ODC held put on a wonderfully intimate display of choreography on Saturday, the final night of its A.W.A.R.D. show, in which an audience vote helped to select the winner — Katie Faulkner — from three finalists.
Faulkner, who was inventive with music and space and clean in her lines as a dancer, is the artistic director of the Little Seismic Dance Company, and a 2002 graduate of dance and choreography from Mills College.
She received $10,000 to develop a new work.
On three previous nights, the audience selected one of four choreographers to return for Saturday’s finale, held at ODC’s newly refurbished space and moderated engagingly by Rob Bailis, ODC’s director.
The other two finalists were Pearl Marill, a San Francisco-based dancer, choreographer and actress, and Dominic Van Duong.
Although it was the audience who selected the winners on the previous three evenings, the final selection was made by the audience and a panel of four experts.
My vote went to Faulkner, but my husband ranked Marill at the top. Her piece, performed with one male dancer, was about relationships and full of energy, but more performance art than dance. I also wish that she (and other modern dancers) would spend a little less time crawling around on the floor and more time dancing. (Note from my husband: “If you were a fair and honest person, you would note that your husband specifically disagreed, as did the panel, with the artificial boundary you draw between dance and performance art.”)
Faulkner and her partner blended both music and performance, with the emphasis on movement that was quite beautiful. My one critique — it felt one beat too long at the end. It should have ended when the dancers take a breathtaking jump into one another’s arms. Faulkner’s ending was more like the drudgery of life, but why does dance have to be like life?
Van Duong’s group of three men, all classically trained, were excellent dancers, but three men in one dance makes for a redundant feel.
Still, not one of the groups became tiresome, and an argument could be made for all of the talent. Bravo to ODC and thank you for the evening, plus the impressively iced cupcakes and wine.