DUAL RIVET & kNONAME ARTIST

Review By Celia Ipiotis

Presenters and artists from around the nation descend on NYC at the beginning of January for the annual APAP conference. This congregation provides an unparalleled opportunity for artists to show their wares to presenters and producers who could be instrumental to their careers.

At Gibney Dance, two fine companies performed to an audience filled with APAP guests. Part of Live Artery as well as DoublePlus curated by Kyle Abraham the evening featured compelling  performances by Dual Rivet and Roderick George | kNoname Artist: an all female and an all male troupe.

In Stuff for Your Eyes, choreographed by Chelsea Ainsworth & Jessica Smith,  dancers materialized in the 1960’s style living room trimmed with 4 analog TV monitors in each corner, a coffee table, chairs and books. Yes, books. 

Every so often, the TV monitors displayed black and white snow while the excellent soundtrack by Smith mixed voice-over announcements, music, natural and ambient sounds. Primarily engaged in contact improvisation techniques, the dancers, in free flowing outfits, effortlessly repeated a pattern of lifting one person while moving laterally, turning around and then placing them on a bent knee, like a person seated on a chair. 

Cleverly re-shaping patterns with a twist of a back or knee dropped to the floor, the dancers frequently held a book in one hand as they flowed in a stream of continuous motion then popping off couches and chairs like the children in Peter Pan who wanted to learn how to fly.

With choreography contributed as well by the dancers– Smith, Ainsworth, Codelia King, and Maggie Joy — the performance folded inventive twists over slippery physical connections by very skilled dancers.

Venom by Roderick George opened on a dark stage, lights spotlighted the all male assembly spread out across the stage. Underneath the stark lighting, legs unfolded to the back in contrast to the music by slowdanger. Dedicated to the impact of AIDS on the LGBTQIA+ community, and those whose lives were devastatingly cut short by AIDS, a disco ball recalled the days of hooking up and dancing until dawn in the relative safety of dance clubs.

Effectively mixing ballet, contact improv, club and modern dance techniques, duets split into solos of high dexterity, flinging legs up in the air simultaneously whipping around at high velocity.  Dancers sprang into the center, flipped one body over another, then quietly drifted away.  Ascending and descending waves of dancers supported one another, they touched shoulders, clasped hands, and embraced. At various intervals, fierce solos built on the force of striking legs and rapid fire spins suspended in time. 

Much depended on the fine dancers: Nazear Brown, George, Joey German, Alex Haskins, NouhoumKoita, Kevin Shannon, and Nat Wilson. The coupling of these two programs proved deeply satisfying. 

EYE ON THE ARTS, NY — Celia Ipiotis