The show goes on: Second weekend of 'Momentum' comes on heels of meeting about Southern director's departure
Photo by Cameron Wittig
Anna Marie Shogren (center) and cohorts test their limits as introverts and performance artists in "I'm a Jerk."
A definite pall hung over the first weekend of "Momentum: New Dance Works," with the sudden "indefinite leave" of Southern Theater artistic director and lighting designer Jeff Bartlett still unexplained to the local dance community.
Nonetheless, Chris Schlichting and cohorts delivered energetic "love songs" full of hilarious, touching and intriguing choreography gleaned from sources as varied as classical ballet, a starlet's gracious "I love you all and aren't I fabulous" wide-armed embrace, and everyday movements — delivered with a singular virtuosity. In contrast, Maia Maiden and Ellena Schoop's "The Foundation, et. cetera" ranged loosely through hip-hop, African dance and various scenarios of street-smart dialogue, Civil Rights terror, and hospital waiting rooms, bracketed by the two choreographers poignantly testing their cultural relevance to each other.
This weekend's show comes on the heels of an intense meeting Monday between the dance community and the Southern's board of directors. (See my update below.)
But what can we expect artistically from part two of "Momentum?"
"Really internal personal journeys," said Michele Steinwald, the Walker Art Center's project manager for Momentum. First up is Anna Marie Shogren's trio "I'm a Jerk," which she described as an exploration of her "interactions between people. I'm such an introvert, and then when I want and need a more social group dynamic, I cope by being such a ham."
Shogren also regularly performs with other experimental choreographers in town, including Laurie Van Wieren, Justin Jones, Karen Sherman and Morgan Thorson. "Anna has this social awkwardness, but she's extroverted as a performer," Steinwald said. "That dichotomy is a tricky balance, but she's really found it in this work. It's really revealing, and really tender."
Photo by Cameron Wittig
Eddie Oroyan and Laura Selle-Virtucio explore a tumultuous relationship in "Brown Rocket."
The second half of the program is "Brown Rocket," Eddie Oroyan's duet with Laura Selle-Virtucio. An intensely physical performer with Black Label Movement and Zenon Dance Company, Oroyan created this duet based on a tumultuous romantic relationship that started with him writing a personals ad on Craig's List.
Oroyan also put together the band, which will perform live on stage, via Craig's List. To hear music by the Brown Rocket Band, go here.
"Eddie and Anna use movement as a language to express their personal experiences," Steinwald says. "They've created inventive and authentic movement vocabularies that are absolutely true to who they are and what they've experienced."
Who: "Momentum" with Anna Marie Shogren, Eddie Oroyan
When: 8 p.m., Thursday -Sunday (July 24-27)
Where: Southern Theater, 1420 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis
Tickets: $14-$18
Phone: 612-375-7600
Online
Southern Theater update
No clear reason for the departure of artistic director Jeff Bartlett emerged after an intense meeting Monday night between the dance community and the Southern's board members and staff.
Still, there were some revelations about what's next for the Southern. About 200 people looking for answers packed Studio 100 at the University of Minnesota's Barbara Barker Center for Dance.
The Southern Theater has been restructured so that a CEO will run the artistic and business sides of the operation. New CEO Patricia Speelman told the gathering that she's seeking applications for three new curators: one each for dance, music and theater.
The restructuring, or "new organization model," said board member Cindy Brooks, was "modeled with Jeff's input" and "envisioned with him as part of the model."
Another board member, Bryan Fleming, has said that dance will still be the theater's primary focus.
Bartlett has declined to comment on his departure on the advice of his attorney.
At separate times during the evening, two different artists pointed to statements in paragraph two of a release sent out last week by board chairwoman Susan Lach as evidence of why Bartlett was released:
"Two years ago the Board was confronted with a huge financial deficit, a building badly in need of repair, faulty and problematic accounting practices, personnel issues, low staff morale, and complaints from artists.
