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IMPRESSIONS: BODYTRAFFIC Presents “This Reminds Me of You” at The Joyce Theater
By Cecly Placenti
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Published on April 29, 2025
Photo: Steven Pisano
Founding Artistic Director: Tina Finkleman Berkett
President: Gillian Wynn
Creative Partner: Trey McIntyre
Technical Director: Michael Jarett
Rehearsal Directors: Katie Garcia and Joan Rodriguez
Dancers: Chandler Davidson, Donnie Duncan Jr., Katie Garcia, Pedro Garcia, Anaya Gonzalez, Alana Jones, Joan Rodriguez, Jordyn Santiago
April 19, 2025
One of the best things about big cities like New York or Los Angeles is, in my opinion, that their cultural diversity drives innovative fusions, especially in the arts. BODYTRAFFIC, a contemporary dance company from Los Angeles that seamlessly blends ballet, contemporary, hip-hop, modern, and Afro-Caribbean styles, reflects its city’s rich diversity while also reminding audiences that movement is a powerful common language.
BODYTRAFFIC’S return to The Joyce Theater with This Reminds Me of You is a sort of homecoming for Artistic Director Tina Finkleman Berkett, who grew up in NYC and began her professional career here with Aszure Barton and Artists. The program, which dives into the power of memory and features three New York premieres, explores how memories can spark unexpected emotions and connect people across time.
Mayday, a lively yet haunting homage to Buddy Holly, choreographed by BODYTRAFFIC’s creative partner, Trey McIntyre, and set to a medley of Holly’s classic hits — “Peggy Sue,” “True Love Ways,” and “That’ll Be the Day” — is playful and energetic. Fusing rockabilly rhythms with jazz and contemporary dance, eight performers dressed in vintage-inspired midriff tops and jackets, black pants, and Holly’s iconic horn-rimmed glasses embody his electric sound with syncopated body percussion and high-octane movements.
Mayday is vibrant and fun, fast-paced and rhythmic, its cast a cohesive ensemble in which each person still manages to stand out. Jordyn Santiago is a tiny fireball, exploding and recoiling with captivating elasticity and control, while Joan Rodriguez mesmerizes with his ability to execute razor-sharp footwork with the calm joy of someone out for a Sunday stroll.
But Mayday is more than just a nostalgic celebration. Threaded through its enthralling charm is a sense of sadness and loss, symbolized by a small red toy airplane — an emblem of Holly’s tragic death. As the plane floats across the stage, reverently passed from dancer to dancer, it becomes a visual reminder that joy and sorrow often live side by side.
The program’s tone shifts with I Forgot the Start, choreographed by Matthew Neenan. If Mayday is a firework, I Forgot the Start is a smoldering ember. The stage, dimly lit with dancers often in silhouette, is dreamlike and serene. Accompanied by a haunting soundtrack featuring Sufjan Stevens and Sinéad O’Connor, the dancers move with sculptural precision. Neenan’s choreography shares the rhythmic and percussive nature of McIntyre’s, yet it is softer, more languid. At one point, the dancers gather in a line like birds on a wire to perform cadenced arm patterns. As they side step into a flock and spread out again, their triplet steps mirror the music to create a pleasing, hypnotic pulse. Just before the effect becomes spellbinding, two dancers begin a slow duet upstage in sculpted outline; the contrast anchors viewers to the present moment. Neenan’s use of counterpoint — duets and trios set against larger groups—has a calming effect, and although there is much movement happening on stage there is an overall feeling of peace. There are moments of mirth— hops and gestures reminiscent of childhood games — that are offset by long, intimate duets in which the dancers cradle one another with softness and care. As each partnership arises and dissolves, the ensemble movement continues, giving the work a cyclical feel that evokes resilience in the pursuit of human connection. As the curtain comes down, the dancers don’t stop dancing — I Forgot the Start is over, but it’s never really over. Hope is persistent.
Incense Burning on a Saturday Morning: The Maestro closes the evening. Choreographed by Juel D. Lane with original music by Munir Zakee, Incense Burning brings to life the paintings of artist Ernie Barnes, known for his unique style of elongated characters and depictions of movement. Seated on a stool in front of a large scrim that represents an artist’s canvas, a dancer moves his hand across the space as bursts of color appear like brushstrokes. Swaths of paint appear and disappear under his hands, enabled by Yee Eun Nam’s dynamic video projections, and reveal eight dancers — the characters from Barnes’ most famous painting, “The Sugar Shack.” A woman in a yellow dress, elegant and elusive, comes to life, moving through the brushstrokes like a muse. Zakee’s score evokes sultry summer nights in the American South and evenings dancing under the stars.
The ensemble work is layered and complex, with performers seamlessly shifting from syncopated and brisk to suspending and rebounding movements. Quick footwork patterns suddenly give way to soaring turns. Small, grounded weight shifts grow into elastic balances. Lane’s choreography is an unpredictable mix of aesthetics: Afro-Caribbean, jazz, ballet. Dancers come together in short partnerships or moments of unison, then blend into the crowd once again, mirroring Barnes’ images and energy. The dancer who portrays Barnes bears witness to his creation, sometimes joining in the dancing, sometimes simply watching wistfully, allowing us to observe the polarity of joy and sorrow, creation and destruction.
Offering varying takes on the dualistic nature of life, This Reminds Me of You overflows with joy: joy of moving, of music, of sharing and connecting. Whether lightning fast or lush and introspective, the choreography in all three works is visceral and stirring. BODYTRAFFIC’S incredible dancers make you feel as though you are recalling experiences—loss, grief, longing, exhilaration—through the lens of your own memory, separately yet together. This Reminds Me of You is both a compelling reminder of our shared humanity and a thoroughly enjoyable evening of dance.
