The STREB Company’s program “Wild Blue Yonder” began with what most people would call belly flops, each dancer landing hard on his or her stomach after leaping through several feet of air.
There were audible noises of shock from the audience after each especially resounding thump on the mat, reactions that seemed to please the dancers who created them. In these first few minutes of the show the STREB company had already begun to challenge the audience’s understanding of dance, choreography and of the body’s capabilities.
A portion of the audience attended the pre-show talk in the Zilkha Gallery before the STREB performance. Visiting author Marcia Siegel gave context to the show by sharing her thorough knowledge of the show’s choreographer, Elizabeth Streb and modern dance in general. Siegel, who is working on her latest book “Howling Near Heaven,” explained the change dance underwent in the 60s.
“[People had to] really rethink what dance was,” Siegel said.
Streb relocated from Rochester, N.Y., to New York City in 1974. At this time, much of what would serve as the foundation for groundbreaking new movements had been established. Innovations in culture and tradition, however, were still developing. The revolutionary spirit of the time gave an advantage and edge to Streb, who may not have found such a willing audience without it. Streb’s style is interdisciplinary – it is influenced by physics, athleticism, and stunt work.
“[Streb was beginning her career when] the body was no longer quite so threatening,” Siegel said.
In one piece entitled “Tied,” two performers were connected by a lengthy elastic cord secured around their waists. When one of them was commanded “Go!” or “Jump!” they would hustle to perform. Their bondage to one another led to comic moments, often created by one of the two dancers running and leaping, only to be pulled back jerkily by the cord.
“How they integrated comedy and dance was amazing,” said Martin Guerin of Salem, Mass. “I think my daughter is disappointed they don’t teach this in her ballet class.”
“SlipandSlide” was the most spontaneous performance of the night. Donning white athletic socks, the dancers slid themselves around and into each others’ bodies on a mat several feet long. The hip hop music playing in the background prompted many of the dancers to bust a move mid-slide, to the audience’s delight.
“[Streb’s style includes] putting bodies into situations that are dangerous and making the dancer pit himself against these invented dangers,” Siegel said.
Indeed, the stage had “invented danger” written all over it. It appeared to be a sort of hybrid of a construction site and a gymnasium. There was crane-like machinery and rising platforms. In one piece, “Swing,” there were even swinging cinderblocks.
In “Swing,” the dancers pranced under and around the two cinderblocks, which hung at the end of two separate ropes, swinging back and forth like a pendulum. The chance that there was any real danger to the safety of the dancers was slim. Nevertheless, the audience reacted with a tense silence each time it appeared as though a dancer was about to get knocked out, and released that silence only when the dancer somehow managed to find a way to avoid the cinderblock. While probably no one in the audience wanted to switch places with the dancers as they dodged cinderblocks, there was something in the performance every person would have loved to try for his or herself. Whether it was the trampoline, flying contraption, or the “SlipandSlide” mat, the child in everyone wanted to get her hands on something.
“It just looks like so much fun,” said Rebecca Brigham’05. “I want to do that.”
One of the reasons the dancers’ actions in “Wild Blue Yonder” were so tempting to try on one’s own is because they simply seem so possible to do. This ease of movement seen in the dancers is, of course, deceptive: the STREB dancers have experience ranging from Cirque Du Soleil to the flying trapeze. Their bodies are as finely tuned for the show as are the equipment and props used in it.
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