Press
'Pointed Humor' showcases physicality and precision
Review: The performance included unimaginable jumps and elegance.
James Sewell Ballet's performance of "Pointed Humor" at St. Paul's O'Shaughnessy last weekend highlighted the dancers' buoyant physicality in three new works, and one repertory piece.
Choreographer James Sewell's "HumerUs," joins a long line of ballets that imagine dolls coming to life. "The Nutcracker" and "Coppélia," both based on stories by E.T.A. Hoffman, make up this tradition, as do ballets like "Die Puppenfee" ("The Fairy Doll"), created by Nikolai and Sergei Legat, and Ballet Russes' "La Boutique Fantasque" (The Magic Toyshop). ... Dressed in striped costumes and moving with mechanical whimsy, the dolls easily broke free from the wizard (played by Sewell, in a cameo.)
Sewell's piece, like his "Doo-Be-Doo," from 1994, also performed last weekend, showcased the JSB dancers' considerable athleticism. Jaw-dropping high jumps, lifts and feats of strength done with easy grace filled both works. Sewell's skill at constructing clever configurations and shapes in the two dances, meanwhile, was apparent.
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Formerly a company dancer with JSB, Iwahama returned as a guest choreographer along with Michael Walters. In "Gathered, Now Shared," which premiered at the Warren Miller in March and presented at the O'Shaughnessy, Iwahama drew on a mix of Baroque and contemporary experimental music as he explored human connection. He took an elegant approach in the duets and larger group sections, and added dream-like elements, like one section where the dancers appeared to be swimming across the stage.
Walters' "undone…," which premiered at the O'Shaughnessy, channeled urgent emotion and was set to a thrilling score by Arvo Pärt. Javan Mngrezzo and Connor Simone, who were both impressive in all of the dances, stunned in this electric piece. Walters' choreography leaned into the dynamic tension of a charged relationship with intriguing investigations of spatial distance.
Lighting designer Kevin Jones, credited for the whole program, made bold choices in Walters' work that added to its allure. The lighting infused the dances with colorful punctuation in a varied concert that gave a platform for JSB's skillful performers.
Recent Past Mentions
Dance: A harbinger of the health of the local arts scene
A few reflections on its role in such an ecosystem.
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So when a community has a visible and healthy dance scene, it means that there is a lot of infrastructure and that there are a lot of economic and human assets in place that these artists can take advantage of. It means that the arts scene is deep and broad and has bench strength. This is why when the supports for dance artists are in place, and a community benefits from a healthy and robust dance scene, most other art forms — theater, music, visual, literary — will have their needs met long before the dance artist.
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But if you think, well, it's just dance, we've got plenty of other stuff going on, this is certainly is true. It won't remain true without attention and care. The closing of Cowles, even though to some it felt inevitable with its flawed and fragile business model, tells us quite clearly that forces couldn't be gathered to save it, or to figure out what the structural issues were and how to solve them. It signals a failure of our community will and vision. It also signals something much bigger is lurking that is a threat to our broader cultural community, and that this is not just a dance thing, it's an everything thing.
Cowles Center in downtown Minneapolis cancels dance performances after losing funding
The Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts announced Wednesday that it would end its dance programming at the Goodale Theater as of March 31. The downtown Minneapolis center's educational and community programs will, however, continue through the end of the 2023-24 school year in May.
"It became clear, probably several months ago, that Artspace, our largest donor and administrative partner, was having their own financial troubles, which wouldn't allow them to sustain their level of giving to the Cowles," said Joseph Bingham, co-director of the Cowles Center. "We've been working in the background to kind of figure out what that meant financially and figure out either a Plan B or whether that meant potential fundraising or another partner in the picture."
According to Bingham, two weeks ago, Cowles staff found that Artspace's financial picture couldn't sustain the performing arts center.
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Bingham added that anonymous donors have contributed so that the Cowles can stay afloat through March, and provide financial payouts to artists whose shows have been canceled.
"We'll find a new place to land for our spring season," said James Sewell, artistic director of James Sewell Ballet that is among the companies whose shows have been canceled. "We're not quite sure where that's going to be yet, but we're working on that today."
James Sewell's 'In the Shadows' brings together Frankenstein, zombies, Poe and ballet
Review: The dance company takes a curated approach in the supernatural-themed works at O'Shaughnessy.
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In another shift, JSB is trying out a new model for pulling a show together, one that is particularly artist-driven. Rather than composer Timothy C. Takach and choreographer Penelope Freeh receiving commissioning funds from JSB, they sought funding as individual artists. The dance company is then producing the work and paying the dancers' wages and paying MPLS (imPulse) choral ensemble to perform live.
"This was something that I just knew I wanted to make," Takach said. His wife, who is also a composer, encouraged him to do what he wanted to do as an artist and figure out the rest later.
Initially, Takach received two grants through the Central Minnesota Arts Board, which paid for two sets of workshops used to initially develop the work with the JSB dancers. Takach and Freeh also received additional funding through a family fund from the Minneapolis Foundation, using JSB as their fiscal sponsor.
"We're feeling very supported, yet we're upending the model at the same time," said Freeh, who danced with the company for 17 years and served as artistic associate between 2007 and 2011.