I don’t know where I have been the past 25 years, but I’m beyond grateful that I attended the Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre company’s 25th anniversary celebration and performance of the World Premiere of Awaken at “New York Live Arts.”
This 2-½ hour tour de force left me, as well as the sold out audience, breathless. Although I was unable to attend the Gala Reception following the performance, the excitement and exuberance emanating from the crowd was palpable.
Incorporating new work into her 25 years of innovative, groundbreaking repertory, Amanda Selwyn has drawn together a spellbinding evening of dance in four parts entitled Awaken. It consists of: Questioning, Discomfort, Rumbling, and Integration, with each part containing segments of ensemble dancing, solo performance, and duets of outstanding complexity, athleticism, and cultural integration.
In addition to Selwyn’s company of outstanding dancers, Jojo Soul was incorporated into the performance-art. In such a cozy setting as New York Live Arts, the interaction between Jojo and the performers was intimate and engaging.
Jojo is a talented percussionist who occupies the dual roles of eye candy and accompanist. His presence on stage sets the pace and tempo for the dancers perfectly coordinated with the tonal musical forms that are attuned to the choreography. At times, it felt to me as if the music itself was dancing.
I have never been to a dance performance before where the dancers visibly responded to the emotional impact they were physically expressing, not only toward each other but to the audience as well. The females cast coquettish glances at the audience, and the men lifted their eyebrows, as well as lifted their dance partners, often twirling them high above their heads.
According to the notes in the program, Ms. Selwyn not only encourages but demands emotional interactions In her vision. Her dancers don’t just perform amazing movements with their bodies; they are real people engaging in real activities that they respond to genuinely.
The program opened on a dark stage with a lone female dancer, tethered to a construct of crossed fabrics – perhaps representing past and future – as the beat of Jojo’s pounding drums animated her movements. Slowly, the entire company joined her on stage, echoing her frenetic movements, which were both primal and hypnotic. The music pulsed from drums to violins to structured orchestral sound before returning to a single drum beat.
There were stunning pas de deux and amazing solo performances, but when the company performed together, it was truly magical. Their movements spanned from primal to mechanical and human to robotic. The choreography referenced numerous cultures and styles, including Asian, African, Hispanic, Jazz, and Hip Hop. I even thought at one moment that three dancers conjured the Hindu God/Goddess Shiva – the cosmic dancer.
The set designs by Rob Dutiel were minimal but used to absolute effect, and the lighting designer Dan Ozminkowski and costume designer Anna-Alisa Belous are definitely stars. I especially loved the back-screen projection of falling lights and the universality of costumes, but the original music performed by Jojo Soul and the sound design by Joel Wilhelmi were in a class above, as was the stage management of Gina Solebello.
The company’s dancers are Torrey Harada, Rehearsal Director; Manon Hallay, Artistic Associate; Ashley McQueen, Artistic Associate; Kevin Avila, Emanuele Fiore, Alexa Garzon, Gianna Guzzo, Misaki Hayama, Minseon Kim Jeun, Isaac Kerr, Madeline Kuhlke, Jack Randel, Ralphie Rivera De Jesús, and Oscar Rodriguez.
If you like dance that is transformative and emotionally engaging, don’t miss the chance to see Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre perform. It’s a night you will long remember.
Barbara Angelakis is one of the founders of LuxuryWeb Magazineand its Senior Travel Writer. She travels the four corners of the world with a thirst for knowledge and a twinkle in her eye, seeking out the history of people and places and sharing her experiences. She specializes in culture and history along with luxury destinations, hotels/resorts/cruises/spas, and most recently Jewish Heritage, exploring the historical connection between Jews and their host countries. She has been recognized for outstanding coverage as “Journalist of the Year” by the Tanzania Tourist Board and is the recipient of the MTA Malta Tourism Press Award, the first American to receive this honor. For the past 25 years, Barbara has written extensively for LuxuryWeb Magazine, and her work can also be found at The Jerusalem Post, Jewish Link, Epoch Times,and Vision Times.
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