(re)flex

Repertory

(re)flex
Video Clips

Premiere: former Covert Buick Car Dealership Showroom, Austin TX / June 1999 / Six Dancers. 50 minutes / Original Score by Graham Reynolds, The Golden Arm Trio / Choreography by Andrea Ariel / Lighting Design by Jason Amato / Film Design by Luke Savisky / Costume Design by Regina Del Pico and Claire Nicholas / Space and Window Design by Ann Marie Gordon. / Live music, Quartet; piano, drums, acoustic bass, vibraphone, cello. / Photography by Jose Medina.

Dance Performed by: Andrea Ariel, Ellen Bartel, Mary Catherine Jones, Luis Narvaez, Dixon Mena, Teresa Tipping. Music performed by: Graham Reynolds, Jeff Keyton, Laura Phelan, Kim Hill.

The premiere work for the 1998-1999 season was (re)flex , an evening-length collaboration of dance, live music, and film set to an original score by pianist/percussionist Graham Reynolds. In this one-hour piece, Reynolds's compositions and Ariel's choreography weave sophisticated structures, improvisational freedom, strong melodies and gleeful chaos. Fellini-ish characters dance delicate waltzes, a jealousy-laden tango, muscle competitions, and playful rhythms. The movements and music in the work run the gamut from classically beautiful to vibrantly funny to hard-edged explosiveness. (re)flex is "an uncovering of the muscles of the heart and body." The work also features original film and hand painted animation performed with eight projectors on an ultra wide screen by film artist Luke Savisky. For this performance Ariel Dance Theatre converted a former car showroom into a theater and art gallery, hosting the work of 12 visual artists.

"A work that should be remembered for its powerful, meaningfully creative choreography and inspiring, energetic dancing, '(re)flex' will unearth the creative reflexes of all who come to see it."

". . . well-rehearsed, talented group of dancers who know how to express just what it means to be human"

"The work pulsates like an aftershock of a substantial earthquake. Filled with raw and refined energy, along with plenty of creativity and meaning, the show is a must-see for anyone interested in progressive dance with a kick."

Kendall Klym, Austin American-Statesman

"Athletic partnering and unison work showcased the technical virtuosity of the group . . . character-driven and three-dimensional on the one hand, unemotional and brilliantly technical on the other."

Dawn Davis, Austin Chronicle