In Rehearsal with Jennifer Muller/The Works

I am very fortunate to be invited into NYC dance rehearsals. I like to see the toil that goes into creating the illusion for the stage--no makeup, no costumes, no set--just the essentials: music, dancers, choreography and SWEAT.  I was particularly lucky this Monday to spend my late afternoon with Jennifer Muller/The Works.

Immediately what I notice about Jennifer Muller is her love of partnering. One doesn't just witness lifting and hauling.  Her partnering choreography creates detailed moving sculptures as one dancer's musculature flows into another’s. The relationships throughout her work are deeply physical, requiring a strong technical base, yet also deeply personal, requiring sensitivity, generosity, and guts. The way she fashions her group choreography, keeping everyone in a large chorus moving and interesting to watch while the solos, duets, and trios central to her tale maintain their importance, is damn impressive. That is craftsmanship meets artistry folks.  And oh what dancers, how they have invested themselves in Muller's work-- her NYC studio doesn't seem large enough to
contain their energy.