"The Belmont Hotel" by COLLIDE Theatrical Dance Company at the Southern Theater

COLLIDE Theatrical Dance Company is a new company whose mission is "to create original Broadway-style jazz dance musicals that engage and entertain audiences." It's a cool concept, and for a musical theater geek like myself who doesn't know much about dance, it's a great way to experience the beauty and storytelling power of dance in an accessible and familiar format. Like a musical without words, the story and emotions of the characters are conveyed simply and powerfully through movement and physical expression. Their inaugural production Lot of Living to Do told the story of prostitutes in the '30s trying to better their lives, and their new production, The Belmont Hotel, tells of a hotel owner with a failing business in 1929 who turns to bootlegging, and the effects that has on his family. Directed and choreographed by company founder Regina Peluso and featuring a talented ensemble of dancers, a fabulous on-stage five-person band, and two fantastic singers, it's a highly entertaining evening (free drinks from sponsors Stella Artois and Whiplash Wines don't hurt either).

The story of The Belmont Hotel is fairly simple. Losing money due to the Great Depression, hotel owner Frank (a light on his feet Jeff Quast) decides to go into business with a bootlegger (a smooth and seductive Patrick Jeffrey), introduced to him by the nanny (an appealing Renee Guittar). The money starts rolling in, but his wife (director/choreographer Regina Peluso) and daughter Lily (the precocious Dora Dolphin) are not happy with the change. A crisis neatly leads to a change of heart, the family is reunited, and everyone's happy again. Let's dance!

Dora Dolphin, Regina Peluso, and Jeff Quast
as the (sometimes not so) happy family

And what dancing there is! Regina's choreography is classic and fresh at the same time, beautifully executed by the leads and ensemble. But the youngest dancer steals the show; Dora Dolphin is already a star* at a young age, and is completely charming in Lily's dance with her daddy and alone on stage in her angry neglected dance. The ensemble numbers are also a highlight, especially the Act I closing number "Feeling Good" and the final number "Sing Sing Sing," and include some pretty amazing acrobatic tricks that I wished I could rewind and watch again!

The soundtrack to the story is a selection of jazz standards like "Stormy Weather" and "Mack the Knife (with a little Beyonce and Beatles thrown in for good measure), performed by the band with vocals on some songs. Katie Gearty has a dusky voice that's perfect for these songs, and Cameron Wright has impressive vocals, most evident in an a capella unmiked version of "It Don't Mean a Thing" that fills the cavernous space of the Southern Theater stage. I'm not sure there is a better stage for dance in the Twin Cities than the Southern, with its wide open stage, gorgeous brick arch backdrop, and excellent sightlines from the audience. Costumes are period appropriate (with the exception of an inexplicable untucked plaid shirt and khaki pants ensemble) and still allow the dancers to move freely and beautifully.

This is a short run so act quickly if you want to catch this production of the new original jazz dance musical The Belmont Hotel - only four more performances remain this weekend (discount tickets available on Goldstar.com). Recommended for dance aficionados and novices alike. COLLIDE's next production is Romeo and Juliet next spring. I cannot imagine Romeo and Juliet as a jazz dance musical, but I trust this company to make it work!

*Her bio notes that Dora will be in Gypsy at BCT next spring. From what I've seen of her, she will be a perfect Baby June!

Fringe Festival: "Non Edwards's Bob Fosse Makeover"

Day: 6

Show: 16

Title: Non Edwards's Bob Fosse Makeover

By: Non Edwards

Choreographed by: Non Edwards

Location: Southern Theater

Summary: To quote the program, "An exploration of theatrical dance production and its components."

Highlights: I saw this show because I was intrigued by the three minute preview in which a dancer transforms herself into a Fosse dancer (i.e., dresses in black and puts on red lipstick and false eyelashes). And I wanted to check off the dance square on my Fringe bingo card.* Unfortunately, this is one of the times when I don't really get dance. It started off great, with five dancers performing synchronized movements with no music to guide them; an impressive feat. The choreography was interesting, and I liked how the dancers started off and ended the show in sweats, but it might have been better as a 30 minute show, as it felt stretched a little thin. I guess I was expecting a more traditional dance piece. Still, it's creative and different, so I give them points for that!

