January 25, 2007
Chamber Dance Company performs Feb. 1-4: Annual concert features important historical works
The Chamber Dance Company presents another unique exploration of modern dance history Feb. 1-4 with a highly-charged concert addressing issues facing the individual and society. Featuring excerpts from the Martha Graham classic, Chronicle, the concert also includes work by choreographers Dore Hoyer, Alwin Nikolais and Doug Elkins.
Director Hannah Wile descrbes the program as “examining mankind’s interconnectedness and common purpose as well as the internal forces that drive a person to action.” From the deeply personal Affectos Humanos by Dore Hoyer to Doug Elkins’ thoroughly engaging Center My Heart, the program spotlights modern dance choreographers whose work embraces the trials and joys that life offers.
Martha Graham’s singularly powerful Chronicle (1936) embodies her response to the Spanish Civil War and the spread of fascism in Europe. Employing a dynamic corps of women, Chronicle is at once strident and emotional, and cannot help but leave the viewer awed by its vision, Wiley says. In this work the Graham technique vividly reveals the passion with which she despised poverty and injustice. A former member of the Graham company, Virginie Mecene, worked with the CDC last fall as they began to re-create the work.
Affectos Humanos (1962) was created and performed by Dore Hoyer as an arrestingly personal statement on human emotions. Hoyer was torn throughout her life between the frustrations and struggles of her personal life and the satisfaction and calm that came to her through her dancing. When the results of a car accident made it too painful and difficult for her to perform, she committed suicide rather than go on without the ability to dance. Wiley says the dance has been all but lost to most modern dance audiences, but she believes Hoyer deserves to be remembered for her hauntingly stark journey into the human psyche.
Center My Heart (1996) not only epitomizes Doug Elkins’ eclectic postmodern style but also provides a window into the Qawwali music of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Wiley says. The winner of the 1997 Bessie Award, Center My Heart celebrates ritual and community with sensuous exuberance.
Visually electric Tensile Involvement (1953) underlines Alwin Nikolais’ playful explorations into the complexities of human cooperation toward a common purpose. The master of total theater, Nikolais created the choreography, lighting, props and music for this memorable work that is known and loved all over the world.
Founded in 1990 by Wiley, the Chamber Dance Company, composed of candidates for the Master of Fine Arts degree in dance, has enjoyed a 17-year commitment from the University and has become a favorite of Seattle audiences. In 1993 a Seattle Weekly critic described CDC as “a vibrant company with terrific repertory . . . [making] this annual concert one of the best in Seattle, local or otherwise.”
Performances run Thursday, Feb. 1 through Sunday, Feb. 4; with a pre-show lecture beginning approximately 45 minutes prior to curtain. All performances are in Meany Hall for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $18, $16 for UWAA members, UW faculty and staff and $10 for students and seniors; they are available at the UW Arts Ticket Office, 4001 University Way NE, on the Web at www.meany.org or by calling 206-543-4880.
