South Chicago Dance Theatre's season eight, featuring surreal themes that challenge the mind as well as the body, premiered at the Auditorium on May 3. Although I had seen another company attempt a surreal theme, this was an exceptional performance with added psychological and visual dimension. Now, you can cue up the woo-woo meter if you like. It is possible that Salvador Dali's Persistence of Memory, aka the melting clocks, was a first experience with surrealism for some. I think South Chicago Dance went deeper into the psyche of identity and appearances with this performance. In short, this was a mind-blower.
The first dance, Temporal Trance, was a Chicago premiere, choreographed by Frank Chaves, the artistic airector of River North Dance for over two decades. Chaves retired in 2019 but left a lasting imprint on the Chicago dance scene. Before the start of the performance, he was awarded the Cultural Hero Award for significantly impacting dance education, production, and administration.
Temporal Trance was set up, with the dancers forming statue-like figures. They looked like flowers or creatures emerging from a shell when they moved. Julie E. Ballard's lighting design was dim and an intense emerald green. Chaves' choreography is known for the energy and intimacy of the dancers on stage. The emotional investment and trust are seen in the gravity-defying poses and the acting talent of the ensemble. The music choices included different sacred or mystical compositions—Peter Gabriel's "Passions" soundtrack, excerpts from The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Vangelis, and Gabrielle Roth and the Mirrors. Temporal Trance sets the mood and the template for unfolding the performances.
The second piece was a world premiere, Folk, which Kate Weare choreographed for SCDT. The sounds and rhythms are reminiscent of ceremonial music. Various artists contributed to the music that accompanied Weare's vision of a village. The audience laughed when Alessandro Alessandroni paid homage to Ennio Morricone's sounds for Sergio Leone's "Spaghetti Westerns." One of the dancers was sent across the stage like a tumbleweed. The humor and satire of cultural norms was a thread throughout the evening.
The third dance was a wondrous creation from choreographer Tsai Hsi. Under the Skin was from 2004, but my interpretation feels more indicative of how people interact and devolve into political tribalism. The dancers wore gi attire designed by Trey Alexander and were dressed for martial arts. The perfectly timed movements were similar to Brazilian capoeira or a Saturday morning Shodokan movie where the hero/heroine uses every body part, including the hair. Hair was whipped throughout the dance, and when they took their bows before intermission.
The finale was IN/WITHIN, choreographed by SCDT founder Kia S. Smith, and it was a surrealistic scorcher. Imagery and actions juxtaposed to ponder image and self-discovery. All dancers wore skin-tone body suits, and I am happy to say that every tone was represented, unlike the "flesh" crayon of my childhood. A clothesline hung from the rafters with a motley assortment of pants and shirts. IN/WITHIN featured vocalizing, absurd phrases, and finger-to-lip "shhh." Different women in sunglasses, sparkly red hot pants, and platform shoes walked across the stage to stand before a fan. Silvery strands were attached to the front of the fan, giving the air a visual.
Shouts of "French fries!" "peanut butter!" "bumblebees!" and a drawn-out "pickles!" echoed from the stage. There was also a bit of robot garble—more Dr. Who, perhaps. A delightful "Flight of the Bumblebees" played as the dancers whizzed about the stage. This was a carefully choreographed dance with order and disorder in the same space. I have covered surreal dance previously with This is Not a Pipe from Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble. It was specific to René Magritte's work of bowler hats and green apples suspended in the air. It felt like a strange and fun day in Provence.
This performance from SCDT is a visible portmanteau of both frenzied and deliberate zen-like moves. SCDT has flesh and the elements of metal, fire, and water. Incidentally, there was a fog machine, but it was used so deftly that it was part of the choreography rather than a symbol of foreboding and mystery. This fog enhanced rather than delineated the performance.
My first experience with Surrealism was over 40 years ago when I saw the film Un Chien Andalou by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali. I called it the "sliced eyeball movie" until I delved more into the movement, reading André Breton and looking at art by Miró, Magritte, and Dali. SCDT beautifully distorted the themes of time and the human body. The May 3 performance gives credence to what the mind is thinking, the eye seeing, which I have always used as my understanding of surrealism.
SCDT is celebrating eight years of innovative work. They have carved out their place in the cultural landscape of Chicago performance. I highly recommend looking for South Chicago Dance Theatre performances and keeping track of Kia S. Smith's vision as it unfolds.
South Chicago Dance Theatre performed at the Auditorium, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive. For more information, please visit www.southchicagodancetheatre.com and www.auditoriumtheatre.org
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