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'Twas the night of my company's holiday party, and I had no desire to
go. We will save the analysis of my Grinch-like nature for another
time, thank you. I'm sure my coworkers have already formed their own
opinions. Instead of RSVPing for the party I bought a ticket to see
Motion Lab perform at ODC Theater. Definitely the right decision.
Before the show I got dinner at Frjtz, a lovely little restaurant in
Hayes Valley that serves Belgian fries and crepes. My ham and swiss
crepe was solid but stirred the slightest longing for Ti Couz in the
days before it became completely overrun. The fries, however, were
divine. Salty and crispy on the outside, meaty on the inside, and
with a wealth of dipping sauces to choose from (I selected pesto
mayo). Frjtz is also right next to BPM, so you can go take care of
your tech house needs as soon as you've polished off your fries.
Then it was on to ODC for Bodies of Evidence. Motion Lab is
just two people, dancer and choreographer Kathleen Hermesdorf and
composer and musician Albert Mathias. For this show they had
gathered together a number of other local dancers who performed
collaborative duos and trios with Hermesdorf with Mathias
accompanying them live. His bleeps-and-bloops style of electronica
complemented the dancers perfectly, and in a piece called "Combust"
he got to show off his classical training by playing a marching-band
bass drum tabla-style. My favorite work was called "Windowdressing"
in which Hermesdorf and Dominique Zeltzman used a hanging bar to
great effect. The two women alternated between
working in symphony and pushing each other away, evoking the
complexities of female relationships. "Matryoshka (nesting dolls)"
was another gorgeous piece in which Hermesdorf, Patricia Jiron, and
Sri Louise dance amidst boxes and suitcases that may or may not
contain what it is they're seeking.
Everything I saw that evening struck me as being intelligent and
thoughtful, even down to the statement printed at the top of the
program: "This body of work is evidence of peaceful interaction in a
time of destruction and war." Judging by the whoops and applause
from my fellow audience members, I wasn't the only one who was moved.
Frjtz
Motion Lab
ODC Theater
Dominique Zeltzman
AirSpace
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Heidi J. De Vries