Read more of my fringe fest reflections…

… including my top 5 shows

*I'm kidding, there is no such thing as a Fringe bingo card. Or is there? How awesome would that be? With squares for the different genres, as well as things like "shows with a joke about Minnesota," or "shows with more than five swear words." Turn in your completed bingo card and win a prize. Something to work on for next year, Fringe producers.

"Lover" by James Sewell Ballet at the Cowles Center

Speaking about musicals, Garrison Keillor recently said, "I don't know anything else that can really just elevate people. You walk out on air. And you walk out into the squalor and the noise and the crowded city and you feel sort of magical." Here's something else that can do that - dance. After seeing beautiful performances of three diverse pieces by James Sewell Ballet at the shiny new Cowles Center last night, I walked out into the busy streets of Minneapolis and felt sort of magical, like I knew a secret that no one else knew. I don't know what all those people were doing out in the city on a cold Saturday night, but I'm pretty sure it was nowhere near as delightful and moving as what I experienced.

As a theater geek, I don't often go to see dance performances, but I do occasionally, just to mix things up a little. I chose to see this one because the first of three pieces, Lover, features the music of the great musical theater composing team Rodgers and Hart, performed by my favorite pianist Dan Chouinard and one of my favorite actor/singers Bradley Greenwald. It was a great excuse to go see some ballet!

Lover: This is the most theatrical of the three pieces, and really tells the story of four couples. Bradley Greenwald and Maria Jette sing the songs of Rodgers and Hart, accompanied by Dan Chouinard on piano. Just these three amazing musicians performing together would be entertainment enough! If they did this piece as a concert with just the three of them onstage, I would go and I would love it (musical highlights include the gorgeous "My Funny Valentine" and a wordless scatting version of "The Lady is a Tramp" ). The singers also play characters and are so expressive that I had a hard time looking away from them to watch the dancing. But fortunately I did, because the dancing is charming, delightful, whimsical, and very accessible for a ballet novice like myself. The seven-member company, along with special guest and company co-founder Sally Rousse (elegant in a glamorous red dress with a long cigarette holder), perform the choreography of James Sewell. The four couples fight, make up, flirt, and change partners, all in gorgeously expressive movement.

the company performs Lover

Glitter Garden: This is a solo piece by company member Nic Lincoln, choreographed for him by Larry Keigwin (who also choreographed the recent off-Broadway production of RENT). The performance begins as people are filing back into their seats after intermission. Nic is in character, just off-stage, getting photographed by papparazzi and putting on his stage make-up. He makes his way to the stage as the lights go down, changes into his costume (which consists of brass knuckles, epaulettes, and a gladiator skirt), and begins the performance. It's a strong, powerful performance, with sharp, fast movements, some of which are reminiscent of a marionette. At one point it literally rains glitter upon him, as he poses for a photo shoot. I assume this is some sort of commentary on fame or celebrity. Whatever it means, it's quite beautiful and fascinating to watch.

Your Move: The final piece was choreographed by James Sewell based on recorded moves by audience members, gathered at performances over the last year. These video recordings are sometimes displayed on large white fabric that serve as screens, either simultaneously with the dancers or in rotation. It's really remarkable to see what James and the company have created based on a few moves, some silly, some quite lovely on their own. The ensemble is dressed in sporty clothes in black and grey, with orange accents and the James Sewell Ballet logo, like the JSB workout collection (which they should totally develop and sell, I'd buy it!). The audience moves are well organized into segments, some just weird facial expressions, some slow and elegant movements, some jerky staccato. All of it woven seamlessly and beautifully together to create a new expression of the shared joy of dance.

Unfortunately last night was the final performance of Lover, but I think I will be checking out JSB again. The company epitomizes the beauty of the body in movement. It's quite amazing to think that these dancers have the same set of muscles that we all were born with, but they make them do that! Of course it's more than just the movements, it's also the emotional expression, which these dancers also do quite well. They emote not just with their movements but their facial expressions as well. It really does, like Garrison says, make one feel  sort of magical.

