Bessies back on board!
October 20, 2010
Gus Solomons Jr. Photo by Christopher Duggans
Bessies night glittered with Gus in a tux, Carmen deLavallade adding her youthful luster, and a passel of brainy, bright choreographers and performers parading to the stage. Virginia Johnson beamed like a fairy godmother at the Symphony Space podium, presenting some of the awards. Tina Ramirez, of Ballet Hispanico fame, and fit and funny retired ballet star Jock Soto were among the presenters.
The Bessie award was established in 1983 by the late, benevolent, teacher and modern dancer Bessie Schonberg. Hard times fell last year, but thanks to Dance/NYC, Lucy Sexton, and Symphony Space, the Bessies are back with a professional sheen.
The awards have traditionally focused on performances and performers that might otherwise fall under the radar. Thereby the event has an insider's apartness. Sexton, mastermind of the Bessies' return, promised a broader dance community going forward.
With Johnson on the selection committee, I expected prizes for ballet choreographers and dancers. Ballet was present this year, but not recognized as an end in itself. On October 18, four preteen ballet dancers won for their work in Sarah Michelson's Dover Beach. Pam Tanowitz took home a prize. She has addressed ballet in her works and choreographed on ballet dancers. In her acceptance speech, Tanowitz related a guiding principle from Viola Farber, who she studied with at Sarah Lawrence. "Now don't start making dances that they want to see." This was the mode of the evening and perhaps the selection criteria ... individualism and artistic authority.
Ishmael Houston-Jones hands Michelle Boule her award. Miguel Gutierrez in between. The Powerful People at left and image of Boule as James Dean in Last Meadow. Photo by Christopher Duggan/Nel Shelby.
Dancenoise legend Sexton produced and presided. There were no actual choreographed acts, but the wit flowed from host Isaac Mizrahi, the famed fashion designer, gay personality, and dance lover. He said he'd never give up the chance to sell some clothes. The Bessies galloped to their stop two hours later, after which revelers set off to party. In fact, pizza and libation greeted early audience members and wine refills were encouraged. It was a generous (and free) celebration.
Tanowitz, Kyle Abraham, Yaniro Castro, Okwui Okpokwasili, Heather Olson, Kayvon Puorazar, luchiana achugar, Michele Boulé, Solomons Jr and Paradigm were awarded, to my delight. Also a treat, were the discoveries from West coast choreographer Keith Hennessey, the Brazilian Grupo de Rua who danced H3 at Dance Theatre Workshop, and New Yorkers Yvonne Meier and Faye Driscoll. Downtown theaters have been offering re-creations of seminal works and a Bessie awent to Anna Halprin and Morton Subotnick's parades & changes, replays, performed at the Kitchen. For the full roster go to Dance/NYC.
Solomons spoke soberly about a critic who wrote that ostensibly, there are no important "downtown" dances. He suggested that the critic might be enticed by the startling clips of awardees' works. Hannah Carpenter expertly edited the segments for full effect of the performance tours de forces on the big screen. Over and over, the images left us with heart in hand.
The selection committee awarded twelve excellent dances seen in 2009 (when the Bessies didn't happen) and 2010, and sixteen individual standouts, including David Leventhal of Mark Morris Dance Group. Leventhal just recently retired and now works his magic on people with Parkinson's disease. The audience accepted this news with hearty applause. Graham dancer Miki Orihara won. The final award went to Solomons's evergreen Paradigm company. "We just don't stop," he said.
