The Oregon dance scene is slowly emerging from its summer slumber with renewed energy and fresh ideas, eager to dance and discuss.
This month’s highlights include a Bharatanatyam allegory by Manasvini Korukkai Ramachandran, who is on tour from India, that explores consciousness and enlightenment through animal symbolism.
TBA, the Portland Institute For Contemporary Arts’ fall festival, is back after a hiatus and presents “Goner,” a solo performance by London-based Malik Nashad Sharpe diving into themes of Black horror and alienation. TBA also offers opportunities to discuss dance preservation with Portland dance artist Linda K. Johnson.
Choreographer Andrea Parson presents “Still Moving,” which challenges ageism in dance, and the Portland Dance Festival presents three nights of international dance films at the newly renovated Tomorrow Theater in Southeast Portland.
With noir-style circus performances at Zidell Yards by Flynn Creek Circus and a collaboration on climate change between a Grammy-nominated music trio and a New York dance company in Corvallis, there’s something for everyone in the dance this month. All the details are below in this month’s calendar.
September Dance Performances
- 7 p.m. September 6
- BodyVox Dance Center, 1201 N.W. 17th Ave, Portland
- Free to perform, free to attend
Sponsor
Every first Friday of the month, BodyVox presents Open Floor Night. Artists of all disciplines are invited to showcase their work, whether an excerpt from an upcoming show, original choreography, or an improvisation. This month’s show will feature self-devised solos by the BodyVox Summer Adult Performance Intensive students.
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- Choreography by Manasvini Korukkai Ramachandran
- Co-Presented by New Expressive Works
- 5:30 p.m. September 7
- New Expressive Works, 810 S.E. Belmont St., Suite 2, Portland
- N.E.W. is located inside the WYSE Building and can be accessed through the building’s south-facing doors.
In this Bharatanatyam allegory performed by Manasvini Korukkai Ramachandran, daughter and disciple of Revathi Ramachandran, five animals—a frog, deer, earthworm, parrot, and cow—represent the stages of consciousness that a living being goes through in their journey toward enlightenment. These animals symbolize the phases of ignorance, illusion, restraint, renunciation, and enlightenment that one experiences in the pursuit of happiness.
Manasvini, with 27 years of Bharatanatyam training in the Melattur Bani style, holds an MFA in Bharatanatyam from Sastra University (Thanjavur), where Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam guided her thesis. She also earned a Master’s in Conservation from the National Museum Institute in New Delhi. Manasvini is the principal and director of Kala Sadhanalaya, an art institution founded by her mother. Additionally, through her organization, Kadhir Foundation, she imparts Bharatanatyam knowledge to schoolchildren across Chennai. Manasvini tours and performs internationally, showcasing her talent on a global scale.
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Sponsor
- Presented by the Portland Institute For Contemporary Art
- Choreographed and performed by Malik Nashad Sharpe/Marikiscrycrycry
- September 12-13
- PICA Annex, 15 N.E. Hancock St., Portland
“Goner” portrays a doomed individual, bound to death, exploring themes of abuse, migration, alienation, addiction, and violence through solo authorship and horror aesthetics. It aims to establish a Black horror tradition in the live context, inviting reflection on culturally specific narratives within a thrilling and suspenseful backdrop. “Goner” contains strong language, flashing lights, haze, verbal references to sex, verbal references to murder, loud sounds including gunshots, sensitive themes and topics, partial nudity, and violence, and is not recommended for anyone under age 16.
Sharpe holds a BA in Experimental Dance from Williams College and a certificate in Contemporary Dance from Trinity Laban. He has won awards, shown his work internationally, and held residencies at various institutions. He lives in London and is a guest professor at Stockholm University of the Arts.
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Embodied Archiving: Why and How? (TBA)
- Presented by Portland Institute For Contemporary Art
- 10 a.m. September 14
- PICA, 15 N.E. Hancock St., Portland
“Embodied Archiving: Why and How?” is a panel discussion that explores methods, practices, and perspectives for preserving the history of dance and contemporary performance. It features PICA curatorial fellow Jason Le, artist Linda K. Johnson, and other guests. The panel will last approximately 45 minutes, immediately followed by a conversation between Johnson and Chisao Hata at 11:00 am.
