Whether it’s an ancient rock formation in a hotly debated national monument or a monster hurricane, the three works on Repertory Dance Theatre’s season opener “Sanctuary” have been shaped by the real-life circumstances of the people who created them.
Start with the world premiere of “Dancing The Bears Ears,” inspired by choreographer Zvi Gotheiner and RDT’s desire to experience and understand the environment and bring the sensations of the southern Utah landscape into the performance hall.
New York-based Gotheiner and a handful of his ZviDance company dancers accompanied RDT to Bears Ears National Monument in May to generate movement, aided by Navajo guides Jonah Yellowman, Mary Benally and Ida Yellowman, who shared stories, songs, dances and thoughts. Gotheiner later edited that movement into a structure based in rhythmic patterns, with an original score by composer Scott Killian.
“A sense of connection develops through the constant rhythm,” said RDT dancer Dan Higgins. “Different sections of the dance incorporate that rhythm, so a group connection happens over the course of the piece, with deeper connections occurring during each duet, and then returning to the group.”
The duets Higgins mention developed organically over the time dancers spent in the 1.3 million-acre monument known for its abundance of cultural and archaeological resources.
As a result of the intensely personal creative process, RDT dancer Lacie Scott said the dancers brought the sensations of being in the red rock back to their Salt Lake rehearsal studio. Scott said the movement itself would trigger deep feelings, “reminding us where the inspiration came from.”
Dancer Ursula Perry agreed, adding that improvising “on top of cliffs and [while] climbing on rocks … connected us to one another and to the land.”
Putting a face to the sacred lands they’d heard so much about gave dancers Elle Johansen and Tyler Orcutt an unexpected opening to experience the communities and culture in new ways. “When people offer their stories, it’s not just talking, they’re giving you a gift you can use as a guide,” Johansen said. Orcutt said he felt that the people whose lives are affected by the decisions in Washington, D.C., “wanted our attention and for us to listen, that’s what we need to continue to do.”
(Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, in a leaked confidential report recently submitted to the White House, urged downsizing of Bears Ears, Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and two other Western monuments.)
RDT artistic director Linda C. Smith said RDT seeks to illuminate and not politicize the issues, but sometimes the two are inseparable.
“I am a black, gay man, therefore I am political,” RDT dancer/choreographer Justin Bass said. “It’s not new for me to see things taken away from people that are seen as ‘less than’ because of the color of their skin. If I were to make a work about this, it would have to make a statement about how can I be better for Bears Ears vs. what can this piece do to save Bears Ears.”
Another part of the program affected by recent events occurred last month, when Hurricane Harvey kept choreographer Andy Noble from leaving his home base in Texas to come stage his 2015 work “Tower.” Noble said the irony is that “Tower” is “essentially a really big rain dance.”
“The day I was supposed to start work on ‘Tower’ with RDT and the Utah Valley University students, the airports were closed due to the flooding,” Noble said. “My own company, NobleMotion Dance, was actually in the middle of tech for a big show in Houston and had to strike the theater and evacuate on short notice. Several of our artists lost their homes and cars.”
Eventually Noble said he was able to make his way to Dallas to catch a flight to Utah and “finished the week strong. Art really does help heal.”
The piece has taken on new meaning for Noble. “Originally I drew inspiration from images of storm clouds, Nazis marching and the Twin Towers. Now I mostly feel the impact of Harvey and those affected by its devastation. It’s funny how personal experiences change your interpretation of art.”
The third work on the “Sanctuary” program is Eric Handman’s 2007 “Ghost Ship,” which views the ails of the physical world through the lens of relationships — all under a torrent of falling rice. In a 2009 interview with The Tribune about “Ghost Ship,” Handman said, “Societies are the source of their issues, and so they must find the solutions to their issues.” Now a decade old, the themes of “Ghost Ship” still command our attention.
Repertory Dance Theatre’s “Sanctuary”<br>The program includes three works:<br>• “Dancing The Bears Ears,” a tribute by Zvi Gotheiner to Utah’s newly designated Bears Ears National Monument, explores through movement the extraordinary landscape and celebrates its legacy. RDT and Gotheiner traveled to the national monument in May and returned to create this new work honoring the land and its people. Music by Scott Killian.<br>• “Tower,” by Andy Noble, honors the ground where the Twin Towers once stood and features 33 dancers, Utah Valley University students among them. “Tower” is a 15-minute storm that slowly builds, unleashing dancers in waves until the entire stage is flooded with moving bodies and rain.<br>• “Ghost Ship,” by Eric Handman, is performed under a torrent of 120 pounds of falling rice, an exploration of how we are connected to our sense of place. Flying through the dense traffic of lashing limbs and skating over the rice-covered stage, the dancers leave traces of their presence, described as “the hieroglyphics of a vanished tribe.”<br>When • Thursday to Saturday, Oct. 5-7, 7:30 p.m.<br>Where • Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, 138 W. 300 South, Salt Lake City<br>Tickets • $30 ($20 subscribers, $15 students/seniors); 801-355-ARTS or artsaltlake.org<br>Information • rdtutah.org/shows/sanctuary<br>More • “Sacred Lands, Sacred Waters,” a panel discussion Wednesday, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m., Impact Hub, 150 State St. No. 1 in Salt Lake City; free but RSVP requested, details at rdtutah.org/shows/sanctuary#panel
