oh, individually they are fantastic, but when they all dance together in their pack, they are down right mesmerizing! Each character so clear in her intentions, so honest with her emotions, and so beautiful in her movement. Loved it!
as you watch him dance whether you want to or not! Every scene he was in from the adorable puppy love section with the lovely Lindsey McGill, to the lustful encounters with Carmen (danced by the spectacular Andrea Parson, who we will get to in a second), so the solo he danced just after discovering Carmen’s betrayal was full of truth like a light beam split through a prism to be a fragmented rainbow of emotion from joy to despair and everything in between. The acting from this dancer was out of this world, and that post-betrayal solo, my god, all I wanted was to run up on that stage and hug him and tell him it would all be ok, and then smack the crap out of Carmen for daring to hurt him! Mr. Nieto, as he often does, stole every scene he was in for me, because his intentions were so clear, his reactions so genuine, and his artistry was so breath taking.
Sadly, I am missing their Summer Splendors show opening tonight, but if you are in the Portland area, please go see it! I’ve no doubt it will be outstanding, as its a new work by Artistic Director, Sarah Slipper!!!!
First of all, let me talk about the amazing space that NW Dance Project has created for their company and choreographers to work within. It’s gorgeous. There’s no other word! It’s luxurious white decor that flows from the lobby to the education studio to the office to the dancers’ locker room, to the main studio, creates an inviting and enveloping canvas that just makes you want to create something colorful to fill it! The staff were all so wonderful, and just welcomed me in with open arms. I instantly felt like one of the family!
So please join me in coming to see Carmen at NW Dance Project in March. Shows will be Mar 16-18, I myself will be there on Mar 18, and really hope to see you all there! Show times and ticket info can be found on 
January 20, 2017 is one of the darkest days in American history for anyone with a conscience and a soul. And both the Whim W’Him family, and those of us that support them are full of both, so it warmed my heart to be in a theatre with these people reminding ourselves what is truly important after a day full of nonsensical political propaganda. As Artistic Director, Olivier Wevers, said in his curtain speech, “At Whim W’Him, we don’t build walls,” and he broke down as he started this speech, but you know what happened next? The audience jumped to thunderous applause to remind him that we are all behind him and all right there with him! We, the Whimmers, are a loving, supportive family, and we are going to always come together to enjoy the beauty and light that Whim W’Him always provides to its audience. I’m so proud to be a Whimmer, and Friday night, that pride expanded to the rest of the folks sitting around me. What was a very hard, emotional day, one where I just wanted to go home and pull the covers over my head, I’m so glad I made it to the Cornish Theatre because the show that waited for me was everything I needed to remind me what is good in this world. So, let’s get to talking about Sensation, shall we?
The canons, the delicious, delectable canons were, as I knew they would be, unbelievably exquisite from a distance. Absolutely mesmerized me. And also as expected, the growth in the journey that my beloved Justin Reiter moved through in this piece brought me to tears, and I couldn’t take my eyes off him whenever he was on stage. So plugged in to his fellow dancers, so expertly pushed his body through each phrase after challenging phrase, zapping his strength and pushing his emotions, I think this is the best I’ve ever seen Mr. Reiter dance. Two people just up behind me put it perfectly, when Mr. Reiter began to move before the music joined him and one said “Oh my god!” with complete wonderment in her voice and her friend said, “Exactly. That’s Justin. Just wait,”and oh was she right. Bravo, Justin, for taking on this powerful journey and sharing it with all of us. The light you bring to the stage, even in dark moments, is the stuff that gives me life! Thank you!!
So many favorite moments from this piece, but there are two I’ll share that just brought sheer ecstasy to my wounded heart. First, Miss Tory Peil, we all know I love me some Miss Tory, and it’s because in addition to being an exquisite dancer, she is a phenomenal actress as well, and there’s this bit where she’s drawing lines and squiggles in the air with her finger, playing with Jim Kent and with Patrick Kilbane, and for all of her long, lithe frame, she was so playful, so adorable, it was just fantastic to watch. Took you back to playing with friends as a child, and transported me back to moments of that childlike innocence. And the second is during a super-quick moment where it was just Mr. Reiter and Mr. Kilbane dancing side by side, and they shared a look of complete friendship and happiness to be dancing together, and happy tears fell from my eyes at that moment. I don’t know if it was part of the choreography, or just a real organic moment that happened between these two, but it was so beautiful to behold. Mr. Kilbane dances with such serious expression, the technical genius that he is, so to see him let go and just dance with abandon next to Mr. Reiter is a moment I will never forget. I jumped to my feet the minute the dancers lined up for their curtain call on this, because this! This amazingly beautiful piece full of joy and light is what everyone needs right now. It was my favorite piece of the night. Thank you all for this! I just love you for this experience, and thank you Mr. Keigwin for reminding us what joy looks like, because we all need to cling to it as we struggle with these terrifying times.
There’s a major music change at the end, after Ms. Peil has been jerked around by her antagonists, fantastically danced by Mr. Kilbane and Karl Watson, and the company are all on the floor and randomly they get up and slow dance with Ms. Peil. It was heart wrenching. Gave me the sensation of when we’ve all been searching for something to fill the void left by someone who was in our life, but hasn’t fully gone away. You know that sensation i’m talking about where, you start to move on, but then they show back up again and get in the way. Every time Mr. Kilbane came back in to the scene to interject himself into a moment she was having with another dancer, I wanted to scream “OMG, just let her be, ugh!”
incomparable 
match on that front. Ms. Aung’s lines, sweet baby Jesus, and her extension are the stuffs that dance lovers’ dreams are made of, and her feet are so gorgeous, that I couldn’t take my eyes off of them. I could write paragraphs and paragraphs about them, they are that spectacular as she finishes movements with her long, graceful fingers, or the exquisite point of her toe. These two technical masters, these two emotionally open artists, these two breath-taking dancers have a section in this piece that absolutely transported and affected me. I won’t tell you which feelings I felt, or where their beautiful moment took me, as I don’t want to color your experience, but trust me, people, you want to see this! You need to see this!
start your 2017 off right by indulging your senses in this show. I promise you, you won’t be disappointed! I’ll be there opening night showing my support for my favorite Seattle Based dance company, and 
you want something fun to do with them this holiday season, take them to see Elf. It’s really cute and a lot of fun to watch.
Thus Spoke Lady M 
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