Ailey Citigroup Theater, New York, NY.
July 28, 2024.
Lady in Movement (WIM), the all-female firm led by Rachel Thalman and Laura Kaufman, held its third season efficiency weekend on the Ailey Citigroup Theater in late July. Like years pervious, the home will crammed with enthusiastic viewers members – the results of two profitable previous seasons and a vigorous neighborhood of family and friends. The corporate has discovered a candy spot in programming shorter items to permit for extra choreographers and various kinds. As such, the group of supporters is powerful and engaged – the vibes had been excessive on a Sunday night time, the night time of my attendance.
The title of the present was Souls Transcending, as the administrators mentioned their objective was to “transport minds to a different house and time” and let the present be an “ecstatic revelatory interval” for viewers members. The founders additionally spoke concerning the want to attach, create and heal through the method of artwork. By sheer advantage of involving 11 dancers and an extra eight choreographers (with two present firm members additionally contributing a bit) the objective of strengthening neighborhood prevailed.
The works ranged from ballet, to musical theater, to up to date, and the screening of a movie created particularly for this efficiency. One of many said objectives of WIM is to permit for every dancer and artist to shine within the methods finest suited to them, and this blended repertory program helps that.
The primary half of the present took us from an upbeat theater quantity, All You Gotta Do by Sara Brians, with dancers in exuberant orange blazers and heels, to Aliferous by founding member Rachel Thalman, an amusing balletic trio, to Grace by Mindy Moeller, a recent duet, and ended with Sunny Facet Up by Jourdan Epstein, an lovely, joyful piece with every dancer in cheery yellow rompers.
After a brief intermission, the second half opened to Flight of Coronary heart by Rose Alice, which began with an EDM vibe and transitioned to a cinematic end. The viewers was then handled to a screening of brief dance movie choreographed by firm member Mallory Pettee and filmed by Grace Copeland. It was a beautiful brief with dancers in principally shades of blue in a shiny white studio. Following the movie is and we are going to proceed + we are going to proceed by Kristin Sudeikis, a recent work met with a lot applause. In Aspirations of a Dancer, by Isaiah Newby, we had been handled to a beautiful pointe piece with nude and silver sequined unitards that had been costumes I didn’t know I wanted to see, however was thrilled to observe transfer onstage. Karla Puno Garcia’s Feeling Good was a horny and wealthy spectacle in its evolution, resulting in the ultimate piece of the night time, Discovered It In Silence by Katie Drablos – a full firm work that closed the present with a burst of energy and neighborhood that had the viewers on their ft the second it ended.
WIM constantly delivers enjoyable reveals the place the dancers genuinely appear to be comfortable and crammed with pleasure – a way that carries over to the viewers, evident by the grins and hugs within the room after the home gentle got here up. If WIM’s objective was to transcend souls, it seems they had been profitable.
By Emily Sarkissian of Dance Informa.
