The Kat Wildish Performing in NY Showcase proved to be a Thanksgiving -Weekend treat for audiences at the Friday November 25th and Saturday November 26th performances.
The 14-piece, hour-long program was packed with everything from classical ballet to jazz, hip hop, modern, salsa and a touch of musical theatre. The showcase’s mainstay Ailey performance workshop choreographers Bev Brown, Pavan Thimmaiah and Kat Wildish were joined this fall season by nine others including Mishi Castroverde (mishiDance), Ian RT Colless (United|Collective), Vic DiMonda, Yuka Kawazu, Daniel Longo (Arrhythmia Dance Company),Caterina Rago (Caterina Rago Dance Company), Sue Samuels, Shimkiri Syiem & Werner Figar and Mary Silverstein (The Pink Tutu Ballet Company).
The curtain raised as dancers in white leotards topped with colorful tiaras leaped, criss-crossing the stage - an apropos opening to the performance made possible by the dedication of renowned ballet dancer, Kat Wildish. Her choreography (based on Harold Lander’s) of the Danish Ballet,Etudes, was both picturesque and classically drawn.
As each piece entered, however, the space morphed into completely different environments. “Excerpt from Red Earth” (by Rago) highlighted a dancer in a red slashed skirt, the tails of it worn over the heads of the other dancers, and used as a prop before wrapping her up with all the material. A gorgeous ballet group gave off a royal aire in “The Planets” (by Kawazu), followed by a shimmying salsa ensemble, “Samba Vamos” (by Syiem & Figar). “The Soul Bossa Nova” (by Vic DiMonda) was quite entertaining with six ladies dressed in their mod outfits with caricatured expressions to spice up sixties-specific popular movements.
Audibly a crowd-favorite on the evening of the 26th was the performance of “Transform Ya’” choreographed by Pavan Thimmaiah. The high-energy, full-bodied hip-hop-esque piece was fueled by the dancer’s intensity, matching the hard-hitting music (“Ra” by Nathan Lanier and “Transform Ya” by Chris Brown). The dancers were dressed in black from head-to-toe except for their white gloves which highlighted some very impressive sharp hand movements (“tutting”) in the middle of the piece, before breaking out from the precise accents into more of a groove.
Soon, a trio of modern dancers blew us away with impeccable technique in “Priorities” (by Daniel Longo). “Oiseaux: Musings on the Bird” (by Silverstein) presented a fiery ballet where principal Keith Whitney particularly shined, followed by a more light-hearted and just as stunning ballet, “Effervescent” (by Castroverde). Samuels “FUEGO” was a great splash of red-hot jazz with smiles and sultry accents.
The most transformative performance of the evening had to be “Meeting Place” (by Colless) with a traditional Australian didgeridoo player slowly making his way across the stage setting the tone for the eerie piece about to unfold - the dancers performing each gesture with decided purpose, the lights shading their muscular frames and consumed, forlorn faces in a hauntingly beautiful manner.
Bev Brown’s impossible-to-miss ensemble numbers, one of which closed the program, also gave the audience lots of sass. Her first piece, “Transformers” softened from an in-your-face hip hop feel to a cool, slinkier jazz section, with her dancers sporting blazers and sunglasses.
The Performing in NY Showcase was presented by Kat Wildish on Friday November 25th at 7:00pm and Saturday November 26th at 3:00pm and 7:00pm at The Ailey Citigroup Theater Joan Weill Center for Dance. For more information and to get involved as a student, performer or choreographer for the tri-annual showcases please visit www.katwildishshowcase.com.
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