It was Ate9’s final run of “mouth to mouth” in LA. The show closed where it had premiered, and where the company often rehearses, at Los Angeles Live Arts. We were ushered single file into the warmly lit building on Panamint St., our names checked off a list as we passed through a short, dark hallway before entering a bright studio outfitted for performances. The back wall that would frame the dance was stark white; black curtains lined the sides; behind us, stairs led up to a second level with a railing, which was where the sound and lighting boards were ready to go. In front of the dance floor, wooden risers supported rows of chairs; we found three empty ones, but the space was filling fast and more than a few people were left with room only to stand. Nine simple black folding chairs were evenly spaced along the three-walled periphery of the performance space, unspoken as “reserved” but clearly marked as such in the world we’d soon see unfold. The buzzing room was silenced by a single dancer who walked swiftly and silently across the stage. She, like one of the male performers, wore a blazer, camisole tank top, and black shorts. […]
↧