Beacon Journal – Stage Notes (Review)

By Kerry Clawson, Beacon Journal

“Last week was a busy one for this arts critic, who took in fine performances of modern dance company GroundWorks DanceTheater in Akron…

“Included in GroundWorks’ inaugural series at the University of Akron’s E.J. Thomas Hall last Thursday and Friday was the sexy, menacing The Rub, a world premiere by Robert Moses of San Francisco. It featured constantly shifting alliances among the company’s four dancers that sometimes felt like life or death. This dance’s ultra-tough, urban edge made it feel like Fight Club, drawing audiences into a dangerous world.”

“The piece de resistance was the world premiere of House of Sparrows, inspired by Civil War photos, essays and personal memoirs, exploring the pain and loss of the people who remained at home during the war. The new dance, choreographed by David Shimotakahara, was a massive multimedia collaboration among GroundWorks; young string group the Aeolus Quartet, which has Cleveland roots and is now in graduate residence at the Juilliard School; composer Steven Snowden of Austin, Texas; and video by Nic Petry of Dancing Camera in New York.”

“Dancers Felise Bagley, Noelle Cotler, Damien Highfield and Annika Sheaff brought the personal upheaval and great loss of the Civil War to life with painful emotion as they portrayed folks being separated from or losing their family members. Just one section of the dance was light, with Sheaff assuming the role of a clown-like entertainer.”

“A simple-looking set featuring a white, draped, house-like structure was extraordinary, serving as a scrim for Petry’s video and still projections. That included a train track video that made you feel dizzy, as well as scrolling images of framed personal portraits from the era. Especially spooky were images of grim-looking intact families that ended up with the soldier father erased.”

“The dance is about survival at great cost and great change after enduring the turmoil of a nation divided. In the end, Bagley created a haunting image as she dropped a stack of books that had been wrapped up in a tablecloth on the floor and placed them carefully, one at a time, in front of her like stepping stones. The books, which Shimotakahara used as a symbol of civilization, handled by a traumatized figure, ended the dance with a message of rebuilding from all that had been destroyed.”

“Kudos to GroundWorks for creating this elaborately layered, thoughtful work for their repertoire. I look forward to seeing it again.”