Company: Step’s Junk Funk
Choreographer: Step Raptis
Performers: Step Raptis, Lisa Chow
While Step Raptis is the acknowledged master of found sound and the captain of the showboat, his accomplice, Lisa Chow, is no slouch. Decades of dance have steeped her bones in rhythm. Her accompaniment was complex and precise and extended to a range of appropriated objects used as instruments. A tray with bangles and snaps seemed purpose-built for clicks and bops. She banged out base notes with a big plastic bucket and did a rather masterful turn on a sort of flower pot which she played with a plastic drinking glass. The latter was interesting because she was able to get three distinct sound from it. Rubbing the lip of the glass over the surface of the pot produced a high zipping sound like a stick on a ridged gourd. Banging the bottom of the glass on the bottom of the pot, alternating between the edge and middle produced two different sharp accents. She played these back and forth to good effect, providing a rather sophisticated and varied counterpart to Step’s random banging beats.
Speaking of banging, Step came prepared. The star of the show was a tall piece of plastic drain pipe that somehow had a pointed end. Dropping it on the floor produced a resounding boom with a very interesting resonance. It made for a commanding entrance as the duo thumped themselves onstage and was featured frequently during the performance. Not one to be restricted by a single fuel can, Step brought two and got a surprisingly musical mechanical ring from each. Step never seems exceptionally discriminating in his selection of “instruments”. If it’s something he can hit, he’s happy. Everything, and by extension, everyone – is welcome in the orchestra. At one point Step invited a tap dancer to the stage and proceeded to have an old-fashioned rhythm duel.
I have seen several performances of Step’s Junk Funk which consisted of a tightly choreographed drumming routing with actual drums and drum sticks and a sprinkling of banter. For me, this “found sound” version was more engaging.
Blessedly, this performance kept the shtick to a minimum. The real entertainment was the playful rhythmic exchanges between Chow and Raptis with an improbable variety of objects and the percussive sounds they extracted from them. The rhythms were complex, reciprocal and the simplicity of the objects belied the sophistication of the performance. The hula hoop finale ended a bit awkwardly but no one cared. There was never any pretense to this performance. This was all about fun and these seasoned performers served up plenty of it.
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