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Heidi J. De Vries

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December 17, 2001
Bodies of Evidence
'Twas the night of my company's holiday party, and I had no desire to go. We will save the analysis of my Grinch-like nature for another time, thank you. I'm sure my coworkers have already formed their own opinions. Instead of RSVPing for the party I bought a ticket to see Motion Lab perform at ODC Theater. Definitely the right decision.

Before the show I got dinner at Frjtz, a lovely little restaurant in Hayes Valley that serves Belgian fries and crepes. My ham and swiss crepe was solid but stirred the slightest longing for Ti Couz in the days before it became completely overrun. The fries, however, were divine. Salty and crispy on the outside, meaty on the inside, and with a wealth of dipping sauces to choose from (I selected pesto mayo). Frjtz is also right next to BPM, so you can go take care of your tech house needs as soon as you've polished off your fries.

Then it was on to ODC for Bodies of Evidence. Motion Lab is just two people, dancer and choreographer Kathleen Hermesdorf and composer and musician Albert Mathias. For this show they had gathered together a number of other local dancers who performed collaborative duos and trios with Hermesdorf with Mathias accompanying them live. His bleeps-and-bloops style of electronica complemented the dancers perfectly, and in a piece called "Combust" he got to show off his classical training by playing a marching-band bass drum tabla-style. My favorite work was called "Windowdressing" in which Hermesdorf and Dominique Zeltzman used a hanging bar to great effect. The two women alternated between working in symphony and pushing each other away, evoking the complexities of female relationships. "Matryoshka (nesting dolls)" was another gorgeous piece in which Hermesdorf, Patricia Jiron, and Sri Louise dance amidst boxes and suitcases that may or may not contain what it is they're seeking.

Everything I saw that evening struck me as being intelligent and thoughtful, even down to the statement printed at the top of the program: "This body of work is evidence of peaceful interaction in a time of destruction and war." Judging by the whoops and applause from my fellow audience members, I wasn't the only one who was moved.

Frjtz
Motion Lab
ODC Theater
Dominique Zeltzman
AirSpace



   



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2002

2001


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