Friend or Faun?
Oakland-based dance company this sweet nothing premieres
Was It A Dream I loved, February 10-12, 2012; Tickets $15-$30.00
To mark the centennial of Vaslav Nijinsky’s Afternoon of a Faun, the Oakland-based dance theater group 'this sweet nothing' will present an evening-length performance inspired by the seminal ballet. Since its controversial premiere by Les Ballets Russes in Paris in 1912—during which outraged patrons caused a near riot—artists ranging from Jerome Robbins and Mikhail Baryshnikov to Freddie Mercury and Queen have revisited the work because of its inherent pull and mystery.
For this re-imagined fantasy, choreographer Sonsherée Giles, composer Caroline Penwarden, and visual artist Heike Liss will create an erotic and teasing dreamscape, charged with sexual ambiguity all in order to undermine our collective sense of what is “real”.
Was it a Dream I Loved also intends to challenge sexual stereotypes and put a magnifying glass on questions around the dynamics and realities of sexuality and gender.
While Giles relies on her daily observations of downtown Oakland as well as art history to inform her choreographic work and artistic voice, all three have close affinities to the area and find that it is a source for their creative impulse and the work’s high voltage interplay.
Penwarden’s live score mixes voice, wood-based percussion, electric guitar, accordion and other instruments to create soundscapes informed by liturgy, ecology, African music, and rock.
The images created by Liss are designed to both complement the sound and movement throughout the performance, and will include footage taken in the woodlands where she lives and walks, as well as others composed in real time and digitally “painted” on the dance and music.
The three protagonists will be joined by dancers from AXIS Dance Company, as well as guest artists Lisa Bufano, Amy Lewis, Rebecca Gilbert, Janet Das, John Carnahan, Kevin Atkinson, Alicia Ruth, Damon Waitkus, Aram Shelton, Noah Phillips, Jim Kassis, and Jason Hoopes
Advance tickets recommended: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/214818
This project was generously supported by CA$H, a grants program of Theatre Bay Area, in partnership with Dancers’ Group, the Zellerbach Family Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Clorox Company Foundation, the East Bay Fund for Artists, AXIS Dance Company, and Oakland School of the Arts.
Cost: $15-30