Look Who’s Moving in

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The New York Sun

The hands-down most exciting dance news this summer is that the steamy, supremely talented dancer Desmond Richardson is back on Broadway. Over the weekend, Mr. Richardson joined the cast of Twyla Tharp’s “Movin’ Out” in the role of Tony. And judging from an open rehearsal I saw last week, this is going to be great stuff.


A former principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey, and the Frankfurt Ballet, Mr. Richardson’s last work on Broadway was a stint in “Fosse” -for which he earned a Tony nomination. He has since been leading his own dance company, Complexions, with co-director Dwight Rhoden.


Mr. Richardson is fluent in a wide variety of styles and has a strong, athletic build. His dancing is detailed, quick, and expressive. In the rehearsal I caught, he created an electric version of the “Shameless” duet with the current lead female, Nancy Lemenager (who has been dancing since May, when Elizabeth Parkinson’s maternity leave took effect).


What undoubtedly made the work so good was his understanding that this show melds theater and dance into a seamless whole. “You have to incorporate it all – dance and acting – at the same time,” said Mr. Richardson, who has been acting since age 15.


One key to stepping into the role has been simply to listen to what the songs and Ms. Tharp have to say. “Twyla has been teaching me the steps and giving me the imagery behind it,” he said. “It means nothing to the audience if it’s just steps.”


Though Mr. Richardson had not worked with Ms. Tharp before, he had danced her choreography while a member of ABT. But the difference between ballet and “Movin’ Out” is significant.


“In ballet there is a lot of up movement of the torso,” he said.”[Ms.Tharp] likes the torso to be incorporated, but there’s more from the bottom.”


The hardest thing for Mr. Richardson to adjust to has been not just the low center of the movement but the footwear he has to use on stage: “The muscles in my feet have had to get adjusted to sneakers.”


His partner, Ms. Lemenager, should be so lucky. It’s high-heels all the way for her, but as a veteran dancer in Broadway musicals – including “Never Gonna Dance,” “Kiss Me Kate,” and “Dream” – it’s all part of a day’s work. For this leggy dancer, the challenge of “Movin’ Out” was that it took dancing the role on stage to really work through the emotional journey of her character. “I rediscover the whole thing again each night,” she said.


But with work that is so subjective, there is never really an ending point: “The minute you say ‘I’ve found it,’ then you’re dead.”


Both of these performers are signed on to be in “Movin’ Out” for several months. And one issue that will surely bubble to the surface is race. Mr.


Richardson is African-American, and this story of five friends growing up, and dealing with the effects of the Vietnam War, doesn’t really have a thread that takes up race. Will this affect the story? Add a new dimension? Confuse audiences?


I suspect – after only seeing a few scenes on an empty stage -that Mr. Richardson will simply dance the pants off the role. If he builds the character with enough intensity and dazzles the house with his dancing, this will not be an issue. He’s got the training, talent, and physical presence needed to do the job at the stratospheric standard that Ms. Tharp has established. And that’s really all that matters.


***


The Martha Graham Center for Contemporary Dance had reason to celebrate last week when the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court’s decision that gave the Center use and access of roughly 90% of the choreographer’s work.


“Our goal has never been to own the works,” said executive director Marvin Preston. “Our goal has been to have access. Ownership would be wonderful, but even if we got none of it, we would still be victorious if we had access.”


This is the fourth decision in what has become an absurdly long legal battle between Graham’s heir, Ron Protas, and the Center she established. The important element here is that the latest ruling will allow Graham’s work to remain alive on stages around the world.


What’s interesting about this saga is the surprising hero of this tale: the government. Or, more specifically, the perceptive individuals who occupied public positions within the government’s cultural bureaucracy.


“The city, state, and the NEA have been rocks of Gibraltar in this matter,” said the center’s board chairman, Francis Mason.


It’s not every day that you hear a sentiment like that. And what it boils down to is that the people who were in those jobs – including a former Department of Cultural Affairs commissioner, Schuyler Chapin, NYSCA’s dance director Beverly D’Anne, and William Josephson in the Attorney General’s Charities Bureau – understood the importance of Graham’s work and offered their insight, advice, and support along the way.


“They were clear and gave me insight,” said executive director Marvin Preston. “They saw this whole thing falling apart. And they didn’t stand idly by and say ‘There’s no funding this year.'”


This is truly a case in which public figures behaved with a sense of risk taking and flexibility, for which they deserve a round of credit. Had this matter not turned out as it did, a fair portion of Graham’s work might never have seen the light of day again. And in that case, the public loses – big time.


Which is not to say that the Martha Graham Dance Company is entering a period of wine and roses. The trouble that the company faces now is one of booking. “People want us for 2005 and 2006,” said Mr. Mason. But the company still has to pay its dancers and needs more gigs, pronto.


Even so, the latest ruling at least allows for a greater feeling of certainty that these great works of art will be able to be seen. “The mood is jubilant. This is what we’ve been anticipating,” Mr. Mason said. “We can go forward.”


The New York Sun

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