Matchmaking for a Fracture-d evening

Music laces together a mosaic of LA dance

BY ANN HASKINS

Like a kaleidoscope with shards of colored glass forming ever-shifting mosaics, the September 16th dance concert, Fracture, promises a swirl of movement. Three distinctively different contemporary dance companies each premiere a new piece, set to a commissioned score. The overture and transitions between pieces will feature all of the ensembles moving together.

From the outset, producer Jones Welsh thought the concert’s concept delightfully reflected the bountiful, but splintered nature of the L.A. dance scene. A former member of Diavolo Dance Theater, artistic director of Leonix Movement Theatre and a choreographer in his own right, Jones concluded that music was the critical thread to lace together Fracture’s many disparate elements. He enlisted L.A.-based String Theory, an innovative ensemble of musicians, composers and dancers led by Luke Rothschild and Holly Rothschild.

Inveritgo Dance Theatre's SaraAnne

Pairing up choreographers and composers involved a process reminiscent of online dating, only slower and more thoughtful. Members of String Theory watched samples of the companies’ choreography, then met with the choreographers to discuss their concepts for Fracture. Considerable discussion followed, then the actual selection of composers: Danny Moynahan with choreographer Laura Karlin and Invertigo Dance Theatre, Joseph Harvey with the quartet of choreographers leading IN/EX Dance Project, and the Rothschilds with Bradley Michaud and Method Contemporary Dance

Welsh is not surprised that Michaud wanted an industrial sound. "Bradley has an entire movement method he has been codifying over the years and his work is always high impact, always off balance with a really raw kind of format. It is truly stunning to see what his dancers do with their bodies sometimes, and Bradley has a real artistry that he has crafted over the years."

Versatility made String Theory’s Danny Moynahan the choice to work with Laura Karlin and her Invertigo Dance Theatre which Welsh describes as the most theatrical of the three companies in Fracture. "Laura’s work is always about something, often with the dancers as characters who interact as if in a play and even sometimes with dialogue. That can be a lot of fun while at the same time thought provoking." Rothschild adds that Moynahan’s ability to go in many different directions, his mastery of a spectrum of musical styles and the fact he plays an array of instruments made him a good match for Invertigo's theatrical bent.

IN/EX Dance Project

Led by Maya Zellman, Ally Voye, Eva Wilder and Sarri Sanchez, IN/EX Dance Project is described by both Welsh and Rothschild as truly collaborative and among the most advanced in the use of new media, from using the internet to choreograph to using digital projections in their shows. IN/EX wanted a score with cellos and violins that included layering and looped sounds   which led to a pairing with composer/cellist Joseph Harvey who, according to Rothschild, has embraced the choreographic quartet’s internet collaborative process.  “The four choreographers are    geographically spread out, one is even out of the country, and much of their work is done over the internet until they can actually get together in one place.  They develop choreography through their internet collaboration then e-mail Joseph clips of choreography and he responds with music segments."

Harvey also reconstructed a 15th century  Renaissance piece that Welsh and the Rothschilds selected as the continuity theme for Fracture.  "It’s a very celebratory fanfare with tons of drums and should provide cohesion to the many things going on," Rothschild noted.

Asked about the evening’s title, Welsh muses, “Fracture was our starting point, but it is almost the antithesis of what the show has become, what we are trying to accomplish and how well everything is coming together." Already there is life after Fracture. String Theory has reworked some of the unused music into new compositions while Michaud’s Method Dance has plans for a program dubbed After the Fracture. 

Ann Haskins writes about dance for L.A. Weekly, Pointe Magazine, Dance Spirit Magazine and other performing arts publications. She has provided theater and dance interviews and commentary for KUSC-FM, KLON-FM and KCRW-FM.

For more information about this specific event, click here.

Fracture is one event in the Ford's 17-event DANCE series.

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