Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Dance with Invented Instruments Coming to DZINE

Readers may recall that, in writing about the compositions performed by the Dresher|Davel Invented Instrument Duo (Paul Dresher and Joel Davel) this past June, I observed that “execution involved as keen a sense of choreography as one of musical technique.” That observation will be “taken to the next level” next month, when the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company (MJDC) will present the world premiere of a full-evening work entitled Trace Figures. The music will be provided by Dresher and Davel, playing on instruments invented by Dresher and Daniel Schmidt. The performance will take place at DZINE, which provides a space of 15,000 square feet that serves as a furniture and art gallery.

Crystaldawn Bell and Kelly Del Rosario dancing with the “flowers” instrument invented by Paul Dresher (photograph by Kegan Marling, courtesy of the Paul Dresher Ensemble)

The MJDC dancers and collaborators for this project will be Crystaldawn Bell, Kristen Bell, Corey Brady, Alex Carrington, Carolina Czechowska, Kelly Del Rosario, Norma Fong, and Dalton Valerio. At the beginning of the performance, the instruments will be stationed throughout the DZINE space; and the dancers will interact with both the instruments and their players. The work will culminate with the audience surrounding the action while three of Dresher’s larger invented instruments become the source for the new music he has composed specifically for Trance Figures.

Trance Figures will be given three performances, at 8 p.m. on Friday, September 13, and Saturday, September 14, and at 3 p.m. on Sunday, September 15. DZINE is located at the edge of NEMIZ (north-east Mission industrial zone) at 128 Utah Street, which is one block east of Potrero Street. The space is located between Alameda Street and 15th Street. General admission will be $25 with a $15 charge for students. There will also be a special “Support the Arts” rate of $50. MJDC has created a single Web page for online purchase for all three performance dates at all three price levels.

No comments: