Tuesday, August 05, 2014

Post Ballet Sneak Peek

Last month a friend invited me along to a free preview of Post Ballet's Five High program, which they perform at the YBCA Theater this week. We saw excerpts from 3 works by Artistic Director & choreographer Robert Dekker, who was happy & enthusiastic to talk about his work. He explained that hand shapes from American Sign Language inspired the poses in the 1st excerpt & that sometimes the dancers make their own choices. We watched a run-through in which Mr. Dekker counted the beats out loud & gave directions, then saw it a 2nd time with music. The 7 dancers moved around the space quickly in what seemed like mathematical patterns, & they were winded by the end.

A male & female dancer, representing the id & the ego, performed excerpts from a dance called Yours is Mine. We also saw part of a new dance called ourevolution, in which 2 couples, wearing hoodies & masks covering their mouths, behaved ambivalently about revealing themselves. Mr. Dekker explained that the costumes came from imagining what Hayes Valley fashion would look like in the future.

Drinks & snacks were offered to the audience, & there was an opportunity to mingle with Post Ballet's dancers & staff afterward. My friend arrived early to claim a front row seat, but was foiled when an extra row of chairs was set up in front of him to accommodate a surge of people who arrived after him.

§ Post Ballet

Sneak Peek of "Five High"
Joe Goode Annex
Thursday, July 24, 6:30pm

Five High
YBCA Theater
August 7, 8 & 9, 2014 @ 8pm

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