Harlem Stage Gatehouse, a circular gem hidden in West Harlem, hosted an evening of e-merging and e-volving choreographers.  Just one of the ten evenings devoted to exposing the works of new comers and legacies, April 23, was the night for  Daniel Fetecua-Soto, Malcolm Low, Ja’Malik, Francine Ott, Sidra Bell, Samar Haddad King, Johari Mayfield, Richard Rivera, and Hattie Mae Williams to shine. 

I joined the evening as Francine Elizabeth Ott and dancers took the stage, for Need to be Needed; a trio of precision accompanied by two acapella voices (Nicholas Ryan Gant and Charisma Joy Loney).  The two harmonious and powerfully subtle voices immediately consumed the audience without upstaging the dancers.  The minimal stage direction allowed the audience to engage in the five artists that commanded the stage.  The choreography simply exuded the inspiration of the piece, Revelation 12:1-17, The Woman and the Dragon. The dancers kept a steady flow movement, as if manipulated by a snake charmer.  However, with staccato hand gestures sporadically placed throughout piece the audience remained enthralled.

Ja’Malik with The Hour Before I Loved You was a genuine execution of traditional technique.  The audience experienced excerpts from movements 2 and 4 leaving the desire to see more.  Movement 2, At Sunrise, was a duet performed by Ja’Malik and Khiara M. Bridges to Sting Quartet No. 1.  The couple embraced the simple attire of a ballet classroom and fully focused on the movement.  They partnered beautifully together while man and women were equally graceful. Together they were melted into one another and apart they remained connected with their focus.  Immediately replacing them in a brief pause of silence was Aya Watanabe and Ramon Thielen with movement 4, In the Gloaming.  Here again they relied on basic ballet classroom attire, but this time the female danced en pointe.  It is refreshing to see dance brought back to the basics with clean, precise, and phenomenally executed technique.  Nonetheless, Ja’Malik spun a modern twist on his ballet and the dancers moved with smooth and effortless perfection. 

Following the intermission was Johari Mayfield with her solo,Venus Riff.  This well coiffed young woman is set in front of screen with a video resembling the English country-side.  In her frilly dress and parasol she is an amusing interpretation of society’s standards for women, while the video mocks her for her large and imperfect features.  The audience knows that she is resentful and as she continues through the piece she begins to break out of her mold.  Eventually, Johari tears down her stuffy dress to reveal provocative and rebelling attire of fishnets and a barely there night gown.  The music changes from classical to modern day hip hop, and the movement immediately mimics the music.  She continues with her “in your face” attitude and exits the stage accepting the woman she is. 

Samar Haddad King (choreographer) and Josiah Guitian withAl-Bikr were the next to perform.  The two dressed as young lovers straight from the sound of music brought  smiles to the audience.  Samar pranced through her luscious choreography with moments of quirky hand and foot gestures that made you relate to her even more.  Josiah was a wonderful partner and the many lifts looked effortless.  The choreography clearly portrayed the struggle between the two lovers.  Though she fought to be independent, Samar always came back to lean on Josiah; telling us that though things will never be the same they will always rely on one another. 

Richard Rivera provided the audience with a modern piece a little more familiar to “downtown dance”.  The five dancers began upstage in a cluster; gazing ahead with no focus on each other.  One dancer began with a gesture and continuing while the others one by one followed with different gestures. Eventually the dancers were triggered by a slight touch and began dancing in unison.  The dancers continued to pair in 2, 3, or together as 5 with grounded, non-traditional lifts.  The inspiration to this piece was ambiguous, but allowed the audience to create their own story.

The last two works of the evening were phenomenal. Anthology, choreographed by Sidra Bell was an exhilarating journey between two partners.  Troy Ogilvie and Gilbert Small were captivating with both their physicality and performance quality.  The female dressed in a ruffled blouse, black tight pants, and glittered red heals with her male partner in a black, ruffle skirt dress.  They both remained feminine and masculine. The two moved, as if it were their first time in a new body; exploring life through each other and through movement.  They intriguingly poked and reacted to one another’s movement; moving like striking clockwork. 

A second duet of two young women replaced the first couple in blouses and tulle skirts.  The movement complimented the dancers while the dancers brought this choreography to life. Unlike the first couple, the dancers moved simultaneously with little partnering.  They looked like a pair of Savage Birds fluidly moving throughout the space.

Closing the night’s festivities was Hattie Mae Williams’Snatched.  If you’ve had the pleasure of indulging in Ms. Williams’ “Tattooed Ballerinas”, in the past you were certainly not disappointed.  The delicate trio was dressed in hand crafted costumes by Gabriel Steel; placing the dancers in complimentary hues of orange, red, and brown.  Each design was done to compliment the dancer and the choreography. The dancers proceeded whimsically throughout the space and with random outbursts they created a dream-like state.  Ms. Williams and her dancers had an enjoyable balance of technique and unique way of moving.

As the evening came to a close, the audience was left smiling and inspired by the "e-clectic" group of dancers, both traditional and inventive. 

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