The Washington DC/Philadelphia Exchange

On Saturday July 9, 2011, at 8pm and Sunday July 10 at 7pm, Human Landscape Dance and Anne-Marie Mulgrew and Dancers Co presented The Washington DC/Philadelphia Exchange at Dance Place.

Read Human Landscape Dance artistic director Malcolm Shute's blogpost reflecting on the concert.

HLD features the human side of two Greek myths: Icarus and The Odyssey. Our Icarus, played by the stunning Amanda Abrams, climbs upon, leaps onto, or rolls over the shoulders and backs of Daedalus, played by 3 performers. It is a story about parents and children and the weight of family relationships. In "Odysseus Comes Home," Penelope and Odysseus spend their first night together, after his 20-year odyssey, fighting over the sheet. The story depicts relearning to love someone over the years. Order $14 tickets at pinklineproject.com!

The Washington DC/Philadelphia Exchange is a shared concert between Human Landscape Dance of DC and Anne-Marie Mulgrew and Dancers Co of Philadelphia. AMMDCO premieres "SALT," a dreamscape meditation on the sensations, memories, and rituals associated with salt. It features a portable set of galvanized silver tubs, 100 lbs of salt on stage and drifting from piping, video clips, an eclectic sound score, and seven emotionally-charged vignettes.

Icarus and Daedalus
Our dance "Icarus and Daedalus" explores this myth with special attention to the sometimes strained relationships of parents and children.The dance is a series of swoops and swings. Abrams dives from one set of arms to another, clambers up on our backs, kicks away--only to be caught by a new body before she falls. There is a terrestrial quality to her flight: Abrams depends on the rest of the company to hold her up. Read more about this dance.

Odysseus Comes Home:
"Odysseus Comes Home" depicts Odysseus and Penelope's first night together after his 20-year voyage. This is less a story of sexual compatibility, than of sleep compatibility. Sharing a bed is an act of love, but also a practical matter. Difficulties arise when one partner likes to sleep without a blanket, but the other always sleeps with one; when one partner snores; if there is a dip in the bed so that one partner is always squished; when one partner can't sleep, but doesn't want to disturb the other; etc. It takes time to work through such matters, as in so many areas of marriage. Read more about this dance.

Press Release:
Anne-Marie Mulgrew and Dancers Co makes its Washington DC debut with the premiere of SALT, a 37-minute work choreographed by artistic director Anne-Marie Mulgrew for her ensemble of six dancers developed in collaboration with filmmaker Carmella Vassor-Johnson. Inspired by Mark Kurlansky’s book, “Salt, a World History,” SALT, (a dreamscape meditation) investigates sensations, memories and rituals associated with salt, a vital component in the functioning of cells.  Broad Street Review noted SALT’s…“Pillars of Rumination (is) an intense and visually evocative dance segment.” Read this press release.

Relationships in our dances:
Human Landscape Dance's work has always concerned human relationships. With that in mind, Greek myths are a natural draw. Each depict powerful relationships: Odysseus and his wife and son, Icarus and his father. They are stories about human emotions, set in superhuman situations. They depict that which we cling to when our worlds have gone mad--each other. View this news release.

Families learning the ropes in our dances:
Human Landscape Dance's 2011 premieres, "Icarus and Daedalus" and "Odysseus Comes Home," depict families learning the ropes. "Odysseus Comes Home" speaks to couples everywhere who have to learn or relearn how to live together. It takes place in a bedroom; the sheet is their weapon. They yank it away from each other, stretch it out in a tug-of-war, create a wall with it. View this news release.

Human Landscape Dance is a contemporary dance company based in Washington DC. Our work is about relationships. We make dances that explore ways that people connect, disconnect, make nice, be cruel, make love, or make space for themselves. Touch is our medium. Bodies mold together in unexpected ways: a leg stretched across a shoulder, a thumb pressing under a chin, or two bodies so entwined that one covers the other completely. The human dance of love, hate, parting, and supporting are played out in different degrees of touch.Founded in 2006, Human Landscape Dance has since performed in cities along the east coast of the US, and in London UK.