LAST MONDAYS: What a Show!

Last Monday: A Review
by Rebecca Blake


BSM, in collaboration with Hybridge Arts Collective, hosted the first of hopefully many Last Monday gatherings on June 28th.

The first Last Monday gathering kicked off at 7 p.m., with a delicious dinner (consisting of linguini tossed with tomato, zucchini, and a bit of marinara, as well as fresh garlic bread) followed by four diverse performance acts:

We Often Repeat Repeat Repeat Ourselves was a production of Choreosplat Dance Works, choreographed by Kelly Turner and performed by Kelly Turner and Adrian Plascencia. The piece incorporated modern dance and strong visual elements with the aid of blue and white paint. Turner and Plascencia's movements were confident and compelling as they danced toward and away from each other, again and again. Many of the drops, spins, and falls were almost distractingly forceful as the thuds of bodies hitting each other and the wood stage reverberated throughout the room; and yet, it intensified the movements themselves. A certain emotional weight was evident throughout the piece, both in its powerful movements as well as the way each dancer utilized the paint, throwing and smearing it on each other and the floor.

TRIBERIOUS' musical performance was the creation of three musicians: Mark Allen on the baritone saxophone, Alex Salwach on the bass, and Jon Buscema on the drums. Jazz-like sound mixed in with some noise-like elements made for a very dynamic performance. The music was improvisational and yet not careless at all; the musicians clearly knew how to create well together. Salwach would often drift between between Allen and Buscema, and this slight dance often mirrored the way the music built slowly and solidly. Each musician was clearly in his element, shifting between fluid and dissonant sound with ease and creativity.

Kosoko Performance Group presented American Chameleon, choreographed by Jaamil Kosoko in collaboration with the dancers, Vince Johnson, Shannon Murphy and Zach Svoboda. The piece contained evocative solo and group performances that incorporated movement, spoken word, and distinctive music from The Jimi Hendrix Experience. The exchanges between dancers artfully displayed all the nuances of typical verbal and non-verbal ways of communicating. Murphy's character in the piece alternated between interacting with the audience and the other dancers, but regardless of who she was addressing, her way of expression implied a deep and powerful intimacy between herself and her subject. This piece deftly wove realistic, almost everyday verbal interactions and powerful modern dance to depict what relationships feel like.

Closing out the night was an untitled original comedy performance presented by The New Dreamz, written and performed by Rose Luardo and Andrew Jeffrey Wright. My first impression of their jokes and interactions was "kooky"; I couldn't tell if I liked or "got" their humor at first. However, as they progressed from playing elderly characters who had surprising push-up capabilities to entrepreneurial beanie babies dealers, it became clear that they were poking fun at the genre of stand up and improv comedy itself. Clever, awkward, and engaging, Luardo and Wright's performances were absolutely hilarious.



If you weren't able to make it...I sincerely hope you can come out on July 26th. You won't be disappointed!