Day 3: Showtime!

Show day began with several dancers participating in an unusual photoshoot by Brazilian fashion photographer, Guilherme Licurgo (Principal dancer Tadej Brdnik moonlighted as production assistant on the shoot). The shoot was situated within ancient ruins of Villa Adriana, Italy. Surreal and lineage are words which accurately capture my feelings about this experience. With a wardrobe consisting of a nude leotard and the purple silk fabric used for the dance Clytemnestra, I searched for some movements which might inspire the photographer. I danced on the stone ground within the magnificent Roman columns and felt images of Isadora Duncan being conjured through it all (not imitated but experienced). Those timeless shots capturing a person free from societal norms and embracing her particular life’s journey are all part of the Modern dance lineage. Below you will see one of the finished photographs from the shoot with many more to come in Gui's forthcoming art book Desert Flower.

Dancer Pei-ju Chien Pott.

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Gui and Tadej working on the shoot.

Shoot site at Villa Adriana, Italy.

Dancing 

Villa Adriana.

Later that evening after a full day of technical rehearsal, rain, heat and humidity, we gave our first performance of this tour. My repertoire was Nacho Duato’s Depak Ine and in a new-ish iteration of Martha Graham’s iconic work Errand Into the Maze now titled Errand. With no sets, rope or theatrical costuming - it is truly a different dance from Graham's masterpiece and I am still struggling to make certain connections within it. I miss the sets and the costuming which made it such a unique dance in the world (is it just my nostalgia?) but I am up for the challenge of making it all work. I love the movements and partnering in the dance and for now that must be enough.

Dancers made role debuts in the show: Masha and Lorenzo premiered the red couple in Diversion of Angels and some of the new dancers in the company made their European debuts!! These are very special moments in a dancer’s career and I was so happy to be a witness to this joyful time for them.

Errand. Photo by Christopher Jones.

Lorenzo and Masha rehearsing the red duet!!