Ten Tiny Dances
posted by: Laura Becker
photos by Kenneth Aaron, Wayne Bund and Carole Zoom
I think TBA’s there-are-no-rules-mentality is starting to rub off on the festival’s annual and jovial nod to Placed-Based Art, Ten Tiny Dances. Mike Barber’s less-and-less conformed to rules of the game (no stepping off of the 4×4′ stage for more than 15 seconds, no further than one foot) went straight out those scary second story windows at the Works this year.
Not only did dancers lie around the stage on the floor for one entire piece, not only was there a woman circling the perimeter, serving juicylicious smelling watermelon to the trio on stage, but one dancer never even made it to the stage. Instead he danced in, on, around and with his chair in a corner of the auditorium, climbing and twirling underneath and around the railings nearby. (One more little golden nugget to add to all the serendipitously infinite ways the space this year is being used, re-used and recycled by all of its inhabitants, artists and viewers alike (and in some cases, due to the mischievious feeling being in an old school after dark is evoking, unfortunately its being disrespected and abused.)
Okay, what was I saying? Oh yeah, other things new to most long-term TTD fans, or at least to me (or maybe I just haven’t been paying enough attention):
– a stage on top of a stage, the writhing in spandex stripper on top being protected by the lucky bastards sitting in the front rows (who also got to boogey with Mike during his intro)
– a dancer that sung several seductive times into a stand-up mike invading one corner of the space
– a whole first half and then some of solos
The thing that hasn’t changed, of course, is the playfulness, the frivolity, and the lovable-ness, even during and despite unavoidable low points, as well as the whole gosh darn fun of seeing the perfect balance of the spare and the spectacle try to top itself with every show. As well as the way in which the viewer can never quite figure out how much is choreographed and how much might be flawlessly made up on the spot, while the dancer relies on the creative freedom those confining rules actually can lend, if and when in need.
one
two
Is she just catching her breath when she does her eye-catching magical eye dances?
three
Is that dress just one piece of terry cloth designed with some strategically-placed safety pins and with a giant slit to reveal her shoulders? Awesome.
four
five
six
seven
eight
we knew the end was coming but it was still a little startling
nine
I never knew that sleigh bells on a man’s ankles could be so sexy.
ten
*sparkle sparkle*
