Blogtown, PDX

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Artsy New Bodyvox Show: Horizontal Leanings…

Posted by Matt Davis on Sat, May 3 at 1:26 PM

After going to a previous Bodyvox show because the Zoobombers happened to be performing in it with Gus Van Sant, I was surprised at how accessible the rest of the night’s dancing was, and excited to hear about the company’s latest effort: Horizontal Leanings, which is showing until Sunday night at the Newmark Theater on Broadway (tickets from $12).

BODYVOX: Agh! There’s a woman in the red sheet…

I was enjoying last night’s premier performance a lot, until I bumped into Stephen Marc Beaudoin from Just Out at the intermission, and he said he was finding it hard to enjoy, because for him, there was just “nothing there.” Still, Beaudoin just endorsed Nick Fish for city council over Jim Middaugh. So I’m not fully trusting his judgment. The show tonight got me thinking in new ways about romance, work, sheep, and raving. Each of those issues, and a few more I couldn’t quite decipher, were covered in a series of dance sketches, interspersed with video (which I could have done with less of…how many more edgily-edited video montages does the world need? none…) and accompanied by a live orchestra called Third Angle (which I could have done with more of…especially the cello and brass sections…).

The dancing was striking for its emotional openness: There was one moment (in a bloody video-montage) where one dancer supported another’s head with her hands that I thought communicated something profound about our ability to bolster each other through life; there was another moment, at the end of the title sketch, Horizontal Leanings, where all the dancers leaned on each other for support, and it was comforting to watch.

A few questions: I thought artistic director Jamey Hampton needed to loosen his grip on the performance, slightly. He’s got some great dancers, but I thought he inserted himself too aggressively into proceedings. It felt a touch desperate. Plus, someone should have mentioned that Fat Boy Slim is not an appropriate accompaniment to an “edgy rave scene.” Isn’t Fat Boy Slim, like, dead, now? Also some of the steps needed to be more elaborate. I can watch a woman pirouette and be picked up by a man and twirled around once. Maybe twice. But sixty times in an hour? It’s too much. I don’t care what your theme is. How about Vertical Leanings? Throw more people in the air for Christ’s sake. There’s Cirque Du Soleil down the street…occasionally I felt there needed to be more spark.

Nevertheless I don’t share Beaudoin’s take on the performance. You could spend $12 on a burger in Higgins round the corner, or you could take a chance on this innovative young (ish) (for the most part) dance troupe. I’d say skip the burger just this once, and you might enjoy yourself. Plus even if you don’t enjoy the choreography, they all have fantastic bodies you can ogle at, and judging from the Forain paintings in the art museum across the street, isn’t that what dancing’s always been about?

Permalink

Comments

I personally loved Bodyvox's performance. This show takes a leap out side of what they are used to and is not like their shows in the past. True, there are similarities, but this show is unique and all its own. I agree that this show's videos were not quite as impressive as in years past, however the dancing and passion could never get any better. Yes, the comedy is amusing and yes the athleticism and fit bodies you speak of were there, but what the show truly is all about one thing; making the audience feel something, to have you leave your seat with an emotion. This is exactly what they did. I myself found a constant smile on my face. And watching dancers like Jamey, Ashley, Brent, Heather, Josie, Lane, Eric, Renee, Matt, Eowyn, Daniel, and Laura (always my personal favorite) bare their souls on stage is way more than enough to put a smile on your face.

Some Answers To Your Questions: Jamey is an amazing dancer who embodies what his company is all about. Although it is not my place to say I think that Bodyvox tries to be about the love of dance rather than the art of dance and Jamey represents that perfectly. With that being said I don’t see why he can’t have a big part in the show. As for Fat Boy Slim I would just like to say the Fat Boy Slim will NEVER die. As for the elaborate moves and the lifts that you were hoping for, I agree . . . to some extent. At times there was a lot of repetitive movements. But I feel that whatever the show lacked in variety it made up for in the creativity of the movements and lifts. And not to mention Lane, Brent and Eric did a fabulous job with their stunts and lifts in "Generator."

In my opinion Bodyvox is one the best things to ever happen to Portland and I give my thanks and praise to all of them for showing us what dance is all about, thank you.

Posted by Emily | May 3, 2008 4:52 PM

Matt Davis - hey, thanks for the shout-out. You're right, we've got divergent opinions on the BV show - what you read as "emotional openness" in the dance I found to be cloying and cliche.

And just to clarify, I didn't endorse Nick Fish for Seat 2 all by my little self - it was a decision made by the JO editorial team.

Cheers, mate!

- SMB

Posted by Stephen Marc Beaudoin | May 3, 2008 4:53 PM

I'm pretty sure that it's a man not a woman in the red sheet

Posted by matthew | May 3, 2008 4:55 PM

Per the Mercury's comments policy, this comment has been deleted on sock puppetry grounds.

Posted by Sock Puppeter | May 4, 2008 11:31 AM

Sorry Stephen. I didn't mean to imply you were the sole force behind the Fish endorsement...

Posted by Matt Davis | May 5, 2008 9:46 AM

Hi Emily,

I appreciate your comments and especially your desire to see more of me onstage. Normally I wouldn't chime in, but I thought just this once...

Last November I had major shoulder surgery at the same time we began building Horizontal Leanings. The shoulder is a complicated piece of machinery, and I couldn't dance for three months, and then eased back into it slowly. But I was able to choreograph, direct, and to be an outside eye for the show, providing a different perspective for our team. I was able to dance a bit in the show, and was glad to be onstage for the amount I could. I will be onstage more in the future...that's why I got the shoulder fixed!

Thanks for your comments, and see you at the next show,

Jamey Hampton

Posted by Jamey | May 6, 2008 11:03 AM

Ahem. I can confirm that the person in the red sheet is a man since it's me.

As for the review, I appreciate Matt's honesty and willingness to step back to get the bigger picture. BodyVox's show titles and through lines might not always be discernible or clear but that shouldn't discredit what Jamey and Ashley have created. I think of it as attending a gallery opening and viewing 10 or so paintings loosely based on a theme—in this case, human differences and similarities. It may not suit the hardcore dance aficionados who base a company's value on how many pirouettes they perform or how grotesque and disturbing it can be. That's not BodyVox's style. It's goal is more uplifting and thoughtful than that. The audience that gets it walks away from the theater having lost themselves for 90 minutes in unusual visuals, well constructed humor, and beautiful surprises. In any case, Matt's right. Put down the burger and try something different.

Posted by Lane | May 6, 2008 11:17 AM