![\"Attractive](\"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/thumbnail_IMG_2706.jpg\")
<\/a>Attractive boards on the Wallis patio, providing details of the three dances we were treated to that night. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n
This particular offering, This Song Reminds Me of You<\/em>, featured a trio of works with the theme being \u201cthe power of memories sparked by unexpected reminders\u2014whether it\u2019s a painting, song, or sensation, the associations we make with the world around us forge lasting connections that provoke deep feelings of nostalgia.\u201d (If dancing and choreographing don\u2019t work out for the people who came up with that<\/em> sentence, they can become writers<\/em>!)<\/p>\n First up was Mayday<\/em>. It\u2019s set to Buddy Holly music, of which I have never been a fan. But Mr. X is, so I was glad that one<\/em> of us was happy with the audio component.<\/p>\n I believe the program told us that this one is about that you can die at any minute, as Holly himself did at just twenty-two, in a plane crash. But trust me\u2014there have been way too many recent deaths, so I don\u2019t need that reminder, especially when I\u2019m trying to enjoy my favorite art form!<\/p>\n Mayday. Photo by Guzm\u00e1n Rosado, as is the one at the top of this review.<\/p><\/div>\n The group of eight dancers played percussion on their bare stomachs often in this number, which made me laugh because it\u2019s something I\u2019ve done throughout my life, I know not why. And during it, Mr. X leaned over and whispered that he had to go home and work on his abs!<\/p>\n This is the number where we both independently discovered Chandler Davidson. OMG! I reiterate that every<\/em> dancer in this company is exceptional, but Chandler took my breath away in every segment of the show. During this first dance, Mr. X whispered that Chandler was his favorite, which I had already made a note of for myself. It was interesting because at one point, when he was dancing to Not Fade Away<\/em>, (which was Buddy Holly\u2019s original song, seven years before the Rolling Stones recorded it,) I was thinking, \u201cDon\u2019t worry, honey, you could never<\/em> fade away!\u201d The audience screaming for him at the end of the show proved that Mr. X and I were not the only ones who loved this guy the most. I honestly admired everybody, but Chandler is now in my pantheon of dancers! (He joins Adam Cooper, Alan Vincent, and Serafin Castro in my affections, and I believe has leap-frogged them all!)<\/p>\n The second number was entitled I Forgot The Start<\/em>. And the funny thing is that I disliked<\/em> the start of it, so I could never<\/em> forget it! It wasn\u2019t the dancing; it was the first bit of music. As the theme of the production suggests for everyone<\/em>, music has always ruled my soul. So the beginning track, which I believe was by Sinead O\u2019Connor, made me want to hurt someone!!! (Charming of me, I know.) It contained a lot of whispering, but the Wallis\u2019 sound system is so good that I thought it was coming from the audience members around me, so I almost told them to \u201c*STFU while people are performing!\u201d *(I guess that song turned me into Joe Pesci!)<\/p>\n I Forgot the Start. (L-R) Katie Garc\u00eda, Chandler Davidson, and Jordyn Santiago. Photo by Kevin Parry.<\/p><\/div>\n Then, as the dancing<\/em> got going, I was not a fan of the choreography because it reminded me of Monty Python’s \u201cThe Ministry of Silly Walks.\u201d At least the projections on the background were pretty.<\/p>\n The description of I Forgot The Start<\/em> in the program is that it \u201cwalks the line between joy and grief to illuminate the sheer relentlessness of hope.\u201d But most of the choreography was just joyous, (thank goodness\u2014I didn\u2019t notice any grief,) so I just basically ignored what I had read, and concentrated on the dancing, which was fabulous, as usual for BodyTraffic. (No wonder they just received a million dollar grant!)<\/p>\n But even in this weird number, Chandler commanded my attention again.<\/p>\n The best number, by far, was the last one, Incense Burning On A Saturday Morning: The Maestro<\/em>, choreographed by Juel D. Lane. As far as I\u2019m concerned, if the entire hour and forty-five minutes of the show had been just this one piece, I would have been really happy! Everything about it worked. (Except for the brief bit of talking on the soundtrack in the beginning, which you know I hate.)