Honoring History in Dance: Danspace Project’s 50th Anniversary Season
History plays a vital role in the celebration of Danspace Project’s 50th-anniversary season. As part of the festival titled “Danspace@50: The Work Is Never Done. Sanctuary Always Needed.,” which spans four months filled with performances, screenings, and engaging conversations, the spring programs pay tribute to an older generation of dance artists through innovative reinterpretations of their significant works. Dance, by its very nature, can never be fully replicated; it lives in the bodies of its performers, and each generation brings its own unique perspective. The question arises: how can we intertwine the past with the present? This is accomplished by involving new dancers in the reimagining process, a practice embraced in the works of esteemed artists like Ishmael Houston-Jones and Fred Holland, Bebe Miller, and Donna Uchizono. Notably, in May, Marjani Forté-Saunders will present Blondell Cummings’s “Chicken Soup,” originally created in 1981.
Below is a closer examination of some of the performances featured thus far:
Ishmael Houston-Jones: ‘OO-GA-LA Reimagined’ (Feb. 27-March 1)
From left, Stephanie Hewett, Kris Lee, and AJ Wilmore in “OO-GA-LA Reimagined.” Credit… Rachel Keane
In 1983, during a Danspace festival dedicated to contact improvisation, Ishmael Houston-Jones and Fred Holland set out to defy conventions and establish their own artistic rules. They wrote a series of directives that guided their improvised duet “OO-GA-LA,” many of which were intentionally contrary to the norms of the genre. While contact improvisation typically emphasized barefoot movement, they opted for punk boots; where sequential flow was the aim, they intentionally disrupted it, even steering clear of physical contact. Yet, the essence of their groundbreaking manifesto was rooted in a simple yet powerful declaration: “We are Black.”
In “OO-GA-LA Reimagined,” a new generation of Black artists—Stephanie Hewitt, Kris Lee, and AJ Wilmore—crafted their own manifesto, boldly identifying as shape-shifting tricksters who both honor their ancestral roots and exhibit a spirit of defiance. Their performance began with footage from the original piece, followed by Houston-Jones performing a benedictory solo, acknowledging the legacy of Holland, who passed away in 2016.
The original 1983 performance, despite its radical intentions, was characterized by subtlety and nuanced transitions; however, the reimagined version embraced a more flamboyant and liberated energy. The trio of dancers immersed themselves in uninhibited expression, energetically bouncing off, obstructing, and uplifting one another throughout the performance. Much of their vibrant energy was amplified by their roles at a DJ station, curating a mix of classic dance tracks and gospel music. Their tribute to Houston-Jones was both heartfelt and irreverent, capturing the essence of a true homage—their spirited celebration was indeed the best kind of tribute.
BRIAN SEIBERT
