Catalyst Sneak Peak

Wednesday I had the absolute treat of a sneak preview of the CityDance Ensemble’s Catalyst production which is being held this weekend (Saturday 8pm and Sunday 4pm) at the Lansburgh Theater.  First, I had never been to the Music Center at Strathmore so that in and of itself was an experience. The CityDance Ensemble calls Strathmore home and they are extremely fortunate to have this state of the art center for use.  It’s a striking, contemporary, spacious, arts center filled with floor to ceiling windows within the studios, a theatre, a cafe, offices, and quite the opposite environment I’d personally grown up knowing as practice studios (we never had windows, too distracting we were told).

Alexe Nowakowski, CityDance’s Executive Director, and I sat in on two dances being rehearsed, one of which included all eight company members (which consists of 3 males and 5 females) and the other was a duet with Maleek Washington and Liz Gahl.  The first was an original choreographed piece by Rehearsal Director & Choreographer-in-Residence Christopher K. Morgan, whom I met and learned that his “+1/-1″ came from the inspiration of experiencing the absence of people in our lives, then the addition, then the subtraction.  When watching the constant dancers’ movements, all of whom are fit, flexible, agile, and strong beyond belief, yet seem to look like the girl/guy next door, I was completely entranced. I was afraid to move in my seat, take in a deep breath, itch my nose. Even in the room with sun shining in, mirrors reflecting our profiles, dancers in their practice attire, and dramatic notes coming from the speakers, it was captivating.  We weren’t in a studio.  We were transported to a timeless moment where every single flick of the hand, turn of the leg, bend of the back, and leap in the air, had significance.  Morgan’s choreography seemed to be designed to bring out each dancer’s strength and power, yet soft fluidity, stirring emotions, and dependence upon each other to complete the picture on stage.

The second dance was shorter but just as enticing, in fact it was fun, flirtatious, daring and sexy.  This was choreographed by Founder and Artistic Director Paul Gordon Emerson and had some challenging moves that made me gasp and hit Alexe unconsciously.  The chemistry between Washington and Gahl was apparent and both dancers exuded confident contentment.  It was very fun to watch them.  By the way, they will dance to live music, a take on Paul Brubeck’s famous “Take Five”, but with live accompaniment by Grammy nominee Christylez Bacon and a saxophonist.  The finished production live onstage Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon is yours for the watching:

Tickets are still on sale and VIP’s are selling out (which include access to the VIP party afterward): http://citydance.net/catalyst.cfm

Photos by Paul Gordon Emerson

Catalyst: CityDance in Concert (Promo 2) from CityDance Ensemble on Vimeo.