DANCING INTO ROSES

The opening 90-minute performance of Dancing Into Roses, a theatrical, earnest, honest, one-man performance by Yehuda L. (Larry) Hyman at JACK delved into Hyman’s life. From a young boy mopping ballet studios for evening class credits, it tracks his rise as a dancer in New York City in 1983, to European disco sensation.

Scored by Gabe Whitnack and lit by Lauren Lee, transportation became a key character. The sounds of trains, planes, swimming and walking, create an immersive and imaginative reality. Throughout, Yehuda oscillates between. comedic, heartfelt, and informative sequences.

He ebbs and flows from place to place, indulging in nonlinear memories that accompany his experiences. The way the script (by Hyman) and direction (by Leo Egger) present the stories, brings us to the physical arrival of Yehuda at different points in time.

The choreography, by Hyman and Nelida Tirado, ties in the emotional expression, and articulation of his life. Yehuda’s use of a multitude of characters- each with their own unique voices, geographically accurate accents, and mannerisms turns a one man play into an ensemble piece.

From the intense German couple who launch his disco teaching career in Europe, to an impersonation of his own distant father dancing. The crescendo occurs when he shares witnessing the disarray of a public memorial. Atop the ruins of a synagogue in Freiberg once burned down during Kristallnacht, stands a public wading pool. His initial confusion is brought on by the lack of reference to the reason for remembrance in the first place. This turned into a compelling driver for his dance activism.

Specifically, Freiberg’s distaste of the exhibit, leads him to improvise a spontaneous, site-specific performance where he steps into the pool and, through movement, invites onlookers, those previously oblivious and at play, to pause in their frivolous splashing and understand what the pool truly represents. Signs along the pool describe the injustice that took place.

It is not a show to miss, both informative and provoking. It blows one-man, entire-lifestory performance expectations out of the water; through movement and dialogue, he shapes a space big enough to hold sociopolitical commentary alongside true human connection, compassion, and remembrance.

EYE ON THE ARTS, NY — Emma Edy Morris