"Black Grace" at the Ordway Center

My favorite artistic exports from New Zealand are the Lord of the Rings movies and the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords (this combines them both). But after having seen Black Grace, New Zealand's leading contemporary dance company, as part of the Ordway's World Music and Dance Series, I have a new appreciation for this small southern country's artistry and culture. Black Grace features dancers of Maori and Pacific island descent, and combines dances from traditional Pacific cultures with modern dance. The result is something quite extraordinary to behold - athletic, powerful, graceful, fast, precise, energetic, and really quite cool.

Black Grace consists of twelve dancers, only four of them women, but at times it seemed like twice that (I think the women worked twice as hard, as usual, because it seemed to me that there was a gender balance). They presented three pieces, all choreographed by the company's founder, Neil Ieremia, who also answered questions in a talk-back after the performance. The first dance featured traditional Samoan "slap dancing," which Neil accurately described as a "sonic picture." It was a rhythmic, percussive dance. The second was more fluid, with the dancers all dressed in red. After an intermission, the dancers performed an epic piece called Vaka. A note in the program explains:

During this creative process we have realized that we are our own vaka (canoe) carrying our values and belief systems, experiences and memories good and bad, and a hope that when we leave this planet we leave it in a better shape than when we found it.

As I understand it, after listening to Neil speak after the show, it's a piece about the history of New Zealand as it deals with the immigrant experience (which shares similarities to our own immigrant nation), as well as the larger collective history of humanity (Neil mentioned being inspired by the book An Intimate History of Humanity by Theodore Zeldin). I'm not sure I would have gotten all of that out of the dance, but it was an epic journey. The dancers started out in black costumes, which changed to lighter gray and white, and then to street clothes by the end. Video projections showed gorgeous scenes of New Zealand, as well as a section of news highlights from around the world. The lighting created shadows for the dancers to move in and out of, as they leapt, ran, and otherwise moved around the huge bare stage of the Ordway. I don't know much about dance so I can't speak more intelligently about it, other than to say I was intrigued, moved, awed, confused, and entertained.

I believe this is the first event of the Ordway's World Music and Dance Series that I've attended. I'm going to pay more attention to events in the future; it's a great way to experience the culture and art from another corner of the planet, without traveling too far from home.

"Lot of Living to Do" by ColliDe Theatrical Dance Company at the Southern Theater

I don't go to many dance performances, mostly because it's hard enough to stay on top of the incredible theater scene in the Twin Cities area. To be fully immersed in the theater and dance world would be too much for one person to handle. But occasionally I find myself at a dance show (typically one with theatrical connections), and I always love it. Dancing is a further extension of the core principle of musical theater - that when ideas and emotions cannot be expressed in mere words, music and movement are necessary to fully convey them. In ColliDe Theatrical Dance Company's original jazz dance musical Lot of Living to Do, a story is told through dance alone, without a single word of explanation (a story summary in the program helps set the stage). The talented troupe of dancers is accompanied by jazz standards performed by a fantastic three-piece band and two talented singers, all of which combines for a very entertaining evening.

ColliDe's mission is to partner artists with Minnesota charities to create new works, an admirable goal (I've always believed that theater has the power to change the world, a little at a time). In this case, the charitable partner is the Women's Foundation of Minnesota's campaign to end underage prostitution in Minnesota, called "MN Girls Are Not For Sale." It's unthinkable that this occurs right here in our fair state, something I wasn't really aware of before reading the literature for this show. In fact, the Twin Cities is one of the 13 largest centers for child prostitution in the country. But don't worry, Lot of Living to Do doesn't preach or hit you over the head with scary facts. It's a story about working girls in the 1930s and their problems and triumphs over them, as a subtle reminder that things aren't that different today. The story centers on teen-aged Jenny, abandoned at a brothel by her mother who can no longer support her. Jenny eventually finds a way to escape this life, with the support of the other women who are in too deep to see a way out for themselves.

