Sounds of birds…
Sounds of horses’ hooves…
Choreographer Andrea Miller’s Wonderland takes us into our animal kingdom within. Charged with Gaga dance movements that seem to rachet up freeform edges in lieu of control, Wonderland unfolds as a series of vignettes and characters in a chapter book about herd mentality.
A dominatrix of sorts is identified as the Dear Leader. We see ritualized sacrifices of a one-against-the-herd again and again, as if we crashed an Aztec human sacrifice orgy. Often, dancers on the sidelines are still witnesses to the action— our stand ins.
We are aware that many stories are being told by these vignettes, but you too might quickly abandon all instincts for a linear narrative interpretation that proves elusive. Instead we repeatedly dwell in raw energy— and the physicality of the dancers. At one point, when a dancer is held aloft to lip and body sync Mr Sandman, we think we are getting a break from what feels like a feast of cannibalism. In a blink, we are back in the place of a stampeding animalist herd seeming to make grunts visual.
Joyce Theater Hosts Tribute to Gallim Board Member
On opening night, following the full-length performance of Gallim— a work we learn from program notes had debuted in abbreviated form on the Joyce stage a decade or so ago— dancers come out in electrified GaGa-like gyrations holding signs to thank Gallim’s Board Chair David Parker for all he does. Choreographer Andrea Miller floated in wearing a long ballet tutu style skirt, exuding softness and warmth in her being— her person striking this reviewer as a counterpoint to the energy of her Wonderland creation.
WHEN:
November 13-17, 2024
WHERE:
The Joyce Theater
175 Eighth Avenue (at the corner of 19th Street)
NY
About the Author: Amy Munice
Amy Munice is Editor-in-Chief and Co-Publisher of Picture This Post. She covers books, dance, film, theater, music, museums and travel. Prior to founding Picture This Post, Amy was a freelance writer and global PR specialist for decades—writing and ghostwriting thousands of articles and promotional communications on a wide range of technical and not-so-technical topics.
