at the beginning of “jazz continuumOn Tuesday, the production’s MC and dramaturg Melanie George took the stage at the Joyce Theater to introduce the “beautiful black show” we’re about to see.
In a bright green jumpsuit, sequined jacket and strappy heels — dramaturgy has never looked better — she talked about the dance ancestry that underlies the evening’s performance: Pioneer. People like Lindy Hopper in Norma Miller and Frankie Manninghouse dance innovator Marjorie Smart Early 20th century jazz entertainer Earl Tucker, better known as Snakehip. She also introduced, one by one, the 15 dancers and musicians gathered around the stage.
In the joyous and captivating hours that followed, we caught glimpses of our summoned ancestors. It’s how the ancestors moved, revived, and remixed with amazing fluency in the dancer’s body. The distinction between genres has been dissolved. Rotating footwork of blossoming house on the breezy steps of Lindy Hop. Rock, breaking and voguing jostle with salsa and samba. Conceived and directed by otherworldly dancer Latasha Burns, The Jazz Continuum was born out of her interest in the relationships between black ballroom dance forms and imposed boundaries. It’s all connected, she’s demonstrating, it’s all jazz.
First, George advised viewing “The Jazz Continuum” not as a performance for the audience, but as an invitation to ballroom dancing and the musical space. Dancers often return to a circular formation at center stage, backed by a spectacular live band accompanied by gorgeous vocals by music director Charles Turner. Sometimes it’s snuggly, sometimes it’s loose, and the free styling moves from body to body like an electric pulse. In this way, they dance for each other and together as much as they speak to the audience, creating a communal energy that emanates. Interlocking rings of light suspended above them suggest another circle of past and future.
Another kind of circularity brings together dance and music. Dancers make visible sounds from a seamless selection of jazz, house, hip-hop and R&B. Musicians stand up and dance. (George also dances impressively in high heels.) On a few stressed notes, saxophonist Christopher McBride blows two groups of dancers to the ground. Courtesy of DJ Britney Brown (a.k.a. Busy), the rough scratches on the turntables shake the skinny frame of Alain Lauchur (a.k.a. Hurricane). Turner’s playful scatting seems to enliven Michele Bird-McPhee’s equally scatting legs. Each dancer brings something special to the combination of holding and respecting so many sources at once.
Identifying Burns feels almost in contrast to the spirit of the “Jazz Continuum” given its emphasis on community. As it turned out, her talent must be noted.Queen Swing Basie/Trichelation.As Turner breaks down the chorus of “Just One of That Things,” Burns becomes a flickering image of her many influences, making what lies before her singular, very much her own. lead to things
She could certainly continue to steal the spotlight, but Burns chose not to. At the end of Tuesday’s show, she crouched down and touched each of her fellow performers’ feet . Perhaps a gesture of thanks and a blessing to continue working in their own way.
Latasha Burns: “Jazz Continuum”
through Sunday at the Joyce Theater in Manhattan. joyce.org.