Sweet Home Seattle

The last leg of the Spectrum Dance Theater’s four-state US tour took us to Ogden, Utah. Located about 45 minutes north of Salt Lake City and surrounded by mountains, Ogden is only 25 minutes away from a ski resort. I was wishing that I had the time and gear to hit the slopes.

We performed for a full house at Weber State University. This was an excellent way to conclude the tour and the audience was enthusiastic, especially during the question/answer forum afterward. Some audience members were interested in the performance’s interpretation of Irwin Schulhoff’s music with regard to the Holocaust, since the pieces we performed were mainly written in the 1920s. Others struggled with how to walk away from the performance with hope in light of such dark subject matter.  One woman remarked that she “felt like a ragdoll” afterward. Audience members often ask Donald Byrd, the artistic director and choreographer of Spectrum, what a particular element of the piece means or symbolizes. He never answers, but instead responds, “What do you think it means?”

I performed during the first half of the show and had the opportunity to watch the second half from the back of the hall. Once again, I was struck by Donald Byrd’s expressive choreography and the dancers’ athleticism. Judith Cohen (piano) played throughout this difficult program with stamina and virtuosity. Rajan Krishnaswami (cello) was a fantastic collaborator in Schulhoff’s Duo and played a haunting rendition of the slow movement of Schulhoff’s Cello Sonata to end the program.

Both the musicians and dancers seemed pleased with their final performance. Although Ogden was a beautiful town, we were all relieved to return to Seattle and find snow on the ground. It was a pleasure to be a part of this important work, and to bring the music of Schulhoff to a wider audience.

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