This weekend, DanceHouse brought their 10th anniversary season to a close with a stellar performance from New York City based Dorrance Dance. The acclaimed tap troupe presented Triple Bill, a retrospective trio of very different dance pieces that demonstrated the range of this talented company and its Artistic Director and founder Michelle Dorrance.
Triple Bill opened with a swinging piece, Jungle Blues, reminiscent of the golden age of Jazz, using the Jelly Roll Morton song of the same name as its inspiration. Coincidentally, from 1919 to 1921, Jelly Roll Morton had a residency at Pat’s Pub just a short distance away from the Playhouse. The rapid fire movement of the short piece introduced the 10 member company and set the stage for a rousing evening of dance.
Three to One, a Bessie (NYC Dance & Performance) Award winning work featuring Michelle Dorrance, Bryon Tittle, and Matthew West, was a very different piece. Modern and moody, incorporating electronic music; Nannou by Aphex Twin and Thom Yorke’s A Rat’s Nest. With just Ms Dorrance wearing tap shoes, while the other dancers were barefoot, Three to One gave a difference interpretation of what tap dance could bring to the stage.
The final and longest piece, Myelination, added live musicians Prawn til Dante, Donovan Dorrance and Gregory Richardson, with vocalist Aaron Marcellus, to the stage. With the musicians on stage the beats of the dancers’ feet and the smooth music seamlessly crossed over into one sound. Choreographed by Michelle Dorrance with improvisation by the company, Myelination incorporates more than just tap, bringing hip hop, modern dance and of course electric energy to the work.
Throughout the performances, just as the dancers improvised, the audience spontaneously erupted into applause and hoots of excitement to the thrilling works.
As Triple Bill closed out the DanceHouse season, they also introduced the 2018-2019 season which will include works from companies around the globe; Company Wang Ramirez (France), Akram Khan Company (UK), Jacob Boehme & Ilbijerri Theatre Company (Australia), Kidd Pivot (Vancouver), Compagnie Marie Chouinard (Montreal) and Momix (US). Subscriptions are on sale now for the DanceHouse 2018-2019 season.