One Good Quote: Stranger Lover Dreamer (March 16-18 @ Dance Mission Theater)

In Fall 2017, Life as a Modern Dancer launched a new concept for post-performance discussion and writing. The goals are multi-fold:

What are new ways to invite post-performance writing (since so few publications now print dance reviews, and there are fewer and fewer dance critics in the United States)?
How can choreographers hear and read more from audience members about their impressions and experiences of dance events?
Can we offer new mechanisms for choreographers to gather language about their work, to further their work and to promote their work?

The premise is simple. If you attended the performance of Stranger Lover Dreamer's show 3, 4, 5, 6, 1 @ Dance Mission Theater in San Francisco on March 16-18, 2018, please take a few minutes here to leave a comment. Write down images, impressions, appreciations, and questions from the performance. These can be words, phrases, or a few sentences. Then please sign it with your name and a descriptor, such as:

Jill Randall, Director of Life as a Modern Dancer

Chris Randall, dance enthusiast

Reed Randall, first-time audience member

We thank you for your time, support, and thoughtfulness. Here's to more dialogue, more reflection, and more writing on the dance performance experience. As choreographer Mariah Steele noted, we are "democratizing dance criticism."

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4 responses to “One Good Quote: Stranger Lover Dreamer (March 16-18 @ Dance Mission Theater)”

Jill Homan Randall

Mar 17, 2018 at 8:24 am

I had a great time at opening night – an impressive, large cast filling the stage, many moments of humor, wholehearted commitment and presence in the dancing, and a lovely, supportive Friday night crowd.
Some images and impressions to share include:
-Loved that you walked into the theater space and the whole cast is there with you – on stage –
warming up, talking, making eye contact.
-Appreciated Stranger Lover Dreamer’s (SLD) first offering of the evening – a “warm up” of sorts with the whole cast going through a series of exercises (and improvs?) right in front of us. While a bit loose in structure and appearance, I still enjoyed watching the group come together and get rollin’ right before our eyes. I saw engagement/presence/centering/grounding/ensemble building in action.
-Second on the program was Elizebeth Randall’s “Remembering, Becoming.” Wonderful to see Randall on stage and her elegant, whole bodied commitment in every cell of her body. A gorgeous solo supported by an ensemble upstage of her, echoing and amplifying some of the choreography. Talk about clarity of the gesture and making gestures dance!
-Andrew Merrell’s “Kiss Me While I Sleep” – his first piece since the June 2017 production of “Sympathy for a Slacker” – clearly exhibited Merrell’s unique aesthetic and wonderful ability to pull together a collage of dreams/images/wishes through his use of stellar casting, full-bodied dancing, playful soundtracks, humor, props, color, and costumes. A full, rich serving of art in a mere 20 minutes! Merrell just magically and fluidly uses all tools at hand – movement being one of the many tools – to offer us images and experience. As a choreographer, he continues to craft gems of solos while at the same time is so good at shaping small ensemble work with a quartet.
-Shaunna Vella’s “Living Swans” was an ensemble work with six excellent, present dancers co-existing/weaving/intertwining/passing over, under, around, and through a shared space. Alyah Baker’s performance in the work was particularly captivating. (If I recall correctly, her solo started off the dance.) Again, the use of costumes, color, and even the windows of the Dance Mission Theater space all contributed to the vibe and feel of “Living Swans.” Vella isn’t afraid to go big with concept, or size of cast, in order to portray/amplify/express her ideas in choreography.
-The evening ended with a delightful, humorous, and cheeky quartet with Vella, Randall, and Merrell…also joined by Rogelio Lopez. Again, costuming, humor, and music choices helped fulfill the choreographic vision. Then, the whole cast of the evening comes on stage at the end – with text heard about kitties and being a “good kitty.” For sure funny and absurd….but as I saw a pile of dancers on stage together and connected, it got to the essence of the physical experience. Even with humor and absurdity, the evening ended with the powerful, simple image of dancers (bodies) inhabiting the space – together – and seeking connection and comfort.
Jill Randall, Blog Director of Life as a Modern Dancer

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Valerie Gutwirth

Mar 17, 2018 at 2:52 pm

My biggest take-home from this evening of dancing was the nutritive power of making dances. For me, the three leaders of SLD were satisfying their own thirst for dance-making, collaborating, and DANCING. They satisfied ours, as well; a whole lot of RELISHING went on. The class-like sequence at the beginning was a chance for us to see the beauty and artistry of class itself, not least people’s ability to move huge in close quarters. I appreciated the workmanlike expressions in this piece — never mind the audience, folks were there to dance from and through their individual STUFF. The rest, for me, was a peek into where each of the three leaders is, life-and-art-wise, at this very moment; with many moments of the above-mentioned relishing in each. What a joy to see movers moving joyfully. Thanks!

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Dana Lawton

Mar 19, 2018 at 7:27 am

I have been thinking a lot about ‘dance as ritual’ and appreciated many aspects of the evening, especially the opening. Dancers transformed traditional modern warm-up phrases into intricate patterns of floor work, traveling patterns and luscious movement sequences. It was delightful to watch familiar sequences performed with grace, levity and commitment.

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Todd Courage

Mar 22, 2018 at 11:33 am

What I Saw at the Stranger Lover Dreamer Concert:
+ a very cool amorphous introduction blending old-school warm up vocabulary with preperation as performative
+ Elizebeth Randall displaying her hypnotizing dancing chops — a lot of power there
+ People inspired by real life events
+ Andrew Merrell’s glam romp: episodic, edgy, crafted within an inch of its life,
burlesque-esque, efficient, highly styled, a wild array of clever conceits, I wanted more
+ some successful risks, some aesthetic challenges
+ Shaunna Vella’s anti-facism movement response: clouds turned into angels and STILL didn’t crash; a signature example of her renegade methods; a softer approach toward a serious message; fluid and form-free
+ I appreciated: the authentic commitment; no pause between pieces (brilliant); the performative nature and proximity, audience to dancers; the “good pussy” epilogue; the supportive and convivial crowd

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