What a great way to end DCMetroTheaterArts’ 2013 Capital Fringe coverage by watching graceful and talented dancers from Bowen McCauley Dance perform two dance compositions called Fire and Air and A Foot in Vienna in a program named From the Ground Up. These were two short but emotion-filled works that left me wanting more after the 30-minute performances concluded.
Fire and Air, directed by Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Associate Director Alan Paul, is a ‘new twist’ on Shakespeare’s final act of Antony and Cleopatra. Patrick Soluri has written a powerful score – beautifully played and filled with lush strings – that builds to a blazing ending. Bowen McCauley Dance’s Artistic Director and Choreographer Lucy Bowen McCauley (as Cleopatra) and Alvaro Palau (Mark Anthony) danced with passion, sensuality, and sizzling chemistry. Iris Andersen (Iras-Cleopatra’s Attendant) and Alicia Curtis (Charmian-Cleopatra’s Attendant) ably assisted Bowen McCauley. I was breathless (as were the hard-working dancers) as this emotionally moving work came to a stunning end.
In Afoot in Vienna, McCauley collaborated with Austrian composer and visual artist Wolfgang Seierl on this multi-media and modern piece which “explores how dance surfaces effect movement. Working in Vienna, Seieri shot video footage of Bowen McCauley dancing on sand, grass, pavement, and a very creaky floor. Bowen McCauley created the choreography with 8 scenes of the video, and Seieri composed an electronic score. Everything worked in perfect harmony – the dancing on the stage was in perfect synch and harmony with the dancing and movement on the screen. The final scene is a stunner. I won’t give it away, but I hope you will come and see this riveting 30 minutes of beautiful and powerful art tomorrow at 7 PM. Kudos to the hard-working dancers: Iris Andersen, Alicia Curtis, Alexandra Keen, Liz Clain-Stefanelli, Dustin Kimball, and Junichi Fukuda who were all glorious.
What an uplifting performance by this talented and enthusiastic dance company.
Running Time: 30 minutes.
Bowen McCauley Dance (BMD) is an Arlington, Virginia non-profit organization with a mission to introduce people of all ages to the joy of dance. For the last 17 years, BMD has energized broadly diverse audiences with inventive and vibrant choreography around the world. The award-winning company is renowned for its spirited dancers, use of live music, and outreach programs for socio-economically diverse communities. For additional information, please visit their website.
Fire and Air:
Choreographer – Lucy Bowen McCauley
Director – Alan Paul
Composer – Patrick Soluri
Lighting Design – Martha Mountain
Costume Design – Chelsey Schuller
Dancers: Lucy Bowen McCauley and Alvaro Palau
Afoot in Vienna:
Choreographer – Lucy Bowen McCauley
Composer – Wolfgang Seierl
Lighting Design: Martha Mountain
Costume Design: Chelsey Schuller
Dancers – Iris Andersen, Alicia Curtis, Alexandra Keen, Liz Clain-Stefanelli, Dustin Kimball, and Junichi Fukuda
