As the world experienced an intense and tumultuous churning of weather, political matter and social change, my salvation from the external chaos was keeping my appetite for dance. It was a sampler year of appetizers, tasty morsels and huge helpings of dance which satisfied my hunger, and kept me and my dinner guests happy in a year that seemed quite dim.
In remembering a good meal, you always recall the faces gathered around the table. From film making to rolling around on dirty dance floors, Adams Company Dance’s most notable figures pulled together a great meal and offered up an array of treats, from film to stage. Notables from the lens side of things were Ben Moss, Amelia Golden and Cathryn Lundgren mixing it up with an eye for editing genius and a photo-batch of amazing images.
On the dance floor at the Ailey Citibank Theater were Cathryn Borrone, Milan Misko and James A. Pierce, III. This second-time around with Itty Bitty Nitty Gritty, my ode to a children’s chair-piece, proved to be deliciously done! Of course, our favorite photographer, Cathryn Lundgren, was there to photograph in her inimitable style. Next up, was the completion of Ben Moss’s film on my day at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in 2010, Let’s Face It. The dancers, Annie Church, Julie Fiorenza, Ryan Schmidt and Sarah Wiechman, rose to new heights in this Jiffy Mix happening-turned cutting-edge film. Catch in the background photographer Fay Li, and videographer Peter Richards, who manned the camera. Does it get any better?
Reel time next, with Amelia Golden at the helm, and our hours of time together editing footage from as far back as circa 1993. It took a couple of months of our sifting through DVDs, and picking and choosing what would become ACD’s feature reel. It was about time!
Moving forward, Perceptions Dance Festival accepted ACD to perform on their bill in Brooklyn at the Triskelion Arts Center. With a few fits and starts with the cast, we finally ended up with Deidrea Halley and returning ACD dancer, Chris Jackson. Deidrea is the sister of former ACD dancer, Robert Halley, so the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. With permission for the music granted once again from my dear friend, Maria Schneider, the duet, Miles, took to the stage once again with new and different energy from two very talented dancers. Delectable!
James A. Pierce, III, capped off my year with the making of another Jiffy Mix dance. Amelia Golden captured the the quick-time rehearsal and performance of a new solo made on the spot for James. Jumping in on the day was Cathryn Lundgren behind the lens, and a small, but enthusiastic audience at the Baryshnikov Arts Center. Nicole Renaud, composer/singer/accordion player extraordinaire, granted permission for another one of her seminal works, adding a French twist to our dance. Kudos to Amelia for her interpretative film about our process entitled, Jeu d’ Esprit. The artfully-danced solo entitled, Avec Moi, deserves much applause for James, for his crash-course learning of what would become a signature solo. Simply nourishing!!
You know that the Mayans are planning a wonderful New Year’s Eve celebration complete with a side-of-mockery of the American people for their tales-of-doomsday cataclysm– I, on the other hand, will await my company at my dinner table, set for imagination and a side-of-hope for a New Year year filled with a dazzling new menu for my distinguished guests!
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| Ben Moss, filmmaker | Photographer/Performer CathrynLynnePhoto | Amelia Golden, filmmaker |
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| Itty Bitty Nitty Gritty | Itty Bitty Nitty Gritty | Let’s Face It |
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| See our Feature Reel | Perceptions Dance Festival | Avec Moi |