DANCE REVIEW: Brian Sanders' Junk @ Arts Bank, 1/22/11

The Web site for the award-winning alternative weekly, the Philadelphia City Paper.

options

DANCE REVIEW: Brian Sanders' Junk @ Arts Bank, 1/22/11

POSTED: Tuesday, January 25, 2011, 6:00 PM

Photos | Mat Tomezsko

There was a risk in seeing Brian Sanders' Junk, an anniversary show celebrating 18 and three-quarters years of dance, which whisked together a little something from each of his 18 completed works: It could have been a slapped-together, greatest-hits performance, which lacked the subtle rhythm that the experimental choreographer has become known for.

But somehow, Sanders averted the NOW trap completely, his selections being alternately bold ("Threshold 2008") and whimsical ("Swingshot 1998"), serious ("Cubes 2010") and hysterical ("Maestro 2000"). Of course, Sanders' work is always more funny than anything else — my belly hurt long after "Prospero's Pitch 1994," which shows a Greek god suddenly transform into a white cap-wearing, passable-as-a-Fishtowner, nude baseball player, who dances ever so sensually. The metaphor is clear: Our athletes, and the way we revere them, is homoerotic. If someone else was doing it, that message might seem obvious. But Sanders' sense of humor makes it permeable and impactful. This comic relief has the same effect on the concept of experimental dance: It wipes away any preconceived notions the audience has about the genre. But, perhaps most amazingly, Sanders' quiet, movement-driven humor is so right it makes me understand something I never thought possible: why silent film could be funny.

Posted by Holly Otterbein @ 6:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Comments (0)

Q&A with SHARI SOLANIS: "The goal isn't pornography"
NOW SEE THIS: Transit cop arrests marijuana activist for alleged disorderly conduct.
SEXY TIME Q&A: I've never had an orgasm during sex with a man — and I'm 30!
CONCERT REVIEW: Primus (3D & quadraphonic sound) @ The Tower 10/17
What we're trying to do this weekend
ICEPACK ILLUSTRATED: Indian fare rules, Dunder Mifflin lives on, Tom Jones is a god
Q&A with Tony Goldwyn: "Life is gray, and relationships are, too"
Bradley Cooper promises he's not an asshole
CITY PAPER WRITING CONTEST 2013: Send stories! Send poetry!
SWIMMING HOLES: Some of our favorite places to get wet

About this blog

Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

Follow Critical Mass editors Patrick Rapa and Emily Guendelsberger on Twitter:

@mission2denmark | @emilygee

Search this blog:

Topics:

Blog archives:

May
April
March

February
January

Past Archives: