Danceland
Danceland
1989
About
Danceland is described as “‘a multi-layered ode to the partner-dancing era,’ Danceland was inspired by traditional ballroom dancing.
Jamieson describes the work as much more than a simple tribute to a style of dance. ‘I’m sure some people wouldn’t recognize any elements of ballroom dancing if they see the piece. You see the ballroom dancing is really kind of the bait. A lot of the rest is underwater, and what we try to do is create many layers of meaning.’”
- Liam Lacey
“Ballroom dancing with a twist”
The Globe and Mail, February 7, 1989
The People
Choreography: Karen Jamieson
Performers: Virginia Corcoran, Kay Huang, Hiromoto Ida, Catherine Lubinsky, Francis Nash, and Cindy Varney
Composer: Jeff Corness
Costume Design: Susan Berganzi
Scenery and Lighting Design: Ted Roberts
Recording Musicians: Dennis Burke, drums; Paul Blaney, bass; Roy Styffe, alto sax & clarinet; Bill Clark, trumpet; Dennis Essen, trombone; Bill Runge, tenor Sax; Miles Black, piano
Reviews
“The company’s premiere of Danceland was a decided success. The dancers demonstrated, with seeming ease, a physical strength and dexterity which left no doubt they are masters of their craft. The piece depicted an overview of the dance-hall days of the past. Much of it took place in slow motion – an interesting concept that managed to suggest a scanning of the years and an all encompassing picture of the experience of being there.”
- Alexandra Johnson
The Ubyssey, February 21, 1989
In this work, “she explores a dance hall’s steamy encounters. Danceland is a rangy piece, set to a musical pastiche by Jeff Corness. Less epic than Chaos, Danceland nonetheless gathers moments of human passion into a picture as warm and populous as one by Breugel.”
- Michael Scott
The Vancouver Sun, February 8, 1989
“In Danceland, three couples explore loneliness, partnership, and the ties that bind us all, performed to an odd but effective score of big band jazz and old time dance music by Jeff Corness.”
- Renee Doruyter
The Province, February 8, 1989
“Jamieson’s Danceland, saluting the dance hall era in its many musical guises to a rich score from Jeff Corness, felt very much like a work still in progress. It offered dance that ranged from languorous and shruggy to sharp-edged and vicious, moods that swung from desolate and solitary to sultry and seductive, and patterns that careened through space with everything from polka exuberance to mindless rushing to and fro. Buried in the subtext was a gender commentary similar to those found in classical ballet, one where the deviant woman (who, unlike her peers, wears trousers instead of a dress and transgresses role expectations) is doomed to a short, unhappy life.”
- Raewyn Whyte
“Near-capacity crowds flock to Discover”
The Georgia Straight, February 17-24, 1989
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