Photo Credit: Water Street Dance Milwaukee
The small Daync Studio on East Hamilton Street was beautifully arranged on Friday, July 26, for the debut performance of Water Street Dance Milwaukee. The sightlines were perfect for the audience of 60 or so, easily seated at café tables or small side tables. Dreamy music at a perfect volume, soft colors, gentle lighting and the illusion of space that a classic mirrored dance studio wall creates made the room warm and welcoming. As in every aspect of the performance that followed, you could feel the care. It was a promising start for choreographer Morgan Williams’ new contemporary dance company.
Williams is a gifted, hardworking Milwaukee dance artist. His choreographic style is a demanding, often dazzling blend of ballet, modern and street dance that both celebrates and challenges each dancer individually. One year after the acrimonious breakup of the SueMo Dance Company, which he co-founded and directed for five increasingly productive seasons, he’s starting afresh with an excellent group of dancers including former colleagues, notably Jasper Sanchez. I’m grateful the work continues.
Evenings consisted of two world premieres. Bon Iver Suite is what its title describes, a response to a mix of the band’s music. But there’s drama to it—hints of anguish, distrust and isolation with Sanchez’ character sometimes at odds with the group. The dancers maintained an inner focus; this was more than a show piece. Midway through, Williams joined the dancers. His height and strength enabled some powerful partnering. The dancing built to something explosive; bodies moved as if jolted by electric shocks. This led to a solo by Williams—fast, violent moves against quiet music. Then, a big surprise: the dancers slowly, gently offered hands to audience members, silently inviting us to the dance floor. “What are we doing?” I asked Sanchez who took my hand to lead me. “Just feel it,” he answered. I danced. It was freeing. It didn’t last long. We found our way back to our seats, to this place, this moment, this event. The dancers had become a group again, dancing for us now in a happy ending.
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At the break, half of the audience was reseated at the opposite end of the room. Both sides faced center where the brilliant composer Allen Russell improvised on his violin, first against a recording of a conversation he’d had with Williams about the work underway, titled The Beginning with An End; then freestyle; then against a beat which was, I think, a recording of him plucking his instrument.
The dancers slowly filled the space liked zombies, summoned by the reverberating music. The lighting was dark, just deep red footlights. The dancers executed gymnastics and extreme dance moves in a sequence that ended with dancer Alex Seager upside down, walking on the wall with his feet near the ceiling, carried high by dancers who seemed to want to keep up their control. Always thrilling, often ferocious, this dance seemed less the story of an individual than that of all of us as we face current environmental, political and moral emergencies—the evening of an era, for better or worse. I realize that makes the piece sound oppressive. The opposite was true. The dancing was so skillful, so sensual, so energizing. The dancers held nothing back, nor did Russell in his playing. The piece closed with a short, forward-looking, freestyle rap by Cees the Emcee. Fingers crossed for everybody.
See Water Street Dance Milwaukee at the Milwaukee Fringe Festival on Saturday, Aug. 24, at 2:30 p.m. at the Marcus Center. For more information, visit waterstreetdancemke.com.
