RebollarDance, described by Erica Rebollar as “a modern dance collaborative where multi-genre artists can make innovative work,” has cooked up a truly unique evening of offerings for their upcoming Kennedy Center Millennium Stage performance of 2077. Working with dancers Ronya-Lee Anderson, Amanda Blythe, Sam Horning, Katie C. Sopoci Drake, and Adeleye (Daniel) Taiwo, and guest multi-disciplinary artist John Moletress, Erica Rebollar has surrounded herself, once again, with not only adroit movers and tremendous performers, but also inquisitive minds on the subjects of art, the human body, and the endless possibilities to intersect the two. It was a distinct privilege to sit in on a rehearsal with the company to observe their preparation for their Kennedy Center Millennium Stage performance.
2054: Cyborg Suites, a quartet danced by Anderson, Blythe, Drake, and Rebollar, promises to simultaneously entertain and call the audience to question the intersection of the organic with the mechanical. The dancers’ gestural specificity and performance quality alone are sure to draw you in and hope the piece never ends.
Patterns in movement and sound score ease you into the work and become familiar, but Rebollar and dancers soon break said patterns and the piece evolves into a modern dance assembly line of duets and quartet unison movement, weaving seamlessly into and out of each other.
2077: Space Junk/Requiem for a Cyborg, a quintet danced by Anderson, Blythe, Drake, Horning, and Taiwo, juxtaposes hypnotic repetitions of movements in comfortable positions and spaces, with moments of tension and effort visceral for any audience member. The seamless use of dancers in and out of solo, duet, and trio movement patterns, throughout the entire space, keeps the piece exciting and unexpected. Circuitous movement, both in one dancer’s body and with all of the dancers through space, is a motif that is visually stunning throughout the work.
https://vimeo.com/80863753
I highly suggest that readers interested in creative modern dance, and multi-disciplinary work, attend RebollarDance’s 2077 on May 17th, 2016 at 6pm on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage. The artists featured on this program are smart, strong performers with wonderful facility for movement. Erica Rebollar creates stage pictures and dynamic work that stays with you long after the final bow. She has been an artist to watch in the DC area and will continue to be on my radar after seeing works for 2077.
RebollarDance’s 2077 will be presented on The Millennium Stage at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts – 2700 F Street NW, in Washington, DC – on Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at 6 PM. The program is free of charge and open to the public. For more information, check out RebollarDance’s website!
LINKS:
In the Moment: Erica Rebollar on ‘Sacred Profane’ at Dance Place on October 3rd by David Siegel.
In the Moment: An Interview with Choreographers Erica Rebollar and Helanius J. Wilkins on ‘Everything for the First Time’ at Atlas on 4/11 at 8 PM by David Siegel.
