Turning Heads, Frocks in Flight
A true test of a fine production is the spirit of its performers and their ability to make the most of its material and setting, even when faced with adversity. When dancers from Gabrielle Lansner and Company performed Turning Heads, Frocks in Flight, on Aug. 13, the cast was faced with an unwelcome surprise — rain.
The free outdoor production open to the public began its run on Aug. 3 and had yet to be called off due to bad weather. This was the last show on its schedule and in the event of rain, there was no backup stage indoors.
The rain began just before the 12:30 show time, a mist and then a light spattering that would become steady. The show was delayed, but the dancers refused to allow a cancellation. They trickled outside from the Jewish Heritage Museum, where they had dressed for the performance, shielded by umbrellas and determined to perform at the site in South Cove Plaza in Battery Park City.
Hyosun Choi, clothed in Black Forest: My Home, a blue frock with spindly black branches like bolts of lightning on it, was one of the first to come out. She commented that she’s from California, where it rarely rains; she said the beauty of dancing in the rain appeals to her. Choi and the other dancers gathered with Gabrielle Lansner, the show’s choreographer, to discuss what to do. Lansner was worried about the slippery wet ground. The 15 dancers assured her that would not be a problem.
And so it was that two enjoyable back-to-back performances of Turning Heads would be performed, the first one in the rain without music; the second one, an encore after the rain had stopped and the music could be played.
Choi was right; the first silent dance had a haunting beauty in the rain. The only sounds were the click of cameras and the rush of nearby water. The diverse female dancers, clothed in dresses designed by the Italian artist Caterina Bertolotto, bowed, spun, stomped, curled through hula hoops and raised their arms to the sky. Their theatrical gestures expressed the names of the costumes and explored the notions of freedom and self-transformation. The frocks, known collectively as Dresses of Transformation, each have a name, such as Metamorphosis, a lime green bodysuit adorned with butterflies and skirted with a bell-shaped cocoon like a black net, or Unlock Me, a white dress with black hands on it and chains draped across the front.
Their movements traced the waterfront plaza. At times, in near unison, they marched over a wood-plank bridge, the black spiral of the Mary Miss Staircase behind them. More often, the dancers fanned out. Some clustered at angles, while others stood atop benches lining the Hudson River, with the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island misted in the distance.
Adding the music for the second performance improved the show. The songs chosen and co-written by Nancy Magarill, were at times seductive, uplifting and operatic, their tempo and mood voicing the dancers’ movements. The opening and closing solo sung by McKenzie Frye tied together the performance.
The endurance and high spirits of the dancers are a testament to their leadership. Lansner, who has worked in the dance and theatre realms for more than a quarter century, is known for guiding her performers to channel their emotions, an effect that makes for visual and intellectual shows. Her versatile portfolio of experience includes having directed projects that range from Holocaust Stories staged at The Duke on 42nd Street to the musical production of River Deep, A Tribute to Tina Turner, at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre.
Turning Heads was produced for Sitelines 2009, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s annual site-specific dance performance series, and is part of the River to River Festival in NYC. For 36 years, LMCC has been a leading voice for arts and culture in the city, especially in downtown Manhattan.
To see a Qik interview with Gabrielle Lansner, click on this media player:
To watch scenes from Turning Heads, Frocks in Flight, click on this media player:
The free outdoor production open to the public began its run on Aug. 3 and had yet to be called off due to bad weather. This was the last show on its schedule and in the event of rain, there was no backup stage indoors.
The rain began just before the 12:30 show time, a mist and then a light spattering that would become steady. The show was delayed, but the dancers refused to allow a cancellation. They trickled outside from the Jewish Heritage Museum, where they had dressed for the performance, shielded by umbrellas and determined to perform at the site in South Cove Plaza in Battery Park City.
Hyosun Choi, clothed in Black Forest: My Home, a blue frock with spindly black branches like bolts of lightning on it, was one of the first to come out. She commented that she’s from California, where it rarely rains; she said the beauty of dancing in the rain appeals to her. Choi and the other dancers gathered with Gabrielle Lansner, the show’s choreographer, to discuss what to do. Lansner was worried about the slippery wet ground. The 15 dancers assured her that would not be a problem.
And so it was that two enjoyable back-to-back performances of Turning Heads would be performed, the first one in the rain without music; the second one, an encore after the rain had stopped and the music could be played.
Choi was right; the first silent dance had a haunting beauty in the rain. The only sounds were the click of cameras and the rush of nearby water. The diverse female dancers, clothed in dresses designed by the Italian artist Caterina Bertolotto, bowed, spun, stomped, curled through hula hoops and raised their arms to the sky. Their theatrical gestures expressed the names of the costumes and explored the notions of freedom and self-transformation. The frocks, known collectively as Dresses of Transformation, each have a name, such as Metamorphosis, a lime green bodysuit adorned with butterflies and skirted with a bell-shaped cocoon like a black net, or Unlock Me, a white dress with black hands on it and chains draped across the front.
Their movements traced the waterfront plaza. At times, in near unison, they marched over a wood-plank bridge, the black spiral of the Mary Miss Staircase behind them. More often, the dancers fanned out. Some clustered at angles, while others stood atop benches lining the Hudson River, with the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island misted in the distance.
Adding the music for the second performance improved the show. The songs chosen and co-written by Nancy Magarill, were at times seductive, uplifting and operatic, their tempo and mood voicing the dancers’ movements. The opening and closing solo sung by McKenzie Frye tied together the performance.
The endurance and high spirits of the dancers are a testament to their leadership. Lansner, who has worked in the dance and theatre realms for more than a quarter century, is known for guiding her performers to channel their emotions, an effect that makes for visual and intellectual shows. Her versatile portfolio of experience includes having directed projects that range from Holocaust Stories staged at The Duke on 42nd Street to the musical production of River Deep, A Tribute to Tina Turner, at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre.
Turning Heads was produced for Sitelines 2009, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s annual site-specific dance performance series, and is part of the River to River Festival in NYC. For 36 years, LMCC has been a leading voice for arts and culture in the city, especially in downtown Manhattan.
To see a Qik interview with Gabrielle Lansner, click on this media player:
To watch scenes from Turning Heads, Frocks in Flight, click on this media player:
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