James and Martha Duffy Performance Space at Mark Morris Dance Center
June 14, 2024
Artistic Direction and Choreography: Tiffany Mangulabnan, Jordan Miller, Amy Saunder
Dancers (live performance): Antuan Byers, Tiffany Mangulabnan, Jordan Miller, JoVonna Parks, Amy Saunder, Łukasz Zięba
Dancers (I’m Fine, But Barely): Peter Cheng, Alyssa Forte, Allegra Herman and Tiffany Mangulabnan
Musicians and Composers: Alexis Gideon, Bradley Harris
Lighting Design: Conor Mulligan
Costume Design: Reshma Patel-Cline
Stage Manager: Allegra Herman
Brooklyn-based contemporary ballet company konverjdans (converge/dance) is celebrating its eighth season this year. Their anniversary culminated in two performances of HYPHA – an evening of three world premieres and one short dance film at the James and Martha Duffy Performance Space at Mark Morris Dance Center. Each premiere, choreographed by one of the three konverjdans Artistic Directors- Tiffany Mangulabnan, Jordan Miller and Amy Saunder, centers around collaboration and original creations- hallmarks of this brilliant collective.
Tiffany Mangulabnan’s sky-shattered starts the evening on a stunning note, set to live piano music composed and performed by Bradley Harris. A motif of rooting establishes itself in the opening image as six dancers lie on their backs, their legs raised skywards and feet treading. This grounded feeling lasts through the dance’s cascading moments of connection. sky-shattered draws inspiration from Rainer Maria Rilke’s collection of poetry titled Book of Hours, prompting longing, intimate duet-work. Unison trickles into partnerships, as swirling lifts and buoyant phrases occur. Imagery and ideas repeat: treading feet while lying on backs. Backwards walking, purposefully stomping while traversing, with backs arched and arms outstretched like the branches of a tree. Each stomp lends itself to the dance’s idea of planting a seed: an idea that blooms from the company’s mission itself. The dancing, technical and virtuosic, matches the brightness of the piano, as the dancers stamp, step, and swirl deliberately with its timing.
Jordan Miller’s Carve the Night Swells carries an exploratory, galactic ambiance, set to a new, original score by Alexis Gideon. This work morphs and breathes. Six dancers wear black, white and metallic costumes with a mix of bubble-shaped skirts and loose, long pants. They appear curious while they dance their respective solos and duets, as they ripple, bounce, and react to one another in the space. At times, five converge into a clump while observing Amy Saunder as she dances alone. Saunder remains a prominently featured presence in the work, carrying an explosive energy. In a brief but lasting image, Antuan Byers and Łukasz Zięba carry Saunder over three kneeling figures: Miller, Mangulabnan, and JoVonna Parks. Saunder’s feet flutter as she springs above their cocooned stances. Later, Saunder and Zięba dance together, their duet crisp and precise. Saunder executes at least five rotations before Zięba swiftly catches her in a balance, her lifted leg rising high. A beautiful, orbiting image occurs when the group returns and creates a clump, whirling around one another in a
traveling circle as a single dancer lifts their hands skywards.
Miller’s short dance film, I’m Fine, But Barely, charmingly yet deeply calls upon relatable themes: “a post-performance high, the mental breakdown after yet another unsuccessful grant application, and ‘making it work’ for the 800th time…” It nods to the exhilarating yet exhausting nature of an artist’s existence. The film features dancing by Peter Cheng, Alyssa Forte, Allegra Herman and Mangulabnan, who oscillate between composed and chaotic movement sequences, relating to one another and their outdoor site-specific space. They lean on one another, walk in parallel lines next to each other, and break out into frenzied movement sequences, their animated facial expressions matching their energy. The filming site occurs in the outdoor gallery space of Westbeth Artist Housing, where the film originally premiered in April 2024’s WestFest: All Over Westbeth.
Saunder’s haunting yet hopeful Buried Giants, also set to a new, original score by Alexis Gideon, depicts two lovers facing a choice between “ignorance is bliss” and “harsh realities.” In the dance’s story, inspired by Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel The Buried Giant, Parks’ and Byers’ characters dream of a Ferryman (danced by Mangulabnan) who offers a tempting proposition. They can row away together and spend the rest of their days in eternal harmony – save for the Memories, danced by Mangulabnan, Miller and Zięba, who torment the lovers with the challenging realities of their partnership. From Parks and Byers’ passionate, tangled opening duet to Mangulabnan’s eerily alluring Ferryman solo (lit by a single lantern against a dark background), the work ripples with the entrance of The Mist. The Mist (danced by Miller) carries a translucent, white fabric that yawns and stretches through the stage – the dancers find themselves lost in its confines, unable to see or think clearly. Each swirling truth surrounds Parks and Byers, their characters’ love holding steadfast despite the cloudy, capsizing atmosphere.
At the program’s conclusion, Tiffany Mangulabnan offers a parting statement, beautifully capturing the essence of the evening: “We made this work, this company, because we wanted to create together. Everything you see on stage is fully, truly a collaboration. Everyone’s voices are listened to, respected and put into the work. That is the HYPHA we hope to share with you.”
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