Succession, a mesmerizing solo dance work representing a life-cycle journey, is Valerie Green’s first appearance at the Cincinnati Fringe. Pay attention: She’s a welcome addition. Green, who has established her own company and a home studio in Queens, has choreographed and danced in the New York region for 19 years, as well as performing and teaching around the world.
For 48 minutes, Green, a petite blonde with cascading hair, travels chronologically and mysteriously through what I took as a lifetime, using movement, music, light, natural sounds and a few simple props such as a rock, fabric, a profusion of flower blooms strewn about stage, a shallow bowl of water and a basket of dirt. Her style is modern. Her feet are bare. Several costume changes are cleverly executed onstage.
The smooth wooden floor in the downstairs space at Gabriel’s Corner is perfect for intimate performances like this one. Audiences should be aware a lot of Green’s movement takes place on the floor, so it’s best to find a seat in the first row for a good view of the action. Green’s movement influences include the Erick Hawkins Dance Company. Hawkins, a major figure in American dance, was known for his use of somatic movement technique, wherein the primary focus is not what the audience sees but instead the dancer’s personal, physical experience.
For me, it was the strong inner focus demonstrated by Green that cast a seamless spell. Paradoxically, by keeping her visual focus inwards (in “the middle distance”) and moving organically, she drew the audience to her singular experience instead of distancing them. Elements of her story that might have been simplistic or even silly became profound.
For instance, after entering the stage, she took up a smooth round rock placed. She explored essence of the thing itself, moving it along her body. Bird song and tinkling bells added to the sense of mystery. Yes, the rock reappeared later! To me, it seemed as though it represented some ongoing, eternal, manifestation of life outside of temporal concerns.
During the central portion of the performance, Green was in nearly constant motion. She walked, reached, spiraled, squatted, rolled, stamped, slapped, turned and jumped, and from these simple moves derived a fluid, quirky style.
One segment that impressed was her portrayal of a fetus floating in amniotic fluid. Recently, I’m sure many of us have seen actual footage of fetal movement on science channels. Here, for long moments that might have been slightly ridiculous in lesser hands, I felt the same sense of wonder.
Kathy Valin, who started writing about dance for CityBeat in 1994, is a blogger and freelance writer. She lives with husband and dog in Over-the-Rhine.
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This article appears in May 27 – Jun 2, 2015.