Our Ambrosia
Behind the Scenes for Josie Moseley Dance: January 24-26, 2008
By Austin Buchholtz
“Before I was born my mother was in great agony of spirit and in a tragic situation. She could take no food except iced oysters and champagne. If people ask me when I began to dance, I reply, ‘In my mother's womb, probably as a result of the oysters and champagne—the food of Aphrodite.’” —Isadora Duncan, American dancer (1878-1927)
Josie Moseley likes her meals fresh. At least, that’s my guess. The time-based art of choreography, they say, is most similar to the art of architecture because of its use of shapes and lines to create order in space. But I have a hunch choreography is a closer cousin to the culinary arts: imagine a recipe born of your mortal senses, hunt for the magic mixture of foodstuffs at their peak of flavor, cook and serve to a particular and lucky few.
In this case, Moseley’s recipes are mostly retrospective, like momma’s best—you can’t go wrong. And the handpicked ingredients are dancers—all with local, organic connections—coming from as far away as Sydney, Australia, New York City, and some out of early retirement. As for the lucky few, each night of Josie Moseley Dance at PSU Lincoln Hall sold out with good reason: Portland is full of highly selective foodies.
Dancers Matthew Boyes and Robyn Conroy.
The evening opens with a solo. Because bold, familiar lyrics are rare in contemporary dance, when Jae Diego dances Ob-La-Di to the Beatles song of the same name, the happy love story of Desmond and Molly brings a narrative quality to her gestures: generous and inviting like a twenty carat golden ring from Terpsichore. Then an exquisite eulogy for beloved Portland dance teacher Elena Carter Richardson and a motion-portrait of her spirit, Beside Me appropriately carries the gravitas of love between soul mates. Jonathan Krebs and Sara Anderson display formal Aikido shapes, aggressive and pristine, like Cupid arrows piercing one another.
Patrick Kilbane pours himself by muscle and joint into Travis John, a confident and sunny solo, ending face up. I make a note to watch for him at OBT. Commissioned by White Bird, the duet of In Their Bones glows with the fire-light mystery and layered chimes of Indonesian shadow puppetry. In one instance, Rachel Tess lifts Stephan Laks with pointed limbs, a human pendulum modulating tempos now arhythmic, now on time.
A trio of women populate Quiet Stories, at first to the sound of foreign words and later, intense strings. Dancers Katarina Svetlova, Anne Mueller, and Robyn Conroy command the floor with the particulars of their presences. The piece ends with them contiguous: one on all fours, another crawling under her, and the third sitting on top, her face in a scream. In the last piece With, Matthew Boyes and Cristina Betts fill the space with emotion in isolation and catharsis while together, their magnetic bond invisible but there.
After the final performance, at a dinner hosted by White Bird board members Nancy and George Thorn, Moseley herself recognized these three nights as “a passage of time and a rite of passage.” Close friends, long-time colleagues, and family have come to share this perspective on her body of work, some of which is older than her oldest child, and other pieces created in the last two years.
Choreographer Josie Moseley chats with White Bird board members George and Nancy Thorn during
the party hosted at their home.
For her sister Julie who lives in New Jersey, attending all three shows was “an education in Josie’s work and dance in general.” Due to distance and family commitments until now, most of her enjoying Josie dance was in parking lots after drinks.
About the caliber of her chosen dancers, Moseley is doubly proud: “there’s a huge amount of experience that steps into the dances. These dances came to life.”
Matthew Boyle, who retired from OBT about three years ago, tells me he was honored to be asked by Josie to perform once again in With, a work he describes as requiring the emotional awareness of someone well acquainted with caring for another. Jonathan Krebs says that Josie was the reason he is still dancing, invigorated by her faith in his abilities in 2006 for the premiere the of hauntingly elegant Beside Me.
Dancer after dancer describes how fulfilling it is to work with a choreographer such as Moseley who allows them to take the dance as their own, to let it ripen as only they can, and present it each night anew.
When Josie asked her daughters what they liked most about the show, they replied, “Paul and Walter.”
OK, now who gave the kids champagne?
***
Austin Buchholtz is a graphic designer, writer, and certified instructor of ballroom and latin dance.
