Hot Rumsey

by Eva Yaa Asantewaa

Since the combination of hot flashes and hot dance spaces don't work particularly well for me, I had planned to avoid St. Mark's as much as possible this summer. But, thanks to a great tip from fellow critic and blogger Apollinaire Scherr, I found myself sweating it out at a Danspace Project presentation last night where I fell in love with little virtue, a new piece by Glen Rumsey Dance Project. You have two more chances left to see what I mean--tonight and tomorrow--and the weather has cooled down a little bit anyway.

Bring a big fan--the folding kind. Danspace provides the bottled water. And you'll get to see a lush production that will haunt your dreams--gloriously magickal, whimsically gender-blending choreography performed by Rumsey (whose Cunningham pedigree shows in his divine, streamlined dynamics) and eight superb dancers with Carol Mullins's top-notch lighting and charming costumes by David Quinn. Rumsey and Todd Williams, costumed by Tara McManus, interpolate a wild duet from Rumsey's Exquisite Corpse (2006), managing to look hectic and decadently sexy while moving apart and together like wads of pink bubblegum chewed on either side of a huge, invisible jaw.

Glen Rumsey Dance Project is only a couple of years old but already it has a forthright, authoritive--if nutty--stamp. It's a big deal. I look forward to seeing it again. Hell, I would not have minded if last night's show had stretched on. Hot as it was, it was hot!

(c)2007 Eva Yaa Asantewaa