1989_03 The Daily Collegian March 1989

              The Daily Collegian
Friday. March 3.1989
Page 3
fMovin! Out1 displays movement
By Anna Daza
Staff Writer
D,
Review
ic is the word to describe the CSUF
adynamic is the word to oescnrje tne UdUr
Portable Dance Troupe's Spring "89 dance concert
"Movin'OuL"
The dance troupe, started 15 years ago, is not to be���confused with the srjjdCTi<hora>graphed University
Dance Troupe.
The PDT, a faculty-choreographed group, holds
audi lions each fall and begins rehearsals at the be
ginning of October. There are IS members counting
faculty, including those in dance and theater, and
community members. Each member spends four to
eight hours a week practicing.
These dancers make a real serious commitment
which goes on to form a community," said Ruth
Griffin, one of the PDTs artistic directors. These are
really dedicated people."
G,
'riffm said the six pieces don't Fit into any cer¬
tain style, all are different
The thing about modem dance or a medium like
this is that the choreographer starts with an intention
which then becomes its own an," she said. The
dances use contemporary vocabulary, each its own
entity each with its own themes and relationships to
the audience."
The first selection, "From Dust to Dust" is a mod¬
em ballet by Hac Shik Kim. It takes on primitive
tones and seems to embody ancient ritualism. It cap¬
tures the movements of the progression from life to
death, suggested by the wilting of the dancers' bodies
at the end.
Two Man Series," choreographed by Madeleine
Penone-Gaynarrl the other artistic half of the troupe,
seems to focus at first on the sameness of male as
opposed to female. The key word at the beginning of
die piece: opposite. This soon merged into sameness,
shown through dress and the monotony of the move¬
ments—all become equal not only through dress
but manner.
All this is danced lo music reminiscent of Devo,
using a steady, pounding rhythm that casts images of
people working in a factory. The entire piece seemed to
stress the monotony and mechanical routine of the
human race.
Viewing the whole piece is like watching robots,
but it is definitely moving. At one point the dancers
seem to be running but getting nowhere, constantly
falling back.
One pan, which seems to be one of the worker's
dream sequences, seemed symbolic of freedom, a re¬
lease of tensions through movernenL There is a
drifting, floating suggested in the dreamer's being held
in a horizontal position by another.
After the "dream" there is a return to jagged, jerky
movements. There is finger-pointing and saluting
while three figures huddled side-by-side scuffle slowly
across the stage in the background, like the three mon¬
keys: hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. The
dancers then converge in a circle, completing the never-
ending cycle.
1 he dance itself seems to convey a repressed,
Orwellian atmosphere. Though the entire dance is, in¬
tentionally, mechanical in movement it is never
boring, always saying something, comparing today's
society in an exaggerated way to a future society
ultimately enslaved by its own routines and
technology.
Twittering Machine," by Griffin, is interesting.
The dancers look like black bugs with silver antennae
that resemble xx picks. The characters are comical, not
unlike a group of cartoon characters, and it starts off
light and humorous although it is, at fust, hard to get
into because the hobbling of the bugs' antennae is
distracting.
Another Gaynard creation, "Surxonscious
Selections," a collage of images of life, starts with a
piece of paper, literally, and multiplies with each fold.
This has the most variation in music, from
performance artist Laurie Anderson to modem jazz.
The end is intriguing in that all the dancers come
onstage one-by-one with a square sheet of white paper,
each folding his piece while another dancer comes in
with his. It seems to symbolize "folding up" or a
"folding away." All dancers come to the front and snap
their papers open, like they were reading newspapers,
only to find them blank with nothingness.
Theme and Variations" by Los Angeles chore¬
ographer Eddie Glickman deals with the inter¬
relationships of people. It is danced to the music of
jazz artist Dave Grustn and is broken into two distinct
pans.
The first is like watching a schoolyard scene:
carefree girls in neon-colored outfits. This is what
most people will recognize as modem jazz.
J. he second captures a private and tender mood
through the ultimate situation between two girls who
seem to be more than friends.
"Pilgrimage," another dance choreographed by
Griffin, was inspired by Umbeno Eco's essay The
Return of the Middle Ages,"
The essay examined the similarities of modem
limes to Medieval times, including "apocalypse,
plague, increase of crime and resulting increase of
security and a fascination with Medieval themes in
films, books, and video games."
The dance begins with projection stills of Medieval
an and is set to a Gregorian chanL The dancers,
dressed in brown and light blue tunics, move in circles
and spirals through dry-ice fog, the sound of their feet
softly padding and shuffling across the stage floor to
See DANCE, page 11
BARRIO
Continued from page 1
straaons. When he appears la public, he
wears red Lights, gold cape, face mask and
a red shin that has the letters SB' em¬
blazoned on the front
Unlike his Amencan counieipan
fighting dastardly villains like Lex Lulh-
or, this superhero is more often called
upon to fight evictions and does not
become weak in the knees at the sight of
Kryptonite.
Indeed, Super Barrio has no alter ego
because he considers himself "more in¬
vincible^ than could be adequately re¬
flected in a Clark Kent-like character.
Super Barrio blends comic book heroes
with a Mexican tradition of wrestlers who
go into the ring disguised and are in¬
vincible so long as they are not un¬
masked.
Like most superheroes, he makes a
point of keeping his identity secret be¬
cause he said he values "the collective
identity" that his character evokes, a
solidarity that would change if his true
identity' is. revealed.
As a champion of rights for the poor,
Super Barrio has become a leader in the
fight for fair housing, electricity and
sewers in the capital city of nearly 18
million people.
In a New York. Tunes article, Super
Barrio himself explains his origins. "One
day when I was in my room, I was
enveloped in a brilliant red and yellow
tight and when it dissipated, 1 was
dressed this way. Then a voice said to me,
You are Super Bamo. defender of tenants
and scourge of greedy landlords."
Bui as Super Barrio evolved from the
rubble of the earthquake in Mexico City,
so has his concern and the scope of social
issues he has chosen to address evolved 5a
well. (
He has broadened his activities to
issues such as police corruption, pol¬
lution and transportation. His main focus,
however, is on injustices perpetuated by
those in positions of authority.
Today, my struggle is not only againsi
landlords but against those who commit
injustices, with the support of power or a
governmental post" Super Barrio told
The New York Times.
He supported the National Democratic
Front political party and its presidential
candidaie, Cuauhtemoc Cardenas, in the
most recent election in Mexico. Cardenas
was defeated by the Institutional Rev¬
olutionary Party, or PRI, the ruling
party.
Super Bamo once ran for president
himself.
His visit to CSUF is sponsored by
MEChA.
USUPC PRESENTS AN EVENING WITH
STANLEY JORDAN
CSUF SATELLITE STUDENT UNION
MONDAY, MARCH 6TH, 8PM
TICKETS AT BASS, HCKETRON, CSUF INFORMATION DESK
J10 CSUF STUDENTS. $H GENERAL, S12 AT DOOR DAY OF SHOW
FACULTY
GRADUATION
APPAREL
1989
ORDER FOR RENTALS
February 27 - March 31
Kennel Bookstore
Customer Service Counter
Tam Rose Ext. 4276 or
Duane Wong Ext. 4268
ORDER FOR PURCHASE
with 20% discount
March 28th &29th
Kennel Bookstore
Textbook Department
10:00 am-4:00 pm