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| Photo by Julieta Cervantes | Carlos Cruz Velázquez and ChristinaNoel Reaves
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Collective Insanity as a Good Thing
Purple waves (... fading red) as a Joyce Soho debut
By QUINN BATSON
Offoffoff.com
Purple Waves (... fading red) is a perfectly good title for a show with blood and fury around the edges. Carlos A. Cruz Velázquez and nine women give plenty in this evening-length show at Joyce Soho.
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| | | COLECTIVODOSZETA | Choreography by: Carlos A. Cruz Velázquez.
Dancers: Zoe Blake, Lori Byargeon, Katie Clancy, clare cook, Tiffani Harris, Faye Lim, Ariana Siegel, ChristinaNoel Reaves, Yin Yue and Carlos A. Cruz Velázquez.
Music by: Jeffrey D. Smith.
Lighting design by: Simon Cleveland.
Production stage manager: Ramona Kelley.
| | SCHEDULE | Joyce Soho
September 17-20, 2009
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Watching Gone (... a scar and a feather) is a bit like watching gentle waves breaking on a beach; it is lulling and usually uneventful, occasionally broken by an unusually active wave. As a way to bring the audience into a theater head, it may work, but it is so quiet that it feels odd coming before a much spicier program.
Mano a mano combat and twitchy paranoia mixed with sweetness put Nobody in an entirely different place. Velázquez and ChristinaNoel Reaves are the big guy leaking sweat and the tough chick dishing it out and taking it in this full-contact punk slamfest. Chairs serve as metaphors for personal space and the intimacy/avoidance spectrum. Both chairs and bodies are abused, but thankfully the chairs never become weapons. With the level of drama and healthy violence here, weaponized chairs could make this either a pro wrestling contest or a disturbingly real fight. Not sure if there is a message here, but lyrics that include 'no languages, no dialects' may be making a case for universality. At any rate, it's all pretty exciting to watch.
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| Photo by Julieta Cervantes | Clare Cook, Reaves and Lori Byargeon
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Of shame and leaves (... or recipe to forget) has some of the dreaminess of Gone and all of its missing flavors. Circular flow and beauty in the music and movement give the piece a feel of humans as leaves circling in the wind. Like leaves, these people fall to the ground repeatedly as the wind dies down and they lose altitude, a bit painful to watch but a pretty effective metaphor. A moment of attraction and mild stalking amidst the crowd between Reaves and Ariana Siegel is surprisingly beautiful.
On the minimum scent of... (time) might just as well be titled "Crazy Love of Things" from the lyrics of original music by Jeffrey Smith. It is a little dark and a little funny, with Velázquez as an overgenerous hugger with a bit of OCD, which he shares with chosen audience members that he leads onstage. Cupcakes are fetish items, and it is better for him to give than to receive.
Abandoned thoughts (as if... nothing/me against myself) is a joyous female freakout. Lori Byargeon, Clare Cook and ChristinaNoel Reeves take turns feeling their oats and trying on wild personas. This is lots of fun to watch. Abandon and energy clear the air and give a cathartic ending to a strong evening.
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SEPTEMBER 25, 2009
OFFOFFOFF.COM • THE GUIDE TO ALTERNATIVE NEW YORK
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