ARTS REVIEW: 'USUAL PLACES'

MashUp Contemporary Dance Company’s New & Unusual Show Took Over Hollywood, Heads North

By: Chhaya Kurani

April 4, 2011

(Barnsdall Art Gallery Theatre in Hollywood, California) Los Angeles’s newly formed MashUp Contemporary Dance Company made its presence known with Usual Places a show that premiered in Hollywood on March 26th. At the Barnsdall, Usual Places has captivated and wowed onlookers and will soon pack up and head north to San Francisco, where the dance company will next engage audiences at Brava Theatre beginning April 9th.

Cleverly selecting Usual Places, the artistic directors and choreographers of MashUp--Victoria Brown and Sarah Rodenhouse--poetically portrayed the rich colors and depth of experience in both the usual and not so usual emotions felt in our everyday environs. The dancers of MashUp brilliantly excelled in presenting the choreography with precise technique, expressive faces, and a passion for dance that was apparent.

This being the first run of the show, it did have its set of glitches, including long gaps of dead space between each number, and moments when certain dancers were a hair of a beat off from the rest. However, overall, the company as a whole did great.

The show itself is visually engaging, and select pieces, including “To Find the Place Where One Left Off Reading,” “A Place by Myself,” and Lindley Mayer’s solo, “Please Come Have Dinner at My Place,” were creatively dynamic, visually tantalizing, and emotionally stirring.

However, many of the other pieces repeatedly evoked one question: what sets this contemporary company apart from the rest? A general question that remained lingering in my mind through to the end of the performance. The choreography was well-done, but one can’t help but wish that a company with this much ammunition presents a unique perspective and choreographic approach to set their performance apart and truly define themselves as a company. One can only hope that this lack of signature style is a result of them still being in their formative stage, and that future shows do not have this air of being a showcase of choreographic work rather then a cohesive whole that screams “MashUp is on stage!”

Pitched and marketed as a multi-media dance concert, the “multi-media” aspect fell short and came across as both fillers for quick changes and a contrived effort for marketing. There were four pieces that incorporated other forms of art outside of dance, namely a solo ballad sung by the talented Tiffany Rivette, a dance by Ms. Brown performed to live music sung by Ms. Rivette, a spoken word piece movingly recited by Maceo Zearick Keeling III (who also wrote the gorgeous poetry) and performed in dance breathtakingly, I might add, by Diana Vaden, and finally a dance number, “In the First Place,” that utilized video footage as a backdrop.

Sadly, all pieces, with the exception of the spoken word piece, lacked a great deal and left much to be desired. Ms. Rivette’s amazing voice and formal vocal concert demeanor was misplaced in the show, breaking the momentum of the dance and making one feel like she had stepped into the wrong auditorium and on the wrong stage for her distinguished performance. The piece with the live video footage was hard on the eyes, with the fast-paced hand-held video comparable to The Blair Witch Project, and the dancers disappearing into the larger projection of the rapidly moving fall leaves, flowers, and cityscape. While many pieces did use sets and props, the use of such is not uncommon in a dance show, and to acknowledge it as “multi-media” is fallacious.

Lastly, while the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre is a suitable venue, this company’s work merits a larger stage. The manner in which their pieces were choreographed, the true impact of the dance numbers and visuals would occur when all the dancers have a good deal more room to travel and move, and are supported by the perks of a dance venue including more dynamic lighting, black Marley floors, and a cyclorama screen that enables video projection without putting the dancers' legs in shadows.

With a signature style and larger venues in the future for MashUp, this company is definitely one to keep an eye on. They are quickly establishing themselves as one that is going to keep growing, experimenting, and eventually coming into their own. Right now, it is a company to go see, support, and watch closely as they blossom into a presence that is here to stay. Their presentation and performance level is par-excellence, and the elements that lacked in the show are slight and easily remedied. For all the San Franciscans, check them out in your area on April 9th at Brava Theatre: 2781 24th Street, San Francisco, California 94110.

$25 General Admission tickets are available for 'Usual Places' from The Brava Theater.