Company: Halo Movement Collective
Choreographer: Angel Castro, with Anna Jones, George Jones, Jenna Lyn
Performers: Brianna Bishop, Angel Castro, Kayla Coxon, Krysta Flores, Trinity Gracia, Sara Henson, Anna Jones, George Jones, Rylee Locker, Randee Madison, Brayan Perez, Miranda Radcliffe, Kalli Sparish, Jaylene Verhaagen, Katie Young
If you have ever had a dream where you are being pursued by something fearsome but your body can barely move and you experience a mounting sense of dread as you realize you can’t escape – then panic ensues – Rest in the Mourning is that dream. And we revisited it again and again.
This wasn’t a linear narrative – there was no “story” as such. What we were presented with were sequential experiences and, since this is art, we are free to interpret those in any way our individual perception allows. It was helpful for me see it as a dreamscape and I think that aligns with the choreographer’s intention, but it could be a metaphorical stand-in for any situation in which we simultaneously feel beset and constrained. Whether that struggle is social or psychic, whether our struggle is with others or ourselves, the Halo Movement Collective explores a dozen compelling and ever more creative variations of that experience.
The central feature of this work is an open geodesic structure, which was colorfully lit and immediately intriguing. We quickly learn that the entire performance is contained within (and on) this open framework. Cramming the entire company into this extremely limited space would seem to be just that – extremely limiting. But, somehow, Halo managed to turn the structure into a pressure cooker for creativity, concentrating the energy and focus, This was particularly significant in that, despite the presence of a climbing structure and an aerial rig (and having aerialists in the company) the work never devolved into circus or acrobatics but maintained its commitment to its emotional and metaphorical center.
This was a prop-heavy production with themes of connection and restraint that employed a variety of creative mechanisms to physically demonstrate those states. There were tethers hung strategically from the structure. We witnessed dancers struggling (and strangling) against these long ropes manipulated from above. Transparent nylon tubing, which became masks for a circle of dancers, had long umbilicals that extended to the top of the structure, creating a bizarre and somewhat frightening “maypole” sequence. A trio did battle connected by three lengths of twisted sheeting, knotted in the middle like a human bolo. Even the aerialist did not perform conventional aerial moves but used the rig as one more creative example of being captured in an undefined situation and experiencing the steadily increasing panic that restraint can generate. This all required a lot of “business” and stagecraft from the ensemble, which they managed rather deftly without detracting from the highly emotional drama being played out by the featured dancers.
My engagement with this performance was driven by how it just kept coming at you. Individual scenes were short, which made for some wildly different styles being delivered in rapid succession. The sound design, which should get some kudos as well, was exceptional and a huge factor in maintaining the intensity of the piece through the transitions. While the score added intensity, the real emotion came from the performers themselves. Not all dancers are trained or equipped to project the emotional content of what they are portraying in their movement. In fact, the company did a credible job. From the somnambulists with their blank expressions, marching like automatons in military precision to the many instances of feverish panic and individual despair, the dancers’ own connection became their connection with the audience.
One example, among many, stayed with me for a while. A female duet, late in the second act, was remarkable for its ferocity and focus. It was martial and combative, an effect heightened, no doubt, by the fact that these were women, but they were able to communicate not only the intensity of their struggle, but also a profound connection as they momentarily clung to each other like two exhausted fighters supporting each other in a clinch. It was a visceral demonstration of conflicted emotion and a perfect example that, whatever the dancers’ instructions or “motivations” – in these moments, their level of commitment made their performance seem entirely personal.
Endings can be difficult, and truly satisfying endings more so. Here, Castro presented us with AN ending, but I’m not sure that it was THE ending. The theatrical setting with the sacrificial/self-destructive overtones of a central character cutting off her braid, and the resultant collapse of the rest of the company, many of whom we in the audience had attached to, took a hard left turn that seemed somehow forced. I wasn’t convinced that it was supported by, or a natural culmination of, what I had just seen and experienced. More to the point, I thought I had already seen the ending.
There was a moment of high contrast prior to this, where the ferocity of the dueling female duet gave way to the quietly assembled company, swaying silently in place, each holding a small light. This became a powerful, cathartic event that grew in intensity with their slow, deliberate advance toward the audience.
This was the promised redemption. After an evening of struggle, we had finally arrived at a place of inclusion, light and hope. There was grace, figuratively and physically in the gently swaying bodies, each offering a spark with the light cupped in their hands. This was the release that we craved and the ending that I will take with me as I remember this work.
The location where this performance occurred Is worth more than a casual mention. The venue – Broadway Recreation Center (really an aging gymnasium, complete with bleacher seating), is an unlikely setting for an evening’s dance performance. No stage, no lighting rigs – just two basketball hoops, a wooden floor and the aforementioned bleachers. But there was a scrappy, can-do attitude exhibited here that other dance companies would do well to take notice of. In the perennial cash-strapped world of the non-profits, finding an affordable venue might mean the difference between being able to mount a significant work or not. Here, it was obvious that Halo took what they had and directed it to what the company could afford. They carved a space out of this cavernous structure and they made it work. As much as I appreciate my comfortable, reserved seat in the Valley’s traditional arts venues, if my choice was sitting on a bleacher seat or missing out on a major creative effort, I’ll put my butt on the bleachers every time. In fact, with Rest in the Mourning, I did it twice.
While I had issues with the ending, Angel Castro is a serious multi-talent and Rest in the Mourning is a serious work. His hand is everywhere evident in the conception and execution of this production. He naturally draws attention with his physicality, moving surely on the structure, swinging easily with one hand on the supports, and, of course, his prowess on the floor. But to his credit, he didn’t turn this into a showcase for his own dance chops. He spent more time buried in the ensemble than out front, and supported his dancers to the extent that the success of the show ultimately belonged to its real star, the Halo Movement Collective.
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