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AUDIENCE REVIEW: Reflections: Terry Back’s “return to Tomlinson Theater," presented by Temple University Dance Department

Company:
Boyer College of Music and Dance

Performance Date:
September 6, 2024

Freeform Review:

The Temple Dance school hosted Terry Back’s “return to Tomlinson Theater,” to launch the Department’s 50th Anniversary. The place was an evening with some extraordinary faces. Chair of the dance school, Dr. Karen Bond, was presently in the company with some of the past administration, Assistant Dean of administration Jeff Yurcan, Edrie Ferdun, Hellmut Gottschild, Phillip Grosser, and many others. As well as, Kun-Yang Lin, and Anne Marie Mulgrew. It was a spectacular evening to celebrate through the years, how Temple Dance school originated, and its foundational course, “Feelings in Studying Dance.”

From the series of movement pieces by Terry Beck we felt a strong connection to the period in which Beck made his mark on Philadelphia. Its skin and bones, and feeling this instance that there was a narrative of time. The first piece, IMPROVISATION, teases this idea with a door ajar stage left, in fact, this minimal staging and live violin, played by David Rudge, plants us in that abstract expressionist era. As many reiterate the influence of Gottschild in the beginning of the dance education for dancers studying at the Temple College of Music and Dance, there seemed this playfull dream-like scenario of HARBOUR, in conclusion.

In a way the beginning of the dance school leads in combining the theater and performing arts colleges from dance a large part of he school of health, education, and recreation. Now, Boyer College of Music and Dance with a long history of alumni, shows the intersectionality of dance as mature dancers. Terry Beck brings a time honored Philadelphia style to mind. This was what it was like with ZeroMoving Dance company, and then Terry Beck Troupe. An experience of international dance happening in the 1970’s.(BroadStreetReview, Performance Garage presents ‘From Zero to Sixty’, 2019.)

The duet with Haotian Liu in DIG was a pleasant rivalry of masculinity. Even more so, in the preparation leading to this duet, we experience a sounding off of the TIbetan singing bowl to an ancient memory, almost as if  'masculine rivalry' is an outdated notion. The stage hands firstly, place these dust piles at points on the stage, for Tim Early to dance with insitu. Then illuminating this dust Early threw it into the air. A fog in the space appeared mesmerizing as the light crystalized around Early’s head and shoulders in a prolific stance, said something of thelikes of homosapiens, rituals, and evolution.

Moments collectively build to a scene of many dancers, imagining aging friends, and ancient civilizations from the former piece to enter this realm of time travel. The sirens are lead by Brenda Dixon-Gottschild in a shifting assortment of jagged branches to create a natural, wild throne. Nature speaks to this nervous creature, and numerous dancers behind and all around in similar white nighting gowns. Firstly, we much appreciated the fishing net, in relation to the clever entrance from the first piece of a “door ajar,” now the dancers appear caught in a fishing net. As if they washed up on shore, the agents at play are dynamic points of view for each section stands alone. The bard, played by Beck, rejoins us too, in a rowing boat once and for all after marking the end, the dance of the light house, danced by Janet Pilla Marini and Tim Early.

Author:
Chuck Schultz

Website:
WHYSEEART.com

Photo Credit:
Chuck Schultz