Jean Lenihan previewed Alaska in this morning’s Seattle Times:

Each autumn, when On the Boards’ International Series begins, it’s like Artistic Director Lane Czaplinski has stacked a woodshed full of distinctive, provocative performers that will fuel the mainstage theater with burning images to beat against the long, dark winter.

Read the full article

Alaska has toured to cities like NYC, Portland and LA and has received a fair amount of coverage. Below are links and the first sentence or 2 of the reviews from previous tour stops.

“Diana Szeinblum’s “Alaska” is a searing trek over emotionally scorched earth – not an uncommon journey in the world of dance theater, but one Szeinblum navigates with fearless zeal.”
-danceviewtimes

“There are no igloos or Eskimos in Diana Szeinblum’s evening-length “Alaska.” Rather, Ms. Szeinblum is intrigued by the idea of interior space, or the body as a container of hidden memories.”
-NY Times

“Contemporary dance has the difficult task of wrestling two historical conventions: the exoskeleton of drama (or, the story) and the endoskeleton of homogenous attitude (or style)…”
-The Brooklyn Rail

“Argentine choreographer Diana Szeinblum’s new work Alaska is a raw and unapologetic piece of dance-theater that simultaneously inspires mystery, hope and a worrisome sense of helplessness (think of the voyeuristic discomfort of seeing Gena Rowlands’ unraveling in Cassavetes’ A Woman Under the Influence).”
-Ultra PDX

“One of the fantastic things about dance is that it doesn’t require translation. The emotions expressed in a successful dance performance come through clearly, regardless of where the work is created or performed. Though a few of us Pacific Northwesterners might argue the accuracy of the reference, the Alaska of Argentinean choreographer Diana Szeinblum’s imagining is indeed ‘that place we all know, but where no one has ever been.’”
-Portland Mercury

“In 2002, the Argentinian choreographer Diana Szeinblum brought her Secreto y Malibu to DTW. Almost six years later, she returns with Alaska. The earlier work, for two women, was set in the courtyard of a house in a hot, arid landscape.”
-Village Voice

Jeremy at the SunBreak covered last night’s 12 Minute Max:

12 Minutes Max, On the Boards’ semi-monthly showcase of local performance talent, kicked off its new season last night with a program co-curated by Olivier Wevers (it plays again tonight at 7 p.m.; tickets $8). While there was plenty of great (and some not-so-great) work on display, overall the night felt like the latest installment of the rolling launch of Wever’s anticipated new company, Whim W’Him, whose debut is at OtB this January…

Read the full article.

Wow — last night’s 12MM was totally awesome! All the performers were energized by the capacity crowd and we could tell from the enthusiastic applause that it was a crowd pleaser. As an extra bonus, during tonight’s show the $12.00 for 12MM guest curator will be chosen right after intermission. The lottery is a great way to support 12MM and the winner will have the unique opportunity of experiencing first hand the process of curating a show. See you tonight — come early.

- Michael and Chris Sannella, Curators

…I think of people/companies like (click the images for short videos from each):

Constanza Macras/Dorky Park

DV8 Physical Theatre

[This also features Tanja Liedtke, whose choreography also definitely fits in the realm of dance theater.]

Pina Bausch

I’m sure I’m missing others… What others would you add to this list?

The 08/09 alums just won a Gemini Award (Canadian television awards) for “Best Performance in a Performing arts program or series.” Their filmed version of bODY_rEMIX/gOLDBERG_vARIATIONS was broadcast through various networks, including Bravo, about a year ago.  Check out a clip from the show.

Congrats to the cast and crew (many of which also performed in Seattle with Orpheus and Eurydice)!

Local dancer/choreographer/OtB alum/smarty pants Tonya Lockyer just recorded a podcast for OtB in relation to Diana Szeinblum’s Alaska.

Here are some things I learned while listening to it:
-When Pina Bausch (who Diana Szeinblum both danced for and studied under) took standard productions like Sleeping Beauty and Nutcracker from the lineup of the Wuppertal she earned the nickname “The Wicked Fairy of German Ballet.”
-Artists who have said they are influenced by Bausch include Peter Brook, Tim Etchells, Anna Theresa De Keersmaeker, Robert LePage and The Wooster Group.
-In dance history, expressions of female rage, desire or violence have frequently been described as disturbing, grotesque or hysterical.
-The imprint of dance theater in the canon of dance is not necessarily a technique, but more like a legacy.

Listen to the podcast – titled “The Body and Everything It Carried” – to hear more about Bausch, Szeinblum and dance theater.

We’ve made reference before to the fact that we’ve had our eye on Diana Szeinblum for 6 years. The first time she came to our attention was at a 2003 festival in Austin, TX. OtB artistic director Lane Czaplinski was at the Fresh Terrain festival (“an intensive crash course in emerging experimental theater” curated by international arts man Mark Russell) and saw her performance Secreto Y Malibu. As soon as he exited the theater, he called the managing director and asked if we could add Diana to the schedule. Not the schedule for the upcoming season – he wanted to have her perform the next week.

This couldn’t be arranged (OtB’s schedule, once the season gets rolling, is pretty packed) and so began our process of chasing after Diana.

In 2008 Diana began touring with Alaska. We had already confirmed many shows for the 08/09 season, including a couple that were in the only window in which Diana and her company could come to Seattle, and wouldn’t be able to bring her during that time range. When she agreed to bring her show outside of a tour, we jumped at the chance.

So, after 6 of waiting, we’re pretty thrilled to finally have her.

[ALASKA photo: Brian Costello, courtesy of PICA.]

Contemporary Performance is, in their own words, a “resource for artists, scholars and audiences.” Their site has news about the different happenings in the art world and highlights various artists, venues, festivals, media, etc. Earlier this month they did a quick profile of OtB and highlighted 3 performances in our 09/10 Season. Click through to see which shows they think are do not miss.

It’s the easiest thing in the world to talk about how talented Reggie Watts is, so let’s just get that out of the way up front: you really get the impression that he can do anything on stage. One of the early vignettes in ‘Transition’ consists of Watts delivering “an soliloquy” [sic] in the classical style, and not only is the piece hilarious and deft in its send up of the tropes of the genre’s writing and performance styles, but it convinces you that Watts could almost certainly step on stage with any Shakespearean company and own the room with integrity.

Likewise with the numerous songs in the show. The lyrics bounce between brilliant and funny (with regular overlap between the two), and have wicked beats and hooks. With just his voice, loop machine and tiny keyboard, Watts can stand-in for a rap super-group, an opera company, a jazz combo, or a worldbeat music festival, and the listener is no worse off for it. Plus, he can dance. And I don’t just mean like he can get down – which he can – I mean he is a really excellent mover.

(more…)