…as body speaks
Above you will see my treasures; an incredible cast of strong individuals, each an artist in their own right. We began making this work over a year ago and quite similarly to the social climate of our country, it has been a struggle. And its for certain about struggle. And its about all of the things we can not say about this kind of struggle, which is where the walls we push against began. It is where our dance began as well. It is why in the end, we did not need literal walls to feel it.
The evening’s final work was a marvelous surprise, and although it utilized spoken texts and songs, it is resistant to wordy explanation. By Shaleigh Comerford and the dancers of her company, with textual assistance from playwright Richard Kirkwood and music written and performed on stage by cellist Isabel Castellvi and pianist Randall Love, Dedicated to [ ] Because of [ ] (and Vice Versa), improbably combines six female dancers in short pale satin gowns with metal folding chairs and – actor Derrick Ivey.
Comerford’s dance language, with its mix of Gaga-style freedom of movement and balletic elegance, is well suited to the complex balance of dance theatre. The ensemble’s rather gorgeous fluidity and sharp repetitions – and their strange actions, both seductive and evasive – encounter Ivey’s massive physicality like ocean waves meeting offshore rock.
Friday night saw the premiere of an intriguing new work by ShaLeigh Comerford for her small, mutable company, ShaLeigh Dance Works as part of the first Durham Independent Dance Artists (DIDA) season. Aló will repeat May 2 in a large, handsome room in The Reality Center.
Comerford is a versatile dance artist who teaches at Elon University, as well as at two of Durham’s non-ADF studios (two of her current dancers also teach at Ninth Street Dance).
By SUSAN BROILI, Special to The Herald-Sun
Durham, NC 5/3/2015
ShaLeigh Dance Works’ world premiere of “Alo” conjured an experience Saturday at Reality Ministries. This was the last in a two-day run presented under the auspices of Durham Independent Dance Artists.
The space itself cast a spell even before this dance theater work began. Who would have thought, from the old building’s brick exterior, that it contained such a beautiful, evocative space with a high, domed ceiling?
It’s no whim that choreographer ShaLeigh Comerford chose to have the audience sit in a circle for the premiere of her evening-length work, “Aló.” That premiere, presented by Durham Independent Dance Artists (DIDA), takes place Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2, at Reality Ministries in Durham.
The seating configuration fits into the nature of that work as well as Comerford’s overall mission. “The circle is a metaphor for unity and connection,” the choreographer said in a telephone interview. “‘Aló’ speaks to multiculturalism, to ways we connect to each other through the experience of our hearts,” she added.