<\/p>\n Incense Burning on a Saturday Morning: The Maestro. In the center are Alana Jones in yellow and Ty Morrison in white. Photo by Guzm\u00e1n Rosado.<\/p><\/div>\n It was all so compelling. This is just about the most perfect dance number I have ever seen, on every artistic level possible. The choreography, colors, clothing were all exquisite. And the music worked wonderfully with it all.<\/p>\n Incense Burning On A Saturday Morning: The Maestro<\/em> featured some of the famous paintings of the late great artist Ernie Barnes, whose entire life was fascinating! He was not only an incredible artist, (whose work you might recognize from the old TV show, Good Times,<\/em>) but a professional football player, as well! And later on, while still doing major art work, he became an actor!!! I encourage you to research him. You will be amazed.<\/p>\n Mr. Barnes\u2019 work was projected onto the scrim in front of the dancers, which was absolutely beautiful. I loved that, at times, we could even hear sounds of the artist\u2019s brushstrokes as the paintings appeared on that screen. Brilliant.<\/p>\n The dancing of the two stars of it, Ty Morrison, (as the artist,) and Alana Jones, (as the girl in the yellow dress from the painting,) was absolutely stunning. And oh so powerful. I adored every second of their work.<\/p>\n And then Chandler Davidson got going again, and I kept hearing myself gasp out loud at each of his moves!<\/p>\n So, I suggest two things to all art, dance, theatre, music, and culture lovers. First is that you see anything and everything that BodyTraffic offers, wherever<\/em> they perform. The other is, of course, that Angelenos should check-out all<\/em> the shows at the Wallis, my favorite theatre. The edifice itself is so interesting, (it used to be the BHPO, in case you forgot or didn\u2019t know to begin with,) and I cannot imagine better seats and sightlines at any<\/em> theatre anywhere! When Mr. X opts to go to a venue time and time again, you know it has to be really comfortable in every way! (And before the curtain at this<\/em> presentation, the complimentary Prosecco, and DeeJay Clifton spinning on the patio, added to the overall experience.)<\/p>\n The joyous BodyTraffic curtain call, with By the way, the end of BodyTraffic\u2019s statement on the Wallis\u2019 site was, \u201c\u2026this performance invites audiences to reflect on the profound impact of memory and celebrate how our past shapes our journey forward.\u201d<\/p>\n So in that vein, I have to share this personal observation that occured to me again this time, which I have always<\/em> noticed at shows with music everywhere<\/em>. And that is\u2014how do audiences, especially like this one which is comprised of people involved in the dance world, not move to the music??? I really can’t understand that at all. To be polite to the people around me, I try hard to keep my body-bopping to a minimum, but it\u2019s hard to do, no matter what<\/em> the music is. When I was a teen in New York, and my mother took me to symphonies at Lincoln Center, I chose to leave my seat and go into the lobby, so I could not only bop<\/em> to the music but actually dance<\/em> to it, without disturbing the patrons around me. (Okay, let\u2019s be honest\u2014it was also so I could look at myself in the theatre\u2019s great lobby mirrors!)<\/p>\n I certainly hope that these<\/em> dancers look in their<\/em> mirrors often, because what they\u2019ll see looking back at themselves is pure magnificence!!!<\/p>\n Now here are the websites you should really check-out for future performances: \u00a0www.thewallis.org <\/a>\u00a0\u00a0www.bodytraffic.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n And, for dance lovers everywhere, I need to add a timely notice: Tomorrow, Wednesday, December 11, 2024, at 9AM West Coast time, there will be a live-streamed celebration of the life of Alvin Ailey icon Judith Jamison, who passed away last month. Here\u2019s that link: ailey.org\/events\/dancing-spirit-celebration-life<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" BODYTRAFFIC\u2019S \u201cTHIS SONG REMINDS ME OF YOU\u201d AT THE WALLIS You know a dance company is important when choreographers-extraordinaire show up to see them! And that\u2019s what happened at BodyTraffic\u2019s recent presentation at the Wallis in Beverly Hills. I already loved this very creative troupe, so when I spotted prolific choreographers Kenny Ortega, (who was<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>
Artistic Director and Co-Founder Tina Finkelman Berkett in the middle of the dancers. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n