03/ 12/ 2012
Since 2006, I’ve had a crush on a particular choreographer. She’s Monica Bill Barnes, and for me, it was love at first sight. She holds a special place in my heart for many reasons. One being that she was the first artist to make me really think about dance, its implications and what it means to audience members. When I was a senior in college, Barnes showed a new work she was developing as an artist in residence. The piece — Suddenly Summer Somewhere — took seven years to complete, and today, at the 92nd Street YMCA, I saw the end result.
The company performed as part of the 92Y Harkness Dance Festival. The curator of this event, Doug Varone, was so smart. He gave the thesis STRIPPED/DRESSED, requiring each participant to show excerpts of their featured work from the rehearsal process before the finished project.
Barnes brilliantly designed the afternoon. She (along with her Rehearsal Director and dancer Anna Bass) took us to SSS‘s starting place, showing the movement phrase she developed at FSU those seven years ago. From here, Barnes discussed what influenced her choreography: her grandfather’s death, boxing, live recordings of the Rat Pack (in particular Frank Sinatra) and elderly people. As you can imagine, humor and satire were also key players.
After viewing other facets of its development, we saw the full piece. During a black out, Barnes and Bass took the stage… well not exactly. When the lights came up, the duo stood on a small dining table complete with cups, plates and bowls. Each was hunched over and had a dead-pane stare, giving off a grumpy disposition. They stood. And stood, looking like they were both just “over it.”
Slowly, but surely, Barnes and Bass started to move. They’re a picture of frailty, taking turns supporting one another, as they get dangerously close to falling off the edge. Physically, they became like an old married couple, helping each other through the mayhem.
Eventually, Barnes and Bass descended from the table, which initiated some heavy dancing. One section — referred to as “Vegas” — is particularly memorable. The duo opened their heavy winter coats to reveal something quite sexy: brightly colored and sparkly muumuus. I’m giggling out-loud as they dance, in a state of ecstasy, while a spinning disco ball glitters the space.
My favorite moment of SSS is definitely the boxing section. Taking center-stage, Barnes and Bass stood side by side, interacting with the audience by mouthing along to the music and throwing punches. Their expressions were priceless and captured a “boxer” perfectly. The duet, though hysterical, is about something much deeper: a battle for survival… or maybe life?
Barnes’s and Bass’s affection and love for each other is so apparent in the work. With any other pairing, SSS wouldn’t have the same effect. You can tell there’s a history there. They’re dealing with life together, struggling alongside until the end. The vulnerability of Barnes and Bass is unreal. For two very tiny, muumuu clad, boxing women, it’s a testament to their abilities as performers to let the emotional rawness surpass their humorous appearance.
After the piece ended, Barnes and Bass were joined by another favorite of mine, Ira Glass, who hosts NPR‘s “This American Life.” If you haven’t listened to Glass’s show before, you’re missing out. He has this incredible ability to be completely casual, yet professional. He’s ridiculously intelligent, yet approachable, and isn’t afraid to ask simple questions, like what’s up with the boxing moves?
A wonderful moment occurred towards the end of the discussion. Glass commented that so much of Barnes’s choreography is awkward. She responded, “[my work] isn’t glamorous or slick… we’re like clowns in a circus.” For me, this is what makes Barnes so appealing. Her movement is the anti-cool, the odd and the sometimes ugly—it’s not what the average Joe expects to see at a dance show. Really, as Glass later points out, she’s creating an authentic display that audiences can relate to. This is one reason why she’s appealing—people identify with her material.
To show how genuinely cool she is, I’ll close with this quote, which captures the importance of collaboration to her work perfectly. Glass wondered where else SSS had been shown. Both dancers talked about their experience performing the work in elementary, middle and high-schools. Then Barnes said to Bass, “… [it’s an] incredible experience to do [this piece] with you.”
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