Flower on Fire

MULTIMEDIA "FIVE STONY PIECES" AT THE BLACK BOX THEATRE, NOVEMBER 2-4

No Strings Theatre Company presents a multimedia evening "Five Stony Pieces," based on the sculpture of Dan Tapper and featuring choreography by Debra Knapp on November 2, 3,and 4 at the Black Box Theatre, 430 N Downtown Mall in Las Cruces. Each piece has original music and poetry to accompany and interpret it. The music is composed and performed by Geof Abruzzi, Randy Granger, Ed Pias, Justin Raines, and Alison Reynolds. Original poetry is by Sara Cooper, Wayne Crawford, Joe Somoza, Dick Thomas, and Nena Villamil. Visuals are by Xavier Madrid and Lighting Design by Peter Herman. Dancers are Shawna Angulo, Vanessa Campos, Robert Clark, Rachel Diehl, Marty Dorado, Angela Favela, Dedee Harvey, Shelby Kartchner, Alexandra Martinez, Allison Martinez, Kristie Medina, Sarah Navarrete, Joe Putman, Casey Russell, Alyx Sanchez, Carlos Saucedo, Delia Shattuck, and Candace Williams.

Harmony

This intricate event combining many artistic disciplines is reminiscent of happenings of the Sixties and the Dadaists at Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich and Surrealist events in Paris. Each piece uses one of Dan Tapper's sculptures as a touchstone (so to speak) for inspiration. Music and poetry work to elaborate on the implications of each piece while dance turns a solid object into a fluid idea. The additional video projection works to bring out the sculptural qualities of shape, texture and color.

The evening promises a rich mix of experiential artistic creativity unprecedented in the Las Cruces cultural scene. The synergy of the artist, poets, dancers, videographer, and musicians is exciting, promising a unique performance.

"Five Stony Pieces" performances are Friday, November 2 at 8 p.m., Saturday, November 3 at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sunday, November 4 at 2 and 6 p.m. Tickets are $10.00 regular and $9.00 students and seniors over 65. Reservations: (575) 523-1223 or online at http://www.no-strings.org

Flower on Fire

Five Stony Pieces’ rocks
Collaborative performance is a treat for all

REVIEW BY JOEL COURTNEY
The Las Cruces Bulletin

When originally told about “Five Stony Pieces,” the newest offering at the Black Box Theatre, I was highly intrigued.
The Las Cruces arts scene is no longer content to merely repeat the same style of presentation, regardless of how tried and true it may be.

“Five Stony Pieces” starts with the masterful sculptures of Dan Tapper, each of which tells its own unique story through the graceful and flowing form of stone. The sculptures are combined with the work of local poets and dancers.

Because the show will only run for one weekend, Nov. 2-4, I was invited to observe a technical rehearsal, which is somewhat like judging a restaurant by the menu – it gives you a basic idea of what you’re going to get, but the subtle nuances of a meal are lost in a description.

Happily, I can report that the combination of the different art styles seems to be meshing well together, forming a more complete message than any one alone could. Although the performance looks as if it will be amazing upon completion, putting together “Five Stony Pieces” certainly involves monumental amount of work and patience.

The pieces composed specifically for this project were powerful and were a good compliment to the subject. Justin Raines’ piece gave a questing feel to accompany Tapper’s “Emergence,” while Ed Pias provided a tribal-like sound with a hard tin beat for “Desert Ice.” Alison Reynolds uses vibrato strings to help give movement to the four dancers in “Flower on Fire.”
Debra Knapp has outdone herself in creating unique choreography for her talented dancers. Normally, interpretive dance seems like a bit of a stretch to me.

Most of my experiences with that style leave me having to guess at the true meaning, but these dances don’t leave the viewer looking for the “hidden” meanings. The performers for “Emergence” perform a probing search to escape the confines of their “egg.” In “Desert Ice,” the “stones” become empowered by energy of the stage lights, leaping across the stage in the fluid-yet-angular motions. “Flower on Fire” has four women in the most original costumes I’ve ever witnessed as flowers, with each performing their own frantic search for a new form, almost an evolution of shape.

This synesthetic approach to performing arts certainly works powerfully and allows the viewer’s entire brain, from the part that enjoys movement to that which enjoys language, to revel in message.

Flower on Fire

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