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| Matteson at Symphony Space by Shanti Crawford June 2004
In Joseph Poulson’s Rustytime, which is a meditation on the power of words, he dances as observer Heather McArdle calls him "names". It starts innocently enough, "piggy, doofus, dingleberry" she calls Poulson. But it then takes a serious turn as her name-calling becomes more malicious—"loser, idiot." All the while Poulson unleashes a flurry of movements. He squats and then shoots into a handstand. One moment he executes a perfect balance, but then upends himself the next. Poulson eventually lies prone, reiterating the litany of insults. It sounds as if he has come to believe them. But then he begins to move again, his body seemingly pulling him up to repeat the athletic phrases, this time without the insults. Instead, Poulson simply states his name. In the duet Step Touch Matteson and Jennifer Nugent provide us with a glimpse into a relationship. Matteson and Nugent exude a we’ve-been-together-for-years rapport by anticipating each other’s every move. They start slowly with small knee bends and build into robustly articulated arms. Although the costumes—dark gray suits—suggest a kind of everyman and everywoman ubiquity, it is clear that this couple has their fair share of individual quirks. In a playful moment, the dancing turns to a series of jazz dance moves—step touches—punctuated by the stereotypical entertainer’s audience "point." The silliness devolves into more serious issues. Something goes awry, resulting in Matteson repeatedly picking up Nugent by her legs and dropping her to the floor. Nugent catches herself with her arms and then the lift is repeated until the two can no longer perform the same old worn out phrase, movement, pattern. The emotional evolution of the piece is sometimes hard to follow, but somehow how it doesn’t matter. Who knew that dysfunction could be so compelling?
As I Simply Live Now concludes, Matteson repeats the movement phrase that opened the piece, dancing to Schubert. The phrase grows in depth and one has the sense that this body or character is dancing for the last time. I was left wondering what remains when the body is no longer able to move. Shanti Crawford is a choreographer and writer based in Greenpoint. |
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The Rail invites you to a reading with Jason Flores-Williams and Brian Carreira, along with musical guest Steve Strunsky of the Lonesome Prairie Dogs. Thurs., Sept. 22, 8:30 p.m. Vox Pop--Flatbush, Brooklyn www.voxpop.net |
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OFF THE RAIL FALL 2005 at the Central Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library - Grand Army Plaza |
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The Independent Press Association-NY recently honored The Brooklyn Rail with the following awards: |