Photo Credit: Paul Ruffolo
Dance, theatre and film meet in Danceworks’ latest production, Against the Grain, which tells the life story of Civil War veteran-turned-artist Levi Fisher Ames. Ames’ life work is comprised of more than 600 wooden sculptures of animals (real and imaginary) which have been brought to life in this world premiere of the play in which memories, fantasies and reality are intertwined.
The play starts as Levi Fisher Ames is on his deathbed, reminiscing about his life, relationships and artwork. As he thinks about them, elements from the past and from his imagination pour onto the stage, invisible to all besides Ames himself and the audience. We never leave the hospital room, yet the show brings us deep into the mind of the Wisconsin-based carver and far into the past, following Ames’ venture as a traveling museum to show off his creations. The setting is intimate as characters keep wearing pajamas throughout every scene. Yet the sickbed in the middle of the stage is soon forgotten as we accompany Ames’ mind on the fairgrounds that made his fame.
John Kishline is brilliant as a dying, delirious Levi Fisher Ames, and the writing peaks when he narrates his own story, accompanied by music and his sculptures, which are embodied by six dancers. There is a cat, a fox, a bull, but also animals that don’t exist, such as an “Elefish,” an imaginary creature whose movements are truly unique―it flows, undulates, floats and swims in the air. Each dancer has his or her own body language and enough leeway to express the personality of the creature they incarnate while working harmoniously with the ensemble.
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The 10 dances are at the foreground of the show. They are choreographed by Danceworks’ artistic director, Dani Kuepper, who also performs in the play. “One of the first movement ideas I had was when I was looking at the carvings and realized there is a spine somewhere,” she explains, “so, I started thinking that when he started carving, perhaps he had in mind the logical way that the spine curves. There is definitely a lot of movement that is inspired by spinal articulations.” The dances are unique and striking; they have an ethereal, almost oneiric quality to them, with slow and gracious movements.
The writing takes a backseat to the dancing most of the time with a few notable exceptions, during which the script truly shines. The story is not told to us directly but instead is sprinkled throughout the play—offered in small doses and accompanied by dancing and movement pieces. In the background, an ever-present film by Kym McDaniel, which does a remarkable job of illustrating the setting of every scene as well as reinforcing the strength of the dances, also shows some of Ames’ actual creations.
Against the Grain is not for everyone, however. The pacing is slow, and there is no scenario to speak of besides that of a thoughtful homage to a real artist whose work was forgotten for the better part of the 20th century. The play should be rewarding to those who truly appreciate aesthetics over a satisfying story, as is only fitting for a play about a visual artist such as Levi Fisher Ames. Moreover, we see no more than a tiny fraction of his wooden animals. The play is performed in an intimate, black-box theater at Danceworks Studio Theatre, with additional performances Nov. 9-10 at the John Michael Kohler Art Center in Sheboygan, where the public will be able to see the actual creations of the carver.
Against the Grain runs Oct. 25-28 at Danceworks Studio Theatre, 1661 N. Water St., and Nov. 9-10 at the John Michael Kohler Art Center, 608 New York Ave., Sheboygan. For more tickets and more information, visit danceworksmke.org.
