The Rosin Box Project dance company prepares to turn motion into magic (original) (raw)
The Rosin Box Project, a cutting-edge contemporary ballet company known for dancing in bare feet, high heels, pointe shoes and sneakers, will perform its “Debuts” concert next weekend at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido.
“It’s the first time we are presenting in a traditional theater space,” said artistic director Carly Topazio.
“We want to expand our reach and our audience. Almost every ‘Debuts’ production has been in a different venue and we are trying to explore options. We don’t need to bring in a lot of production elements like lighting and flooring, so that will be nice,” she said.
The “Debuts” program includes four premieres, two created by guest artists along with a new dance by resident choreographer Katie Spagnoletti, who created the 2022 solo “Full Moon in the City,” and Topazio’s “Grayish,” a media-fusing number that introduces new technology.
Rosin Box Project dancers Chelsea Fenner and Brian Bennett rehearse “Grayish” for the company’s upcoming production of “Debuts.” (Carla Topazio)
In “Grayish,” the dancers will be armed with motion sensors that fuse music with movement in real time.
The sensors are discs that are attached to black wristbands, and they capture various aspects of the dancers’ motions, such as tilt angles and accelerations.
Arms sweep upward and the audience will hear tinkling, for instance, or a spinning action might produce a whooshing sound.
“The sensors are made for the purpose of informing music via movement,” Topazio explained.
“I was intrigued by it. They actually track motion in space. If the dancers raise a hand up, it will change the parameter in the music, creating an additional sound or resonance.”
The choreography for “Grayish” was inspired by the designation of San Diego-Tijuana as the 2024 World Design Capital, which made Topazio creatively consider borders, division and territorialism.
Ten dancers will be divided into two “teams,” separated by a boundary line represented by an LED tape light that stretches diagonally across the entire stage. Topazio said that the trajectory of the piece “evolves from stark juxtaposition to contention, ultimately culminating in a sense of unity and resolution.”
Rosin Box Project dancers Katie Spagnoletti, Rony Lenis, Brian Heil and Bethany Green. (Carla Topazio)
Earlier this month, the TRBP dancers, including Sona Jaeger, a former California Ballet ballerina and a new addition to the company, gathered at its Point Loma studio to practice.
The company is in its sixth year and it operates like a tight-knit unit. Everyone wore socks for Topazio’s number, and after putting Opal — the long-hair dachshund belonging to dancer Brian Heil into a pet carrier, the group took over the studio floor with an athleticism that intermingles classical and contemporary ballet.
Topazio’s “Grayish” requires precision and fluidity, with dancers pushing, carrying, lifting and pulling each other to a pulsing track that also allows them to contribute sound. The choreography has an aggressive, yet graceful movement language that requires a lot of lifts and floorwork.
At the start of the rehearsal, Topazio cued the music and asked, “When we scatter, can everyone hit the deck?”
After observing for a few minutes, Topazio asked Jaeger if she could do a “layout.”
A layout, she later explained, is a movement in which the back is arched and the working leg extends upward, comparable to a développé with a cambré in classical ballet terms.
Jaeger stood with outstretched arms supported by dancers at each side. Dancer Jeremy Zapanta pushed her torso from behind so that her body circled up with one leg pointed toward the ceiling while she leaned back until her head disappeared from view. She was then lowered to the ground and the dancers separated, all in time to the music.
It’s the kind of physicality that calls for a lot of trust, not unlike the complex issues related to the border.
“People tend to be afraid of things they don’t understand,” Topazio said thoughtfully.
“It’s about trusting the journey to become more of a community and not stereotyping people who come from different backgrounds or regions. I definitely can relate. I have felt like an outsider — absolutely. I was a quirky kid growing up. I was very energetic and I liked to express myself in interesting ways. As I got older, I noticed how you have to be cool to fit in.”
“Debuts” guest choreographers include the German-American duo FLOCK, cofounded by Alice Klock and Florian Lochner, who met while serving as Choreographic Fellows at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.
And Ballet West’s Emily Adams, a 2023 Princess Grace Honoraria, created the work “So Close,” accompanied by an original score from award-winning film composer Katy Jarzebowki.
A slightly longer, “more immersive” version of “Grayish” will also be performed as part of the ENVZN24 Urban Art Takeover festival at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Sept. 14 in the Soap Factory Courtyard in Logan Heights. Find festival ticket information at vanguardculture.com
The Rosin Box Project is likely best known for its immersive Ghost Light Masquerade, a popular production in October that invites the public to wear masks and masked dancers perform on and off the stage. The goal to make ballet shows more interesting, Topazio stressed, requires “making room for improvisation and flexibility.”
“For ENVZN, we’re planning on incorporating opportunities for the dancers to interact with audience members,” Topazio added.
“Involving the audience and exploring the divide between viewer and performer further enriches the experience of boundary dissolution.”
The Rosin Box Project presents ‘Debuts’
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24; 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 25
Where: Center Theater, California Center for the Arts, Escondido, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido
Tickets: 30−30-30−60
Online: therosinboxproject.com
Luttrell is a freelance writer.
Originally Published: August 18, 2024 at 6:00 a.m.