Austin was White Bird's Director of Audience Services from August 2001 to December 2003
By Austin Buchholtz
“Before I was born my mother was in great agony of spirit and in a tragic situation. She could take no food except iced oysters and champagne. If people ask me when I began to dance, I reply, ‘In my mother's womb, probably as a result of the oysters and champagne—the food of Aphrodite.’” —Isadora Duncan, American dancer (1878-1927)
Josie Moseley likes her meals fresh. At least, that’s my guess. The time-based art of choreography, they say, is most similar to the art of architecture because of its use of shapes and lines to create order in space. But I have a hunch choreography is a closer cousin to the culinary arts: imagine a recipe born of your mortal senses, hunt for the magic mixture of foodstuffs at their peak of flavor, cook and serve to a particular and lucky few.
In this case, Moseley’s recipes are mostly retrospective, like momma’s best—you can’t go wrong. And the handpicked ingredients are dancers—all with local, organic connections—coming from as far away as Sydney, Australia, New York City, and some out of early retirement. As for the lucky few, each night of Josie Moseley Dance at PSU Lincoln Hall sold out with good reason: Portland is full of highly selective foodies.
Dancers Matthew Boyes and Robyn Conroy.
The evening opens with a solo. Because bold, familiar lyrics are rare in contemporary dance, when Jae Diego dances Ob-La-Di to the Beatles song of the same name, the happy love story of Desmond and Molly brings a narrative quality to her gestures: generous and inviting like a twenty carat golden ring from Terpsichore. Then an exquisite eulogy for beloved Portland dance teacher Elena Carter Richardson and a motion-portrait of her spirit, Beside Me appropriately carries the gravitas of love between soul mates. Jonathan Krebs and Sara Anderson display formal Aikido shapes, aggressive and pristine, like Cupid arrows piercing one another.
Patrick Kilbane pours himself by muscle and joint into Travis John, a confident and sunny solo, ending face up. I make a note to watch for him at OBT. Commissioned by White Bird, the duet of In Their Bones glows with the fire-light mystery and layered chimes of Indonesian shadow puppetry. In one instance, Rachel Tess lifts Stephan Laks with pointed limbs, a human pendulum modulating tempos now arhythmic, now on time.
A trio of women populate Quiet Stories, at first to the sound of foreign words and later, intense strings. Dancers Katarina Svetlova, Anne Mueller, and Robyn Conroy command the floor with the particulars of their presences. The piece ends with them contiguous: one on all fours, another crawling under her, and the third sitting on top, her face in a scream. In the last piece With, Matthew Boyes and Cristina Betts fill the space with emotion in isolation and catharsis while together, their magnetic bond invisible but there.
After the final performance, at a dinner hosted by White Bird board members Nancy and George Thorn, Moseley herself recognized these three nights as “a passage of time and a rite of passage.” Close friends, long-time colleagues, and family have come to share this perspective on her body of work, some of which is older than her oldest child, and other pieces created in the last two years.
Choreographer Josie Moseley chats with White Bird board members George and Nancy Thorn during
the party hosted at their home.
For her sister Julie who lives in New Jersey, attending all three shows was “an education in Josie’s work and dance in general.” Due to distance and family commitments until now, most of her enjoying Josie dance was in parking lots after drinks.
About the caliber of her chosen dancers, Moseley is doubly proud: “there’s a huge amount of experience that steps into the dances. These dances came to life.”
Matthew Boyle, who retired from OBT about three years ago, tells me he was honored to be asked by Josie to perform once again in With, a work he describes as requiring the emotional awareness of someone well acquainted with caring for another. Jonathan Krebs says that Josie was the reason he is still dancing, invigorated by her faith in his abilities in 2006 for the premiere the of hauntingly elegant Beside Me.
Dancer after dancer describes how fulfilling it is to work with a choreographer such as Moseley who allows them to take the dance as their own, to let it ripen as only they can, and present it each night anew.
When Josie asked her daughters what they liked most about the show, they replied, “Paul and Walter.”
OK, now who gave the kids champagne?
***
Austin Buchholtz is a graphic designer, writer, and certified instructor of ballroom and latin dance.
Austin was White Bird's Director of Audience Services from August 2001 to December 2003
Comments
Huh?!