The paragraph continued: "After considerable research, thought, evaluation and discussion, the Board determined that in order to preserve the Southern Theater's mission, including the legacy of Jeff Bartlett, a restructuring of the organizations was essential. All of this was discussed extensively with Jeff Bartlett both by individual Board Members and through his attendance at many of the Board meetings over the past two years. Throughout this process, Jeff Bartlett was given multiple opportunities to give feedback, participate in the discussions, offer solutions, and ultimately embrace the new organizational structure of the Southern Theater by actively participating in harmony with the new organization."
Among the various concerns raised by attendees were the lack of input from artists about the recent decision-making resulting in Bartlett's departure and whether the new structure would be more corporate than artistic.
Toward the end of the meeting, dancer Megan McClellan literally jumped into the middle of the room. If the current board hadn't resolved the issues stated by Lach in the press release, she said, there wouldn't be a Southern Theater today. She urged the board to make sure Bartlett is "taken care of" for his three decades of service to the theater.
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Comments (1)
On Monday, July 21, hundreds of members of the Twin Cities artistic community convened a meeting with the Board of Directors of the Southern Theatre to ask for an explanation of the sudden firing of the founding artistic director, Jeff Bartlett. This letter is a commentary following from that meeting. I personally have had a relationship with the Southern Theatre and Jeff Bartlett as an artist and production manager dating back to 1988.
To the Southern Theatre Board of Directors:
As I looked around the room on Monday night, I saw over a hundred members of the Twin Cities artistic community--choreographers, dancers, presenters, funders, patrons, audience members--who have relationships with both the Southern Theatre and Jeff Bartlett going back to the 1980's. The fact that all of these people came together to meet with the Board of Directors of the Southern Theatre, who only have at the most a two year relationship, and the new CEO/President who is new to the Twin Cities community, is of great importance. Getting all of these people into one room is nothing short of a miracle and the fact that they did come together speaks volumes about how serious this situation is. I understand that you feel as a Board that you acted in the best interest of the Southern Theatre, but it is clear that the artistic community, having no relationship with you, is having a hard time understanding and trusting the wisdom of your action.
I am sure it is difficult to be confronted by a room full of people you don't know questioning and challenging your actions. I urge you to take into account, though, that this room full of people was here tonight because they are the ones most affected by your decision. Ask yourself how you would respond if someone you didn't know, had never met, came into your organization and fired the person you had known as the leader of the organization for three decades without any explanation. This community is asking you for an explanation and given the gravity of your action, it is the least you can do to provide that explanation.
Aside from the issue of Jeff Bartlett's dismissal, you should consider what you could do as novices with the Southern Theatre, to get to know the community that has ten times the history and experience with the theater as you. Relationships, communication, and community are the bricks and mortar upon which the Southern Theatre’s mission--to be a vibrant home for performance--has been built over the last thirty years. Financial stability is important to the sustenance of the organization, but so is artistic vision in leadership; relationships with artists, who’s creative expression breathes the very life into the building; and audiences who walk through the doors, not because of the Board of Directors, but to experience and engage with the artists and artistic vision.
Monday night you defended your action of firing the founding artistic director, you provided no explanation, and you criticized the community for their feelings and reaction. This did nothing to further understanding, build trust, and begin a relationship with the community that the Jeff Bartlett has nurtured through the Southern Theatre for three decades. I urge you to consider what you can do to mend this rupture that is a result of your action. Please consider that the sudden firing of the founding artistic director without explanation is the key to this rupture. Whether you have just cause or not, the way this was done robs everyone of a dignified response to a change of this magnitude.
Considering for a moment that your reasons for Jeff Bartlett’s dismissal are just and that a change in structure and leadership is necessary for the Southern to continue, how could this have been done in a way that honored his years of work and all the relationships he has with the community? By the sheer number of people at this meeting tonight, it is clear that the Twin Cities artistic community values Jeff Bartlett’s work in a way that you do not. Please consider that if an exit is what is required, an honorable exit is what the community requires.
If you uphold the artistic philosophy of the Southern Theater, valuing connections to the local community and celebrating artwork that holds potential for transformative exchange, if you are truly unyielding in your commitment to the highest levels of professionalism and artistic integrity, be responsible to the community for the lack of integrity with which you are dealing with the transformation of artistic leadership of the much beloved Southern Theatre.
Eleanor Savage
3229 Pillsbury Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55408
612 369-4185