Sailors and Sirens
Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre’s “Beyond the Waterfront” – a review
A dance opera that takes place aboard two tall ships at the Port of Los Angeles? That was something far too tempting to pass up. “Beyond the Waterfront,” presented by the iconic Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre in collaboration with LA Opera, the Los Angeles Maritime Institute, and AltSea, took place last Saturday evening at Berth 58, City Dock No. 1, which is also the oldest pier at the port in San Pedro.
The dance company dates back to 1985, and during its 30 years it has performed site-specific works in locations (not really “venues”) ranging from the L.A. River to the Subway Terminal Building, and from laundromats and empty swimming pools to the Los Angeles Police Academy. One of my own most memorable experiences as a theater-goer and arts writer was when I attended Duckler’s “Sleeping with the Ambassador” (2003), which was set within and throughout the deserted and now long-demolished Ambassador Hotel, where Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated.
So, back to Berth 58, where the audience sat in rows of folding chairs, pushed up to the very edge of the dock. About one hundred feet distant were the two tall ships, the Irving Johnson and the Exy Johnson (uninspired names, but what the heck), belonging to the L.A. Maritime Institute. They were secured by ropes, in between both sides of the waterway.
Leonard Bernstein’s score for the 1954 film “On the Waterfront” is said to be the inspiration for the piece, but if so it’s mostly as a nod to the centennial of the composer’s birth. “Beyond the Waterfront” boasts its own score, by Juhi Bansal, which is moody and alluring in its own right.
The ships, maybe ten or fifteen feet apart, were angled in such a way that they formed an inverted “V” for the viewer. In one, the five dancers (Tess Hewlett, Isaac Huerta, Corina Kinnear, Jillian Meyers, and Ryan Walker Page) climbed up the rigging, dangled in or got entangled in netting, and flitted from bow to stern. Opposite, in subdued light, were the Sirens (LA Opera singers Jamie Chamberlin, Lisa Eden, and Melissa Treinkman). They were a little hard to see clearly, but then again the erotic and the exotic have always flourished best in shadows and candlelight.
The press release noted that the work “tackles themes of collaboration, sustainability and the influence of humanity on the environment,” which seems farfetched let alone demeaning to Sirens, whose preferred pastime is the luring of sailors to their doom. As they sang in unison, “Beneath the planks, oh can’t you see, the sliding of the waves? And beckoning, and beckoning–a cold and lonely grave!” Now, there’s no collaborating or sustainability here, is there?
“Beyond the Waterfront” is presumably a work-in-progress, and what we saw on Saturday was billed as an “Act I” with apparent plans to enlarge and flesh-out the work for additional performances during the summer of 2018.
That seems like a good idea but I would also like to offer some comments and suggestions. The location is splendid, and I was fortunate to have a seat in the front row. However, I think that anyone in the third row and farther back might have some difficulty seeing. Perhaps risers or elevated viewing platforms could be added.
The company had considered employing a dinghy to ferry dancers from one ship to the other, but didn’t do so in this production. I think that a small boat could add some more drama to the piece, and I also want to say that the water itself should be more of a player. Obviously, they can’t emulate Cirque du Soleil’s “O” in Las Vegas, but if you’ve got figures climbing into the rigging you might as well have some gliding through the dark water as well.
I realize that the dancers have to be careful and comfortable with what they wear, but they sort of looked like they were clothed in the same garb they wore to karate or yoga class, whereas something more suggestive of sailor outfits would be more appealing to the eye. And, at 100 feet or thereabouts, the ships are still too far away. Perhaps some perspective will be lost, but they need to be closer to the audience so we can more fully observe the action and the choreographed moves of the dancers.
Despite these last sentences, I enjoyed “Beyond the Waterfront” and I hope that Heidi Duckler develops it further. She’s a real treasure, and should be acknowledged as such.
For more on the company, its performances and educational programs, go to heididuckler.org. ER
