"...Then There Was Another" at the Don Powell Theater, SDSU
The third installment of the Hybrid Authorship Trilogy comes into its own
By Brian Schaefer
Posted on Jun 30 2008
Last updated Jul 02 2008
So often the artistic process is an invisible one. Months or years of thought, experimentation, and revision culminate in a single evening on which to validate or reject all the work that preceded it. So often what seems an instant success is really the result of a process that includes some serious doubt and soul-searching. Given this general inability to glimpse the creative process, it's a rare occurrence to witness a dance piece take shape and develop over time, on display for public observance, and to see it grow into its own and find its path from a simple idea into a fully-fleshed theory.
San Diego dance makers (and university professors, all of them) Joe Alter, Liam Clancy, and Eric Geiger started work on what they termed the Hybrid Authorship Project over a year ago in an attempt to explore what could result from a collaboration with not only other choreographers, but dramaturgs, neuroscientists, and a good dose of technology, too. I caught the first iteration of the process in its infancy as a solid five-minute trio conceived around Sushi's tiny 4X4 stage in the middle of Bluefoot Bar and Lounge, complete with a soundtrack of billiards and clinking beer glasses.
Several months later found me at the Sherwood Auditorium in what I might call the "awkward adolescent" phase of the project. Sure, it had grown up a lot but in the process, it seemed a bit confused. A bit directionless, too many ideas rolling around in its head, somewhat impressionable, and lacking confidence.
So what a pleasure it was to return to the Don Powelll Theater at SDSU last week for my third look at the project, now titled "... Then There Was Another" to find a thoughtful young dance with the wisdom to peel back some more layers to get to a stronger, more authentic core, the patience to stick with itself and trust that a genuine voice would emerge, and the balls to go to the chopping board and walk away from what wasn't working. It's a tough thing to do, let go. True in life and true in art. But sometimes to grow, you've got to ditch the old skin.
The creative team smoothed over awkward transitions, moved the mesmerizing table work that I found so impressive at Bluefoot many months ago front and center, introducing it early on, and enhanced the role of the various cameras providing live feed from different angles. The piece became a provocative look at perspectives, with one particularly powerful sequence featuring Clancy dangling from the edge of the standing table, blocked by the table itself but projected overhead by a camera on the back of the stage. What in previous showings felt like mere choreography suddenly became a much more interesting idea about the ability to magnify and illuminate that which is hidden, and how that revelation affects the way an object, person, and/or action is seen.
Maybe it's not fully there yet. I'm still feeling a disconnect between the story the physical movement tells me and the words that accompany it. But now I'm interested enough to explore further.
What a unique opportunity to observe this journey and how satisfying to watch this work emerge. If there's another manifestation to come, I hope to be there.
| Dates | : | Thursday, June 26, 2008 |
| Production Type | : | Dance |
| Venue | : | Don Powell Theater San Diego State University 5500 Campanile Dr. |
About the author: Brian Schaefer is an alumnus of UC San Diego with degrees in Communication and Dance. He recently completed a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts to study Arts Journalism and Dance Criticism at the American Dance Festival in Durham, North Carolina.
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