Sponsor
PASTfuture: Long-Form Archival Conversations with Portland Dance Artists (TBA)
- Presented by the Portland Institute For Contemporary Art and Mycelium Dreams Project/Linda K. Johnson
- September 14-22
- Check below for specific dates, times, locations, and interviewees
Conversations will be approximately 75 minutes long, followed by a short, all-level movement, composition, or somatic opportunity derived from each artist’s practice.
Mycelium Dreams is an ongoing dance cartography and interview project initiated in 2022 by Portland dance and interdisciplinary artist Linda K. Johnson. This archival project invites dance artists to reflect on their artistic journeys and hand-drawn maps inspired by mycelium networks’ connectivity, reciprocity, and relational quality. Continuing the interconnectivity theme, the interview component, PASTfuture, seeks to create an inclusive oral record of the stories of dancers in the Portland community.
For biographical information on Johnson and other participating artists, please visit the Portland Institute For Contemporary Art’s website.
Linda K. Johnson In Conversation with Chisao Hata (TBA)
- Presented by Portland Institute For Contemporary Art
- 11 a.m. September 14
- Venue: PICA, 15 N.E. Hancock St.
Linda K. Johnson In Conversation with Susan Banyas (TBA)
Sponsor
- Presented by the Portland Institute For Contemporary Art
- 11 am. September 15
- Dekum Street Theater, 814 N.E. Dekum St., Portland
Linda K. Johnson In Conversation with Robin Lane (TBA)
- Presented by the Portland Institute For Contemporary Art
- 11 a.m. September 21
- FLOCK Dance Center, 2516 N.W. 29th Ave., #60, Portland
- Space is limited, and reservations are recommended. RSVP here.
Linda K. Johnson In Conversation with Joan Findlay (TBA)
- Presented by the Portland Institute For Contemporary Art
- 11 a.m. September 22
- Performance Works NorthWest, 4625 S.E. 67th Avenue, Portland
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Sponsor
- World Premiere (TBA)
- Presented by the Portland Institute For Contemporary Art
- Olivia Camfield, Celeste Camfield, and Woodrow Hunt
- September 19-21
- PICA Annex, 15 N.E. Hancock St., Portland
- This event has high sound levels. Earplugs will be available.
In their film “Osten Cetto: Four Snakes,” sisters Olivia and Celeste Camfield and filmmaker Woodrow Hunt explore the relationships between the body and shapes through tattoos, movement, and Mvskoke symbols. The film’s live noise score and dance use the repetition and layered imagery of the choreography and the film to create an immersive viewing experience.
Olivia Camfield is a multimedia movement artist of the Muscogee Nation, born and raised in Texas Hill Country. Celeste Camfield is a mixed Muscogee artist living on the settled land of the Nʉmʉnʉʉ Sookobitʉ (Comanche), Ndé Kónitsąąíí Gokíyaa (Lipan Apache), Coahuiltecan, Tonkawa, and Jumanos peoples, currently known as Austin, Texas. She works in the media of movement, film, and food, and received her dance education from Marymount Manhattan College. Woodrow Hunt is a Klamath, Modoc, and Cherokee artist born and raised in Portland. Woodrow’s film practice is focused on documentary and experimental forms.
For more information on the artists, visit the PICA website.
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- Nirupama and Rajendra with Abhinav Dance Company
- Presented by Kalakendra Society for the Performing Arts of India
- 7 p.m. September 8
- Newmark Theater, 1111 S.W. Broadway, Portland
Sponsor
Abhinava Dance Company, founded by Nirupama and Rajendra and based in Bengaluru, India, presents “Bahurang — Symphony of Colors.” This production features an ensemble of 12 dancers and is directed by the internationally acclaimed duo of Nirupama and Rajendra. The performance is set to a rich, original music score created for the production.
