T:BA:07

Today was a great day for T:BA!
Thank you PICA!!!
Jennifer Monson / iLand at Disjecta was wonderful. Their sense of space, improvisation, use of non-traditional materials was of the milieu that I have come to expect and greatly appreciate in contemporary dance. If you have seen some of Monster Squad / Marty Schnapf’s work, and enjoy their visceral and technical form of dance, they you will certainly love Monson. I am thrilled to see another excellent dance troupe coming from Barbara Bryan, I am ecstatic to see Disjecta becoming a mature venue, and I would recommend checking it out!
The funny thing was, that as I watched these four talented and trained dancers, I was reflecting back to Oklahoma that other night.
It cannot escape me.
Everyone keeps coming up to me and saying how much they loved it, and what are my thoughts… OK, so I can now say that I “appreciate” Oklahoma, only in that they did inspire humor and the audience seems to love them. I, on the other hand, find their acting to be a mockery of the very essence of T:BA. Perhaps this is the very reason they were commissioned to be part of the line-up? A sense of humor? A sense that there is art in the everyday and in each of us. Sorry, but I just do not agree. I would gladly get a beer with the four of them, but I would not toss any ticket dollars at them in this type of venue.
Next was on to the Newmark to see Spalding Gray, or should I say a homage to the talented narrative of a past writer. To hear his words on the radio is/was amazing. But, to see a few folks reading his words from loose-leaf binders again made me wonder about the dedication of intent that continues to manifest in this year’s T:BA.
Luckily, the night was revived by Ten Tiny Dances [12] at the Works.
A few of Marty Schnapf’s crew were in excellent form, as was Angelle Hebert + Phillip Kraft. Oh, and I only wish to someday see their Tango on a larger stage then 4×4… Roarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Thank you Argentina!
Luckily for us Portlanders, Angelle and Phillip have landed here [for now] and have been creating amazing works ever since. If you did not go to see beNUMBed last April, then I would keep you ear out for their next performance!
Fredrick Zal
Architect | Sculptor | Advocate
http://www.fhzal.com
beNUMBed