Isabel Gotzkowsky and Friends

What I saw last night. Isabel Gotzkowsky and Friends at Dance New Amsterdam. In the first piece a man is noodling about to the sound of water dripping. This continues for some time until several more dancers enter to do little more to a moody saxophone drone with a film backdrop that is washed out and seems to be a negative of some of the proceedings. Next a topless man and woman are linked together in a long piece of fabric. He shakes it out from time to time like a bedspread but mostly they just furl and unfurl. This is followed by four women similarly yolked and then three men that wrestle about while constricted by fabric. The final piece is a series of vignettes that seem to involve threesomes, cross dressing and snorting coke. There was also some warmed over Les Ballets Trockaderos.

Elements: performing when you enter, nudity, chairs, table, film
Titles: “B-Sides” “Bound” “Kafka’s Cotillion”
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Monstah Black & Major Scurlock

What I saw last night. Monstah Black & Major Scurlock at DNA. I am not at all clear what this show was about. It might have something to do with disillusionment with President Obama or it might have had something to do with reconciling being black at a time when the President is black or maybe neither.

Upon entering a film loop is showing people in black face dancing with watermelons. Soon a man and several women enter in silhouette to the film while an interview plays as soundtrack. After much milling about everyone changes clothes and the man (Monstah Black) puts on some amazing stripper shoes that have no heel and require him to balance. That was pretty good but most of the rest is writhing on the floor or channeling Tim Curry in Rock Horror Picture show. I’m not over the moon about this.

Elements: film, singing, talking, spoken word, underwear, tables, chairs, shoes without heels, live music
Title: “Black Moon” (La Lune Noir)
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Clarinda Mac Low & Jordana Che Toback

What I saw last night. Clarinda Mac Low & Jordana Che Toback at DNA. Another show and another snow storm. This was in front of a bar up the street.

A split program, the two choreographers collaborate on a piece and then each show one of their own. The collaboration had both of them dressed as stereotypical librarians channeling Sarah Palin and Christine O’Donnell inanity before descending into monkey chatter and playing guitar. The next piece featured a man and seven women barely clad in open dresses. They did a number of unison works with a mirror wall but it seemed to be a struggle for many of them. The final piece a man comes in with a woman strapped to his back wearing a Hannibal Lecter like face mask. That was kind of cool but not much happened after that.

I suggest avoiding the DNA lost and found. It seemed damp.

Elements: guitar, talking, film, nudity, mirrors, moving audience seats, rope, Radiohead, etc.
Titles: “ A dinosaur attacks a lighthouse (Scylla and Charybdis)” “Crush The Pearl, Part 1” “Double Public Blunder: Monster-us”
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Nicole Wolcott

What I saw last night. Nicole Wolcott at Dance New Amsterdam. Several women and a couple of men engage in a number of dance sketches mostly accompanied by pop music. Whitney Houston’s “I will always love you” needs to join Bonnie Tyler amongst the most over used music for comic purposes. Time to retire it. Sketches were constantly refreshed by a couple of moving walls that would be rolled in front of the action. Eventually I got rolling.

Elements: movable walls, high heel shoes, lip-syncing
Title: “100 Beginnings”
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Julie Bour

What I saw last night. Julie Bour at Dance New Amsterdam (DNA). It got damn cold out.

Elements: trunk, table, newspaper, voice over
Title: “Why Now?”
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Bill Young/Colleen Thomas & Co.

What I saw last night. Bill Young/Colleen Thomas & Co. at Dance New Amsterdam. The idea was the space was a loft and we were seated at tables or on pillows cabaret style while the performance “life” takes place around us. I found it hard to follow but we had dishes on our tables with candy, glow bracelets and blowing bubbles. I would have thought it was a kid’s party if not for the bar.

Elements: tables, chairs, couch, acting, singing, balloons, candy, bar in the audience, film etc.
Title: “Life (In Progress) II”
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Lori Belilove & the Beliloveables

What I saw last night. Lori Belilove & the Beliloveables at Dance New Amsterdam (DNA). I never noticed that their logo was actually a splotch of DNA. You can purchase it on shirts and such at the desk. My second consecutive show where T-shirts were available.

No elements to report unless you count a scarf but that seems inevitable for an Isadora Duncan Night.

Title: Isadora Goes Downtown (included a gallery showing, slide show from an Isadora Duncan graphic novel and then the dance)