Jazz at the Joyce was one of those ‘blink and you missed it’ gems that occasionally fly through New York. It was billed as an exploration of African American jazz and dance traditions. There were only two performances of the program at the Joyce Theater, as it was part of the week-long American Dance Platform. Yet it was one of the most joyous evenings of dance I’ve ever experienced.
The first treat was that there was a live jazz band onstage the entire evening. A theater as small as the Joyce has no musician pit, and therefore canned music is the norm. But having a live band onstage created a palpable frisson between dancers and musicians. Jazz is famously improvisational, and as the musicians riffed, so did the tap dancers.
There were three separate numbers. The first one was the most traditional. Threshing Floor: A Place of Meditation and Melody was a solo number performed by Josette Wiggan. Program notes say the dance was “a captivating solo work that explores the process of stripping away from one’s perceived self, only to reveal the value in finding purpose through self-discovery, self-revelation, and self-love.” But what I saw was mostly just a rollicking good time. Wiggan is an incredible dancer. She’s tall and rangy, with long limbs and an explosive style. She and the jazz band were obviously riffing off each other, and the energy was infectious.
Taking It to to the Roots was the second dance piece, choreographed and performed by Michelle N. Gibson. It started with a voice-over of Gibson’s grandfather recalling how he once lost everything, even the hat on his head. Gibson walked down the aisle of the Joyce with only a shirt and suitcase. She was barefoot.
The solo dance was a mesmerizing tribute to the New Orleans jazz scene, as well as the African American experience. Gibson used her suitcase, a chair, some changes of clothes, and crafted a work that seemed both confessional and celebratory at the same time. She pounded the floor with her feet, she pounded her chest, and at the end she walked offstage and danced up the aisle, fully clothed and triumphant. She encouraged the audience to sing and dance along with her. It was magnificent.
The final work was by Dormeshia and called Unsung Sheroes of the 20th Century. It was a tribute to four female African American tappers. Cora LaRedd, Mable Lee, Harriet “Quicksand” Browne and Juanita Pitts are not household names today, but they were all trailblazers in tap dance. Five different dancers paid tribute to the four women. Brinae Ali sang Nina Simone’s Four Women, while Star Dixon played Cora, Josette Wiggan played Mable, Quynn Johnson played Harriet and Dormeshia played Juanita.
My favorite number from this piece was the tribute to Harriet Browne. Browne’s trademark was sand dancing. Quynn Johnson danced up a storm in a sandbox. It was mesmerizing. I also loved Dormeshia dressing up in a male suit and tails to mimic Juanita Pitt’s gender-bending style. But all of the ladies were magnificent dancers and so were the musicians playing jazz standards like Lady Be Good in the background.
The evening was a perfect length. No intermissions, about an hour and twenty minutes, left the audience wanting more. What a great program.
