Scheuber International News

Excerpt taken from the Durango Telegraph

Earlier this summer, an open studio followed the
company's ( 3rd Ave. Dance Co) final rehearsal of "In
the Groove," a sassy jazz piece by Sandi Scheuber, a
California-based choreographer. Scheuber spent a mere
11 hours over a weekend with dancers Lisa Bodwalk,
Kristen Brewer, Sadie etc. etc. The process of
having a choreographer's vision "set" on dancers is
demanding, engaging and rewarding work. During a break
in the practice, Bodwalk offered to her fellow
dancers, "This is really challenging with so many
exits and entrances...it is such an adjustment from
the practice in the studio to the rehearsal on the
stage. There is such a difference between learning
the movement and, finally, feeling the movement." At
one point during the open studio, Scheuber commented
to the audience, "This is the first time that I have
seen the dancers smiling and laughing."
The music of "In the Groove is infectious and the
dancers rock, literally, across the stage, making the
complicated sequences look effortless and incredibly
fun. The piece is visually graphic and offers
contrasting elements: dancers bodies form straight
lines that intersect and weave as they move across the
stage and then dissolve into thier singular spaces.
The orange and pink stage lights heighten the hotness
of the already fast-paced work, as does the movement
of dancers coalescing into tight clusters then
exploding outward. Scooping air as if to feed their
creative fires, the dancers use open-handed gestures
to signal the audience to catch the energy bursting
beyond the stage. The piece had a swingingly raucous
power that offered relief to this audience member's
body, sitting in her hard and unforgiving theater
seat.
written by Jules Masterjohn