Some highlights of the show:

• I have to admit, one of the reasons why I wanted to see this show is to see one of my favorite musical theater actors, Jared Oxborough. Just after a successful run as Radames in Theater Latte Da's Aida, he channels Michael Buble on such classics as "The Best is Yet to Come," "Have You Met Miss Jones," and my theme song, "The Lady is a Tramp" (I get much too hungry to eat dinner at 8, I love the theater, but never come late, I never bother with people I hate). Jared also plays the role of a jerk of a john, and gets to kick up his heels a bit at the end.
• Katie Gearty plays the brothel madam, the aforementioned Miss Jones, and lends her gorgeous jazzy voice to songs like "Nice Work if You Can Get It" and "Frankie and Johnny," all while presiding over the brothel and collecting money from her girls.

the light-on-his-feet (and hands) Galen Higgins

• All of the dancers are so gorgeous performing the choreography of ColliDe Artistic Director Regina Peluso, a sort of Fosse-esque jazz style, sharp and yet loose at the same time, and very expressive of the high emotions of the characters. Standouts in the cast include Lauren Anderson, a fierce and powerful dancer, conveying strong emotion as the tough working girl Frankie. As Jenny's sweet boyfriend, Galen Higgins is incredibly light on his feet and expressive in every muscle of his body, from the tips of his toes to his open face. His dancing is so joyful, it's impossible not to smile while watching him.
• The Southern Theater is a great place for dance, with its wide-open cavernous space, well-used by the dancers. A few set pieces, including a bar on the left, a small stage for the singers, and some tables in back, set the scene of a 1930s brothel while still leaving plenty of space for dance.

ColliDe Theatrical Dance Company beautifully tells this story in a fun and entertaining way. On the surface it's just a beautiful dance performance, until you see that it goes a little deeper than that. It's a great way to draw people in and inform them of a very real and serious problem, as well as offering a solution to that problem. In the real world, young girls need more than a cute bartender boyfriend to get them out of this terrible situation, which is where MN Girls Are Not For Sale comes in. See their website for more information on how to help in this worthwhile campaign, and go check out the show at the Southern (one performance Saturday night and two on Sunday) for an entertaining evening of jazz, music, vocals, and dance. Talented dancers, singers, and musicians, a captivating story, a great cause, and free drinks from sponsors Whiplash Wines and Stella Artois. What more can you ask for?

"Trick Boxing" by Sossy Mechanics at the Guthrie

The last production I saw at the Guthrie's Dowling Studio was a dance piece about swimming. And now - a dance piece about boxing*. Both shows feature the grace and dance-like movements found in sport. But Trick Boxing, by husband and wife duo Brian Sostek and Megan McClellan, aka Sossy Mechanics, is about more than just boxing. It's a delightful love story told through theater, dance, and puppets.

The storyteller guiding us through this little tale (set in the 1930s or 40s) is a gambler and boxing manager named Buck. He discovers a young immigrant who's fast on his feet and decides to turn him into a boxer and use him in a scheme. While training for his first match, Dancing Danny David wanders into a dancehall and meets Bella, the sister of a boxer previously used by Buck. She decides to help Danny get out from under Buck's thumb.

The two actor/dancers play about a dozen different characters in the story, with nothing more than a change of accent and body stance to distinguish them. Brian plays Buck, Danny, Bella's brother, a scary evil gambler, the bookie, and several other characters. He often is on stage alone, having conversations with himself, the movement and words of one character flowing seamlessly into the other. In perhaps the most amusing scenes of the play, the boxing matches are represented by puppets in a tiny ring, with Brian doing the play-by-play. And then there's the dancing. Whether it's Bella training her brother, or a demonstration of boxing moves, or Danny and Bella at the dancehall, it's truly a delight to see.

I've seen Brian and Megan dance once before, and I've seen Brian in several things as an actor, but I've never before witnessed the full extent of their talent. It's a true pleasure watching artists tell stories using their own unique gifts, and I love the Guthrie for supporting artists and helping them do what they do, while making it easily accessible to theater-goes. You should take advantage of that while you can and go see the show, playing now through September 2. While Swimming with My Mother made me want to go swimming, Trick Boxing makes me want to take swing dance lessons!


*I received one complementary ticket to Trick Boxing as part of the Guthrie's "Blogger Night."

