Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
Neila Ebanks' 'Of Attachment And...' dealt with romantic entanglements. The dance was performed at the Dance Festival, held at Weekenz, Constant Spring Road on Friday. - WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
THE SECOND instalment of Dance Fest was not nearly as vibrant as its first, but it was still a good effort with some beautiful moments in modern dance. Produced by dancer, choreographer Shelley-ann Maxwell, Dance Fest is a choreographer's show.
So, part of the problem may be that the choreographers forgot about their audiences a little. While the pieces were generally good, there was little that was exciting, or even memorable, though one could see that the choreographers had generally tried to imbue their pieces with artistic merit.
Dance Fest 2005 was dedicated to the use of props in dance and featured 12 pieces choreographed by Arsenio Andrade, Oneil Pryce, Danielle Nembhard, Natalie Corthesy and Neila Ebanks. Ebanks, who was the sole choreographer who had also created for last year's show had only one work for the season.
SHOW LIFTERS
Among the pieces that lifted the standard of the show were 'Tango de Seduccion', 'Letter From Angola', 'Flying Solo,' and 'Of Attachment And...'. Tango de Seduccion was a sexy dramatic dance which maintained its choreographic integrity while appealing to the more visceral pleasures. 'Tango de Seduccion' had previously been staged by the University Dance Society with a more enigmatic result due to stronger male dancers who maximised the dance's sex appeal.
Nonetheless, the dance remained sexy and intriguing and Keita Marie Chamberlain was a strong female lead. Combined with 'A Penny For A Soul', 'Tango de Seduccion' highlighted its choreographer Danielle Nembhard as a strong narrative dance choreographer. 'A Penny For a Soul' a solo performed by its choreographer was another of the more interesting pieces of the night, showing the trauma of an abused prostitute who remains in her trade despite the pain.
'Flying Solo' and 'Of Attachment And...' significantly helped to lighten the feel of the night, managing to offer depth of feeling without being very heavy. 'Fly Solo' was performed by its choreographer, Arsenio Andrade with a broom. It was a delightful piece that evoked dreams of love and joy expressed to the broom which is standing in (though it often falls)
Neila Ebanks' 'Of Attachment And...' also dealt with romantic entanglements. The dancer performed with a swath of pink cloth that attached her to a pole. The dance showed the transition from the moment when the ties that bind are seen as supportive and keep you from falling to when they simply become constricting and smothering.
BONDAGE
Oneil Pryce's 'Letter From Angola' was his best piece of the night. A solo, featuring Chamberlin, the dance was an insightful look into bondage, highlighted by the dancer's being bound to the chair. Pryce's work, such as his two additional contributions 'Stained Soul' and 'Blurred Memories' is generally abstract which makes them hard to navigate. Nonetheless he retains an interesting grasp of expression.
Natalie Corthesy's dances, 'Bosom of Babylon', 'Slam Traffic Island' and 'Body Jam and Bass Jelly' showed keen artistic vision but never fully capitalised on their potential. 'Bosom of Babylon's' was presumably affected by technical failure, both in music and with showing the words that would imbue meaning to the typewriter clicks. However, 'Slam Traffic Island' depended too heavily on the song's words for its meaning and though 'Body Jam and Bass Jelly' was interesting it failed to live up to the enigma of its name.
Dance Fest 2005 ran last weekend at Weekenz on Constant Spring Road. The space is reportedly moving toward having more live offerings and is currently revamping some of its nights.
