Dorrance Dance’s SOUNDspace to be performed at The Argyros
By DANA DUGAN
In the Wood River Valley, the arts are as beloved as yoga and skiing. Though not as ubiquitous, the area is increasingly rich in occasions to see quality dance work. On Tuesday, April 9, and Wednesday, April 10, at 6:30 p.m. at the Argyros Performing Arts Center in Ketchum, Dorrance Dance will present one of its most acclaimed pieces, “SOUNDspace.”
Founded in 2011 by choreographer and dancer Michelle Dorrance, a MacArthur Fellow, Dorrance Dance is currently touring its repertory nationally and internationally. For lovers of contemporary dance, this opportunity to see a hot young company at work in Ketchum is irresistible.
“SOUNDspace” was created to be performed in the historic St. Marks Church in New York City. It will be adapted for the theater setting and exceptional acoustical capabilities of The Argyros.
“When traveling to different venues and interfacing with different acoustic environments, the choreography isn’t what is modified—it’s our execution,” Dorrance said. “So if we need a different dynamic, if we need to get a different tone because of the overtones on the space, if certain accents get carried too much or not enough, we are mindful to adjust the execution.”
As well, Dorrance said that while the company is touring on the contemporary dance tour circuit, they strive to reveal tap dance’s often misunderstood history.
“Tap dance was born on the plantation and the streets,” she said. “Improvisation and innovation are innate and embedded in the very foundation of the form. Dorrance Dance is made of truly unique dancers and musicians. We have an unconquerable respect for our art form, its traditions and its possibilities. Tap dance is also an integral part of the jazz legacy. Pushing boundaries and exploring one’s own voice are part of the ethos of jazz. Respecting and maintaining the integrity of the tradition while pushing the form’s continued growth is part of our truly unique and beautiful culture.”
SOUNDspace’s “tone, timbre, volume, tempo and, of course, rhythm, constructing patterns that lock together thrillingly,” wrote Brian Seibert in The New York Times. “The main emotion that ‘SOUNDspace’ produced was excitement—excitement about sounds, and about the development of this talented choreographer, the most promising one in tap right now.”
Dorrance is quick to point out that her dancers inform their roles and improvise.
“They have unique personalities, unique physically, unique in their improvisational expression, in their rhythmic sensibilities, in their musical expression and inflection,” Dorrance said. “To bring these disparate personalities together as an ensemble is so exhilarating, to let them live as individual artists within the work, to allow them to solo. I don’t want to watch myself for an hour. I want to see them.”
Dorrance Dance has performed at numerous important venues over the past eight years, including The Joyce Theater, New York City Center in New York City and Lincoln Center Out of Doors, all in New York City; along with Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, Mass., in the Berkshires; Carolina Performing Arts in Chapel Hill, N.C.; Vail International Dance Festival; and The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
For tickets to Dorrance Dance’s performance, contact theargyros.org, or call (208) 726-7872.