"Swimming with My Mother" by CoisCéim Dance Theatre at the Guthrie Studio Theater

I need to start going to more dance productions. My schedule is pretty busy with plays and musicals, and I don't know as much about the world of dance, but whenever I do go to a dance performance I always enjoy it. Such as the show currently playing at the Guthrie Theater's 9th floor Dowling Studio -  Swimming with My Mother. Dancer and choreographer David Bolger (who so brilliantly choreographed last summer's blockbuster musical H.M.S. Pinafore at the Guthrie that he won an Ivey Award for it) choreographed this piece and performs it with his 78-year-old mother Madge. It's completely lovely and enchanting, a beautiful, sweet, and touching exploration of the parent-child relationship.

David, co-founder of the dance company CoisCéim Dance Theatre (from the Irish word for footstep), originally created this piece for the Dublin Dance Festival in 2010. He was asked to create a solo piece for himself, but instead he chose to bring his "Ma" along. Featuring voiceovers of Madge telling stories about her life - her father teaching her to swim in the Irish sea, and then teaching her children to swim on that same beach - Madge and David express their relationship and their love of swimming and dance (respectively) through movement. At times they appear to be swimming, or underwater; later David convinces his reluctant mother to dance with him to Nat King Cole's "It's Only a Paper Moon:"

It's only a paper moon

Sailing over a cardboard sea

But it wouldn't be make-believe

If you believed in me.

There is something magical about swimming, particularly in a natural body of water. I recently spent a week at a small, private lake near Brainerd and spent hours in the water every day. There's something very comforting about swimming in a lake, like you're a part of nature. And swimming is a little like dancing; it's impossible not to be graceful in the water - it slows down your movements and smooths them out. Swimming with My Mother beautifully illustrates this. As someone said on the elevator after the show, "It makes you want to go swimming, doesn't it?" Madge is a lifelong swimmer and swimming teacher, and still swims five days a week. That love of swimming is apparent in the piece, intermingled with her love for her children, and theirs for her.

Madge and David Bolger "swimming"

If you're a fan of dance, or swimming, or even if you're not, Swimming with My Mother is worth checking out. The hour-long performance concludes with a screening of David and Madge's 6-minute film Deep End Dance, in which they dance underwater in the very pool where Madge taught David to swim. It's a lovely and beautiful thing to witness.

"Ballet Works TC/NYC Connections" by James Sewell Ballet at the Southern Theater

After I saw the musical Billy Elliot last December, the sheer joy and beauty of dance inspired to go to the ballet.  So I bought a ticket to the James Sewell Ballet at the Southern Theater.  And then I saw the movie Black Swan and was a little creeped out by it all.  Fortunately today's show was not creepy at all, it was beautiful and intriguing and funny and moving.

I know next to nothing about dance; I've only been to a few dance productions in my life.  So I didn't necessarily get everything I saw today, but I was mesmerized by it.  Ballet Works is a series of five pieces by different choreographers; the company does it every year as a way to work with new choreographers and let some of the dancers choreograph.  James Sewell and some of the choreographers were there to introduce and talk about their pieces.  It was pretty casual and somewhat interactive; before his solo piece James led the audience through some activities to help explain what he was going to do.  His piece, "Body Puzzles," was about different limbs doing different things at the same time, like patting your head while rubbing your stomach.  Of course what he did was much more complex and intricate than that, and really cool.

The other solo piece was called "Dressage" and involved the dancer, Nic Lincoln, attempting to stand, walk, and then dance in super high heels.  It was only when choregrapher Judith Howard spoke after the performance that I understood that he was a foal learning to walk.  Either way, it was beautiful and fascinating to watch.

The other three pieces involved five to seven members of the eight-person company.  The hardest part with the group numbers is that often there were multiple things going on at the same time and it was difficult to watch them all.  There was quite a range of dance styles and movements.  My favorite was probably the last one, "things fall apart" choreographed by one of the dancers, Chris Hannon.  It seemed a little closer to musical theater, a world I'm much more familiar with and comfortable in.  It was a joyous number and a good way to end the show.

I enjoyed my foray into the ballet world and I look foward to more!  Theater is still my first love, but an occasional trip to the ballet is a nice supplement to my steady diet of theater.