December 8, 2009 One of the most enjoyable things about seeing a new dance show is experiencing the dance space. The Highways Performance Space is connected with several art spaces in Santa Monica, California. While walking through them to find the performance space, I stumbled across a great art exhibit about “car-less” people in Los Angeles. After enjoying the exhibit I walked next door to find Highways. The lobby has original art on the walls (gorgeous modern art) and the concrete floor was filled with the names of people who had died of AIDS. It took a moment to really soak it in before taking a seat in the intimate theatre. The show opened with a short film displaying the dance company members and singer Katrina Lenk, running around in the woods. As the lights came on, Katrina Lenk, starring as her musical persona moxy phinx, began slowly belting out an original song. She was accompanied by six dancers dressed to portray family roles of mother, father, nanny, twin sisters and little brother. As the music of moxy phinx began to whirl in the air a story started to unfold. “The Wanting” is about a dysfunctional family who “engage in perverse pleasures”. Director and choreographer Janet Roston blends the musical and dance performances seamlessly. Her use of various elements including puppets, masks, live vocals, and film, gave the performance a true “rock opera” feel. Not simply a dance performance nor theater, the show is a complete melding of both. “The Wanting” explores “what a person will do for love, no matter what form, no matter how dangerous.” As Katrina Lenk continued to fall deeper into her musical persona of moxy phinx, one could see the depth of her talent. Miss moxy phinx performs her original musical works with passion, along with a recorded soundtrack she also composed. She performs on the violin for one musical number, and dances along with the dancers for many others. Katrina’s performance was outstanding, she is simply mesmerizing, and definitely one to watch. “The Wanting” takes the audience for quite a wild ride. As the family continues to weave the tale, the music swirls from one song to another. Dancer Jackie Lloyd, a stand out performer in the role of “Nanny”, draws the audience eye with her fluid, flirty and soulful movement. Liz Sroka is compelling as the emotional “Shorter Twin”, Michael Quiett fierce and frightening as “Father”. “The Wanting” offers a star, moxy phinx, and a music/dance/theatre experience like nothing else you will see in Los Angeles this season. Click HERE to read the original article. |