Dance Place and artists Leah Abieyuwa Esemuede, Stephen Shynes and Artists, Sydney Goldstein and Elan Robinson, Kristen Bolger, Lindsay Grimes Movement, Tabata Vara, Emily Green, Emily Ames and Rae Lubbert.
“New Releases,” a recurring annual performance at Dance Place in Washington, DC showcasing the work of emerging local choreographers, was two shows in one. The first half of the program consisted of shorter freestanding pieces or excerpts of longer works, while the second act featured Emily Ames and Rae Luebbert’s “a long side: a queer double portrait.” “a long side” was created as part of the Dance Place “New Releases” commission.
…showcasing the work of emerging local choreographers…
The afternoon began with two solos and a duet. “Listen Twice- Solo,” choreographed and performed by Leah Abieyuwa Esemuede; “This Dream Ain’t Free,” choreographed by Stephen Shynes with dancer Malik Burnett; and “held, then poured,” created and performed by Sydney Goldston and Elan Robinson.
“Listen Twice” was a strong opener, Esemuede was beautifully fluid, her port de bra snappy but still seeming to trail behind her in the air. “This Dream Ain’t Free” was a fierce choreographic and technical work. A longer solo, the durational physicality of leaping and turning became part of Burnett’s performance. I also particularly enjoyed the way Shynes developed the interplay of recurring gestures over the course of the work. “This Dream Ain’t Free” also had one of the afternoon’s best costumes: a sleeveless denim star-spangled coverall.
“held, then poured” was a standout. Goldston and Robinson began in silence, a slow progression of circling arms that kaleidoscoped in and out of unison. It almost felt like a warm-up, like an orchestra tuning before the overture. As the music entered, the choreographic themes from the silent opening began to develop. The movement quality was gentle, but with deep force like an old river. Goldston and Robinson also are the recipients of next year’s New Releases Commission.
Four more works followed a curtain speech from Artistic Director Tariq Darrell O’Meally and BlackLight Summit Committee Member Jane Raleigh. “stall” was the afternoon’s first large group work, choreographed by Kristen Bolger and featuring Amer Lucia Chabus, Chloe Conway, Grace Mayer, Julianna Raimondo, and Katie Rodeghiero. “Took to Leave” by Lindsay Grymes, with dancers Lyla Ferguson and Brooke Marshall, was another athletic standout. It was a particularly gymnastic take on the contemporary dance aesthetic of dramatic lines under low lights.
The final two works of the first act were both listed as excerpts of the same work, but that may have been a program error. “Los Pecados De Nuestros Padres” was a slow and emotional solo from Tabata Var exploring maternal sacrifice and generational trauma. “MACHO HUZZA,” the afternoon’s other large group piece, was an everything-turned-up-to-eleven EDM throwdown from choreographer Emily Green and featuring Eryn Barns, Sarah Coady, Annika Dodrill, Emma O’Brien, Selina Tran, and Deanna Woodman in black and neon green tracksuits.
“a long side: a queer double portrait,” which made up the second half of the evening, was a multi-media and decidedly post-modern affair. Ames and Luebbert had created the work in dialogue with portrait work by queer artists including Felix Gonzalez-Torres and Gilbert and George. “A long side” also featured live original music from Amelia Diehl. Over the course of an hour, Ames and Luebbert made the audience tea, turned the microphone on the electric kettle, distributed chocolates, and the performance concluded with the audience throwing paper airplanes onto the stage. The choreography was tightly counterpointed to video of Ames and Luebbert dancing. One particularly interesting effect was created as the dancers stood against the white brick of Dance Place’s upstage wall and danced within the projections of themselves.
It is worth taking a moment to acknowledge news that broke over the weekend. The National Endowment for the Arts terminated hundreds of grants to artists and arts presenting organizations. Many creators and venues in the DMV have been affected. During his curtain speech O’Meally announced that Dance Place has lost $70,000 in funding for their BlackLight Summit. As of this writing over $8 million in funding had been reported as terminated nationally. Other local affected organizations include Shakespeare Theater Company, Theater J, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, Round House Theater, Arts Every Day, The George Mason University Arts Research Center, and Theatre Washington. Some of their work is undoubtedly familiar to regular readers of Maryland Theatre Guide. It has never been more important to show support for the arts.
Running Time: Approximately two hours and 30 minutes with one intermission.
“New Releases: Choreographers Showcase” ran May 3-4, 2025 at Dance Place, 3225 8th Street NE, Washington DC 20017. For more information and to purchase tickets for upcoming events, please go online.
