Diana Szeinblum’s Alaska, at On the Boards, was perhaps one of the most startling dance performances that I have ever seen. Visceral is the word that best describes it, and the word that I keep revisiting as I write this review. Having attended a master class with Diana Szeinblum the day before, I fortunately had some idea of what to expect. Her style is based upon the experience, rather than the appearance of the dancers. According to the program notes, in her choreography, she is “appealing to the memory of what was lived to find in the body the experience of what has not been revealed”. Essentially, Ms. Szeiblum uses the physical memory of the body to access new experiences, and the result is as nontraditional as her methods.
The movement quality was furious and repetitious. Although repetition can sometimes be monotonous, the unique approach of the dancers ensured that the movement stayed interesting. The dancers applied their current emotions and feelings, in order to create a different dynamic each time they performed the same phrase. One dancer rocked her torso over her hips as if she were one of those novelty drinking birds. The rocking was so intense and long lasting that I feared she might might the program with a severe case of whiplash. Much of the movement was like this, seemingly harsh and abusive, like the dancers were trying to exorcise their experiences from their bodies.
The interaction between dancers was sometimes dehumanizing, and at other times surprisingly sensitive. During a lengthy section three dancers carted around the fourth dancer, undressing and dressing her as if she were a catatonic doll. They positioned her body like she was an abstract sculpture, and result was fascinating. The dancer became an object, yet because of the intimacy of the theater, the audience somehow also became more intensely aware of her as a flawed human.
My favorite part of the performance was a sort of action sequence, where the dancers took turns leaping into the air superhero style to be caught by the other dancers. This section served as a relief from the heavy assault of emotion laden content. It was likely my favorite part because it was the most “dancey” section. Actually, most of the performance was not so much dance, but a genre known as tanztheater, which is a combination of dance and dramatic elements concerned with the expression of experiences. Diana Szeinblum studied under one of the most well-known pioneers in this art form, German choreographer Pina Bausch.
Alaska was an experience. It was like the dancers, or interpreters as Diana Szeiblum calls them, immersed the audience in their exploration of unrevealed places. It was unlike anything that I have experienced, and I was glad that I went. This performance left a significant impression on me, because the movement was so resoundingly visceral and enthralling.
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