Dance as a Window into Islands in Time

Localities / An Odyssey Part 2 is a fascinating performance that revolutionized my understanding of the boundaries of dance. Localities was choreographed by Donald Byrd as the second part of his project based on his unpublished memoir. His art often focuses on themes of social justice, and this performance was no exception. 

The first thing I noticed was the venue. I had been expecting an ornate, traditional opera house. Instead, I saw the performance on closing night in the small, intimate setting of the Tricia Stromberg Studio Theater. Localities was an amazingly beautiful and personal experience.

Even in the back row, the audience was merely feet away from the performers, with nothing but a transparent black scrim separating the dancers from the audience. At the back of the stage stood a large map, folded up into a fan shape and lit up by stage lights. Wearing a gray beanie and black clothing, Byrd sat in the central seat of the front row, casually chatting with the small crowd of watchers. I was very surprised to see him there. 

The performance is divided into two acts, each focusing on a different time in Byrd’s life: the first on his time in Jerusalem, and the second on his experiences in NYC in the ‘90s. Although both parts start with Byrd reading aloud from his memoir, the sudden changes in lighting and costumes between the two parts makes them feel disjointed, as if two different shows were stitched together. The distinction of the parts emphasizes the disconnected nature of memory, portraying it not as a single, continuous narrative, but as many discrete moments in time. Thus, the dancing seeks not to capture literal events, but rather the emotional significance of Byrd’s recollections. 

Projected onto the scrim, the first half begins with a video of the crowds in the streets of Jerusalem, with Byrd narrating in the background. He mentions the Israel-Palestine conflict, as well as his own experiences in the city. Byrd slowly walks onto the stage and continues to read. His reading is repetitive, rhythmic, almost musical. Then, slowly, the dancers enter, and quiet music begins to play. The dancers are all dressed in unique costumes, unified by an orange color palette inspired by the earthy environment of Jerusalem. A particularly memorable costume was a robe-like orange outfit worn by one of the dancers. It stood out from the others due to its looseness and movement during the dance. Byrd later explained that it was inspired by Middle Eastern clothing like that worn in Jerusalem. The scene starts with isolated dancers surrounding Byrd, before he leaves to watch the show from the front row. The dancers’ motions slowly grow in intensity, and they eventually begin to form groups of two and three. The sheer physical strength needed to perform all the floorwork and lifts in this later part is impressive and surprising. The section ends with Byrd performing another reading about Jerusalem from his memoir. 

The next section begins with another reading from Byrd, this time about the beginnings of his career as a choreographer in NYC in the ‘90s. Louis Andreesen’s music plays as the dancers enter in colorful, chaotic costumes that resemble those of jesters. Like before, each dancer’s costume is unique. The sudden change in costume is a bit jarring, differentiating this part from the last. This emphasizes that the piece is about several “islands in memory,” rather than a chronological remembrance. This half of the work shifts to energetic, befitting the nature of NYC. So much happens at once that the audience can’t possibly keep track of it all and must focus their attention on a small part. Dancers enter and leave faster; lifts and floorwork are used much more aggressively. Byrd puts the physical strength of the dancers on full display. A particularly impressive part was when the dancers formed a circle and took turns lifting each other up while another dancer did a solo in front. The audience can hear the dancer’s labored breathing throughout, and the dancers often slap the floor with their hands and feet while performing floorwork. I was shocked to realize that the breathing was part of the dance. The use of these sounds in addition to the music as part of the performance added an interesting layer of complexity that was only possible due to the compact nature of the venue. The music changed drastically throughout the performance: sometimes it felt almost playful, while other times it felt stressful or anxious. Finally, the lighting was absolutely fabulous: the lights slowly changed color several times without me noticing.

After the show ended, Byrd and some of the dancers stayed for a Q&A. This took up approximately a third of the two hours that the show was scheduled to run for. In a way, this was the third part of the show. Their answers were enlightening and very authentic. They talked about how they rehearsed for the show, the designing of the costumes, the meaning of Byrd’s reading, and much more. I learned that they decided to give all the dancers unique costumes because they couldn't decide which of the costume designers’ designs to use, and that Byrd wrote some parts of his readings just for this show. Byrd also mentioned that he didn’t have any future plans cemented for his Localities project, and that there might be more parts in the future. During the Q&A, the advantages of the small setting were evident. Byrd and the dancers could take the time to answer everyone's questions, and audience members could speak without using a mike. 

In Localities, Byrd successfully uses dance, video, and spoken word to capture his experiences in Jerusalem and NYC.  Everyone will receive a different message from Localities due to its abstract nature. Still, the show clearly conveys Byrd’s emotions around his life experiences. I appreciated  how his readings gave context to the dance and felt unpolished and original, as if the audience was being given a chance to peek into Byrd’s mind. I did not understand everything occurring within the work, but that only enhanced my curiosity. Seeing Localities was a fantastic and unforgettable experience that defied all my preconceived notions of what dance is: stiff, emotionless, and stuck in the past. Instead, Localities is dynamic, passionate and modern. I am beyond glad that this was my first experience with dance.

Lead photo courtesy of Spectrum Dance Theater.

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