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Flash Review 2, 3-19:
Overwhelmed to Tears
Lava's Grrl Power a Rave
By Maura Nguyen Donohue
Copyright 2001 Maura Nguyen Donohue
Following up all-girl
company Lava's power production of "Timberline," Friday at P.S.
122, with the all-male madness of the Japanese troupe Condors, Saturday
at the Japan Society, gives me a moment's pause on the reasoning
behind gender-exclusive performance groups. I could probably point
out several dance groups consisting of only women who don't necessarily
market themselves that way. So when Sarah East Johnson's newest
production's press release leads with "All-Girl Lava..." I think
there's a specific point being made. Lava and Condors are prime
examples for my base theory that a gender-exclusive company addresses,
in its explicit challenge of them, traditional gender roles. Both
offer us an alternative vision of what men and women are, and are
capable of. And, while I'm thrilled to see men reconstructing themselves,
I must admit that the hype around certain all-male dance events
was almost enough to keep me from witnessing the special mania of
Condors. The flip-side is that my reaction against such hype is
to eagerly seek out work like Lava's. And I wasn't disappointed.
I can find metaphors
for young women in just about every moment of "Timberline." The
joy of Johnson's work is that she shows you by literal example how
women can use strength, humor, grace, determination and, most importantly,
cooperation to get to the top. For Johnson that top could be literally
on top of the Sierras, thus the title which refers to the altitude
at which few trees can grow; or it could refer to her own artistic
pinnacle as the winner of both Obie and Bessie awards. But her point
is never a berating diatribe. When she and Natalie Agee perform
an astounding duet of strength and balance, I am witness to so many
moments of sincere effort and trust that I find myself overwhelmed
to tears. I've seen many of these 'trick's performed by groups like
Cirque du Soleil but to watch two women make their way through these
seemingly impossible configurations with obvious effort, and true
rawness, is an act of feminism in it's deepest sense, revealing
enormous personal, and physical, strength and flexibility.
That things don't always
go so perfectly is also part of Lava's appeal. If the always charming
Tanya Gagne, of "Foxhole" fame, has a moment's trouble staying on
the tightrope line or Adrienne Truscott or Diana Greiner topple
a hoop they are diving through, it only serves to make them more
real. In doing so, they are not so far removed from any other woman
or young girl, such as the young Sgroi twins who join them on stage,
willing to take a few falls and continue on. My only complaint is
that the final "you go girl" dance was too short. I want to see
these well-equipped bodies in this manner more often, bringing their
fantastic circus training and athleticism further into the realm
of 'modern dance.' But I can hardly call that a complaint. That
I want to see more of them is really a compliment. In the meantime,
I'll entertain dreams of running away and joining the Lava. "Timberline"
runs for one more weekend, this Wednesday through Sunday, with show-times
at 8:30 p.m. and an additional show Saturday at 4 p.m.
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