American Dance Festival MADE IN NORTH CAROLINA Review

A newcomer to North Carolina quickly learns about the deep roots undergirding the North Carolina dance scene when attending an evening such as the Made in North Carolina event. This American Dance Festival (ADF) evening was a showcase of four distinct choreographic talents— Durham-based Stacy Wolfson and Curtis Eller whose focus is combining music, dance and storytelling; Iyun Ashani Harrison also of Durham where he teaches dance at Duke University; Greensboro-based hip-hop and street dance artist Dom-Sebastian Alexis; and Gavin Stewart and Vanessa Owen, principals of the resident troupe in Asheville’s Wortham Center for the Performing Arts. Each had received ADF grants to create these widely varying world premieres.

It was the heartfelt speeches for the two pillars of the Triangle dance scene — Annie Dwyer and Gene Medler—whom this evening was dedicated to that set the scene. For those of us who didn’t know of their work before, it was deeply moving to hear and see the love for their work and influence on the generations of young dancers they brought to the art. The speeches painted a picture of how these dedicated dance instructors through the years used their art to enrich the communities as a whole. These were not pro forma remarks. These were words spoken by souls touched by Dwyer and Medler— and in turn they touched us.

American Dance Festival Creates a Something-For-Everyone Program

First up was The Biped’s We Know This By Heart. Curtis Eller’s opening fiddle chords seemed to say “..Let me tell you a story..” In just a few bars though, it becomes a dark tale laced with the periodic booms of guns. Wolfson and Eller’s bodies seemed hit by every shot. We realize they are running under desks and chairs to stay safe. The oboe cries. A chanteuse high on a perch with a long dress hooping over furniture that makes her appear as a god-like force, is spinning a cats cradle web. We don’t know what she is weaving but we know her web is threatening.

If you love ballet, as this writer does, there was much to savor in Ashani Ballet’s super-graceful performance of Dance of the Olympiad (2024). The trademark of Ashani Ballet seems to be to make the most classic of moves flow and glide from one to the next with rolling fluidity. These are ballet dancers whom Harrison’s choreography not only allows to show that they have hips— and very strong ones at that— but that their swivels and torso tilts can be as classic as a plié. The heavy symphonic accompaniment sometimes seems like thunder, and always take away distractions of pointe shoes thudding. Given the work’s title and the triumphal scores, we might have reason to focus on the ample athleticism on display. For this writer though, while we can clearly see that physical prowess is at work, what hits more is the transporting feeling of flow.

All-earth. That’s the meaning of “..Pangea”. A quick google tells us that this word speaks to an ancient time when all the planet’s lands were connected. How intriguing that Dom-Sebastian Alexis titled his work this way. With a half-dozen fellow performers and another half-dozen more helping to move lights and shift props, we are invited into a world of vignettes made with gestures and dance both. We know break outs into break moves are coming— and they do—— but we never know when. Much like the DJ scratching quickly to a new track, the scenes change abruptly. It’s the good sense of humor that comes across most.

A Troupe Later Affected by Hurricane Helene-- See Appeal for Help

When the Stewart/Owen Dance Ensemble turns to show us their smiling faces, they freeze happy arms in v-shaped outstretch from their torsos. They remind of an oldie black and white Al Jolson movie scene where he puts on his gloves to go “Ta dah!”. One dancer— Vanessa Owen herself — doesn’t at first get the forced happiness pose and in a troubled way struggles to get with the program. When she arrives in the forced happy stance, it’s as though she has unleashed the ensemble to show their considerable dance chops.

For this reviewer, the theme of The Front is just about forgotten until the final scene when the ensemble switches on- and -off of happy face affect as if powered by windshield wipers. In between those opening and finale scenes, we are regaled with fast moving dance that never sags or lags. Their torsos bend. They gracefully fly each other in circles. Three glue together to make moving sculptures. One is rolled over others. They are up, down and in between— never giving one plane an advantage. Fellow dance lovers might watch them and have similar irrepressible thoughts of traveling to Asheville for more.**

This formula— presenting four local but very diverse groups with commissions for new work— seems to be an American Dance Festival staple. For North Carolina-based dance lovers looking to know more about dance nearby, American Dance Festival’s Made in North Carolina is a top pick for your time.