Fete de l'Hurricane review

I was invited by my mega talented friend and fellow dancer, Christina Noel Reaves to view her work at the Fete de l'Hurricane showcase a The Red Bean Studio. I was definitely in for a treat because the showcase had dance pieces that ran a gamut of styles. From the improvisational to the hyper-choreographed to performance art. This showcase also comes with the mini-party pre-during- and post performance complete with beers, soda, snacks, and their signature rice and red beans. The curator and co-owner of The Red Bean Studio, Carrie J. Brown is the mastermind behind this performance slash party based on the concept of Hurricane parties that is common in Florida. (The irony is that this particular showcase was actually postponed b/c of Hurricane Irene)

Here are my thoughts on each dance that I saw at Fete de l'Hurricane:

Man from Mars - choreography & performance by Tony Fraser and Jaime Shannon
I've not seen a performance of swing dance before so this is a treat! Both performers move their feet at lightning speeds filled with intricate rhythm steps, dips, and excellent partnering. This dance made me smile.

spice - concept & performance by Carlos A. Cruz Velázquez
Carlos brought out his bag and showed the audience the contents of his bag. This improvisational humor of this performer was like a cheerleader. He effectively convinced the audience to cheer him on when he did his numerous head rolls. He talked about his disdain for serving in a restaurant on a night like Fashion's Night Out because of the demands the customer places on him by throwing glass violently into a garbage can that he dragged out from behind the audience.

Black and Whitish (an Improv experiment) - concept by Carrie J. Brown and performed by Laura Bartczak, Andrea Jane Dispenziere, Amy Larson, Michelle Pellizon, Nellie Rainwater, Heather Wigmore, Stephen Xue
I was pleasantly surprised that this piece was all improv because the structure of ideas, the use of a newspaper prop, and the flow of the improvisations from start to finish appeared to have a clear sense of beginning, middle, and end with multiple relationships that develop between dancers in the form of solos, duets, trios, and group. I kept trying to find the leader or the catalyst to continue on to the next idea and group formation. Sometimes I would find the catalyst and knew that a change would happen. I'm curious to see what would happen if the formula for the piece were done with audience participation.

The Adventures of Donna Quixote Part 1: Daphne
Sound: Live Performance by Miguel Frasconi, Composer, on glass instruments
Performance & Choreography by Laurel Jenkins Tentindo
This solo performer has a way of moving that is interesting to watch. A natural yet silently awkward but organic and grounded. Towards the end of the piece she brought out puppets and lit the puppets so the shadows illuminated in the background. This puppetry reminded me of sitting in a hot stuffy playhouse in Jakarta, Indonesia as a 6 year old and while we watched traditional Indonesian puppetry using intricately handmade paper puppets against a white screen so all you see are the shadows of the puppets.

There's a Beast in Me
Choreography by Christina Noel Reaves
Performance by Elizabeth Beres, Georgey Souchette, Clare Cook, Lonnie Poupard, Casey Loomis, Jeremy Jae Neal
Raw. Violent. Sexual. Tender. Toxic. Obsessive. The performers in this piece move with great athleticism and possess animalistic behavior akin to a pack of wolves complete with vocal singing. The partnering between the female and male was a seamless melding of bodies in motion. I always try to look at the title and the program notes after I see a dance and when I saw the title, I thought how appropriate that this piece is titled There's a Beast in Me because these performers were half beast, half human.