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DANCE-A-LORUS = DANCE + FILM Original dance choreography is a highly active but underappreciated part of Wilmington’s vibrant arts scene. One of the best times to see local, original modern dance is at Dance-a-lorus, the opening night event at this year’s Cucalorus Film Festival. Dance-a-lorus is a unique collaboration in which local choreographers partner with local filmmakers to create original work that uses both dance and film. Dance-a-lorus was created by the Dance Co-op and Cucalorus. The Dance Co-op is a group of local dancers that works to create performance opportunities (such as the annual North Carolina Dance Festival) for local choreographers and dancers. The group also provides a supportive environment for adults who want to return to dance, as well as dancers who want to continue their development. Many dancers who disliked the extreme competitiveness of traditional dance schooling have found a home with the Co-op. And there has been mentoring of emerging choreographers.
This year’s Dance-a-lorus offers a wide variety of new
works from experienced choreographers and filmmakers, as well as
emerging ones. The pieces range from beautiful to athletic, funny to
thoughtful, with music ranging from classical to the 5 Blind Boys of
Alabama. Kate Neely and Harris Muhlstein’s piece, “Evolution,”
traces the evolution of punk rock. Tracey Varga and Joe Cordaro
celebrate the work of the Full Belly Project. Sue Meier and Lexi
Lefkowitz delve into the subject of domestic violence, and Anne
Firmender and Dylan Patterson look at running — and what are we
running from? Dylan, a veteran of Dance-a-lorus, finds it to be an excellent challenge to filmmakers working only with images — without sound. The greatest challenge is making a film that works together with the dance, instead of competing against it for attention. Filmmaker Bo Webb finds this to be one of the most interesting aspects of watching Dance-a-lorus over the years. Music is a driving force at Dance-a-lorus, influencing both the choreographers and the filmmakers. Several works over the years have used original music by local and regional composers. New choreographer Jennifer Raine Kostel met composer Ariel Shallit at last year’s Cucalorus, and the two collaborated — largely over the phone and email — to create a new composition to which she choreographed her first group piece. Dan Brawley, executive director of Cucalorus, calls Dance-a-lorus “one of the premiere artistic partnerships in the region [that] brings together two of the most exciting arts groups in the city.” The Cucalorus Film Festival has become one of the largest arts events in the region — noted in Time magazine as “one of the best-kept secrets” on the film festival circuit; and Dance-a-lorus brings another of the major arts disciplines — dance — to the festival. Catch this year’s
Dance-a-lorus at City Stage (21 N. Front St.) on Wednesday, November
11th at 7:30 p.m. and matinee performance: Saturday, November 14th
at 10:15 a.m.
www.cucalorus.org/www.thedancecooperative.org
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