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- Presented by Nartana Kuchipudi
- 2 p.m. September 15
- HECSA Portland Balaji Temple, 6100 S.W. Raab Road, Portland
Nartana School of Kuchipudi Dance presents “Sri Rama Pattabhishekam,” a Kuchipudi Dance Drama that retells the Hindu epic The Ramayana. This dance production is conceptualized, choreographed, and directed by Guru Pasumarthi Sri Venkateswara Sarma, a renowned Kuchipudi artist visiting from India along with Anuradha Ganesh, the founder/artistic director of Nartana, and senior students of Nartana. The program begins with student performances, followed by the ballet.
We find Rama, his wife Sita, and his brother Lakshmana living in the forest after being exiled from their kingdom. Sita is kidnapped, and Rama and Lakshmana rescue her with the help of friends. Rama’s devoted follower, Hanuman, aids him by flying to Lanka and burning part of it. Rama befriends the Monkey King Sugreeva, and together they build a bridge to Lanka. Ultimately, Rama defeats Ravana, rescues Sita, and is crowned King of Ayodhya.
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Sponsor
On the Velvet Grass: A Reflection on Wildness, becoming, and What it Means to Be Real
- September 20-29
- Reed College Performing Arts Building, Massee Performance Lab
- 3203 S.E. Woodstock Blvd, Portland
- Free open rehearsal: Wednesday, September 18 at 7:30 p.m.
Choreographed by former NW Dance Project dancer and Princess Grace winner Andrea Parson and performed by Carla Mann, Kemba Shannon, Suzanne Chi, Margretta Hansen, and Claire Olberding, this performance features a combination of movement and sound, accompanied by an original score by Jana Crenshaw. It is part of a larger project called Still Moving, which addresses issues of aging in dance through both live performance and film. By challenging ageism and stereotypes related to aging bodies, Still Moving aims to introduce a new aesthetic of dance that showcases the artistry of mature dancers. The project also seeks to provide new role models for young dancers, encouraging viewers to reconsider their perceptions of age and aging bodies.
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- Directed by Kailee McMurran in partnership with the Portland Art Museum
- September 26-28
- Tomorrow Theater, 3530 S.E. Division St, Portland
Screendance is a powerful medium that enables audiences to experience the human body in motion in new and interesting environments. It brings viewers closer to the dancer, creating intimacy and a shared kinesthetic experience. Audiences can access spaces and places they wouldn’t usually be able to explore through the camera. Join the filmmakers as they showcase this unique art form. Join the Portland Dance Film Festival at the renovated Tomorrow Theater for three completely different film nights, with films from 14 countries.
Sponsor
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- Flynn Creek Circus
- September 26-29
- The lot at Zidell Yards, 3030 S Moody Ave, Portland
At Zidell Yards in Portland’s South Waterfront district, the Flynn Creek Circus presents a comedic private detective story under the big top in noir film style. Meet DangerJones PI and his trusty assistant Patsy as they embark on a series of increasingly hilarious capers. Pesky pigeons, pencil-pushing inspectors, and a fly on the wall are characters you’ll meet in this season’s acrobatic narrative.
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- Performed by Neave Trio + Pigeonwing Dance
- Presented by PRAx and the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University
- 7 p.m. September 27
- 6 p.m. September 27, Curator’s Talk: How to Carry Water (On View in Stirek Gallery, Sept. 20-Dec. 21) Ashley Stull Meyers and Kelly Bosworth | Toomey Lobby |
- Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts
- 470 S.W. 15th Street, Corvallis
Sponsor
“Rising” is a meditation on the planet’s rising temperatures and sea levels, as well as humanity’s increasing awareness of our connection to and dependence on the Earth’s oceans. The performance features music from the GRAMMY®–nominated Neave Trio, with a score by composer Robert Sirota, choreography by Gabrielle Lamb, and dancing from Pigeonwing Dance.
