蜜糖直播

Continuing the exciting 2016-17 dance season at 蜜糖直播 Boulder is 鈥�,鈥� a showcase of two works by MFA students intent on uncovering who we really are underneath our society鈥檚 thick layers of commercialism and social standards. These two works, incorporating contemporary dance, animal instinct and skateboarding, come to 蜜糖直播鈥檚 Charlotte York Irey Theatre Oct. 21-23.

Both works in 鈥淏oneless鈥� use richly physical movement to peer beneath the surface of human existence to discover who we are without social expectations and commercialization.

鈥淚鈥檝e always been troubled by social constructs鈥攖hings that tell us how we should look or feel or behave in order to be in alignment with what鈥檚 expected,鈥� says Rachel Dodson, an MFA candidate in dance who choreographed a piece in 鈥淏oneless.鈥� 鈥淚 got curious about what happens if we strip ourselves of those expectations and give voice to what鈥檚 been silenced.鈥�

A sensorial journey investigating the relationship between mind, body and spirit, Dodson鈥檚 piece twists and writhes, turning the self inside out to explore one鈥檚 inner landscape. In the work, performers play with light and darkness by moving with head lamps and strategically hiding and revealing parts of themselves. Movement alternates between the classical and the primal to represent the animal lurking beneath each of our carefully-curated fa莽ades.

During rehearsals, Dodson and her cast of seven dancers used their own personal experiences with times when their families, careers and looks didn鈥檛 fit traditional social norms to create their own original movements in the piece.

鈥淭he feelings they generated were the same even though their experiences were different,鈥� Dodson says. 鈥淭he common threads were the feelings they had about their own personal inadequacies and the way that affected their perceptions of themselves.鈥�

Colt Irvin, another MFA student whose work is showcased in 鈥淏oneless,鈥� is also interested in who we really are when we leave the noise of the outside world behind. In his piece, he uses contemporary dance and skateboarding to investigate whether brands and advertising have taken away our individuality.

鈥淚f you were a skateboarder back in the day, you鈥檇 go into a skate shop and buy a board, and that was it,鈥� he says. Now it鈥檚, 鈥榃hat shoes and signature clothing line are you wearing, and what does your custom deck look like?鈥� Now people can make millions of dollars doing something that was invented in the 1970s in Southern California as a way to get to the beach.鈥�

Irvin, an avid skateboarder himself, worries what happens when art forms, including skateboarding, food-making and digital media, aren鈥檛 given enough space to thrive in non-commercial ways.

鈥淲hen business practices take over, you lose the artistic nature of some of these things,鈥� Irvin says.听

Irvin鈥檚 piece, which features only Irvin himself and his friend and collaborator Aaron Allen, uses skateboards and Skittles to ruminate on the way money sometimes dilutes authenticity.听

In the world of dance, it鈥檚 unique to see modern dance and skateboarding intertwine鈥攂ut Irvin is surprised it doesn鈥檛 happen more often. He believes they鈥檙e more alike than different.

鈥淚 think they鈥檙e both fueled by what鈥檚 happening in the world politically, and they both use the full body in surprising ways,鈥� he says. 鈥淪ometimes a trick can be so intricate and detailed, and it takes a lot of discipline to land it. It鈥檚 the same thing in dance.鈥