New Work Room showcase boasts serious diversity
<i>HEADS UP!</i> lives up to its name.
The Lucky Penny’s Work Room opened in East Point last year as a place for contemporary dancers to, well, work. A new showcase at Emory’s Schwartz Center reveals what these talented folks have been up to. It spans nine productions of various stages of incubations (some months in the making, others in very nascent form).
Okawe A. Miller kicks off the program with a self-choreographed production, “CARVEDimaged: all of the women. in me. are tired.” The emotional work is highly political and investigates gender’s place in pop culture, primarily the female binary’s place, accompanied with mash-up video footage. ”Grace and Clay” is another emotion, gender-explorative number, performed by dancers Gavin Bernard, Hez Stalcup, Jodan Stubbs, and Jeremiah Thompson. Stalcup choreographed the joint, soundtracked by two U.S. Girls songs (and OK, one from Carla Morrison, too).
But Work Room’s dancers have a serious sense of humor, to boot. Sarah Freeman’s “Bandaid on the Loose” is a winking ride of hugely effusive proportions. “Paper Moon” by Anicka Austin (performed by Erin Anastasia) also emanates an endearing vibe.
Other performances include works as performed by dancers like Claire Molla, Melissa Word (both above), Corian Ellisor, MaryGrace Phillips, Bella Dorado, Scott Wheet, Sarah Freeman, Tim Harland, and Andy Imm.