“Please . take a moment . pass the
mustard! . double-knot your shoes while
playing hopscotch for safety reasons . don’t
ever lie to me again . don’t be sorry.”
Before the Dim Sum Dance company’s
final Richmond performance, “Please,”
artistic director Julie Mayo sent out
postcards with the word “Please” on
them, asking the recipients to finish
the sentence and mail it back to her.
The phrases above are just a few of the
responses, which will be included in the
performance’s program.
The performance is an evening showcasing
pieces by Mayo; former company
member Megan Zander; each of the three
current company members, Eliza Diener-
Brazelle, Rachel Hunter and Ashley Valo;
and a short film by Dave Miller.
Mayo’s “From Hut to Heatwave”
explores the idea of being stuck in the
mental states of anticipation and distraction.
It is a powerful and deliberate work
that highlights Mayo’s talent for creating
beautiful transitions, statuesque pauses
and maintaining connections between
the dancers.
The piece uses dynamic speed changes;
sweeping, rebounding and shaking movements;
extra-long pauses; and repetitive,
non-linear spoken phrases to create a
riveting work of art. The dancers truly
embody the idea of being stuck in a rut,
and the energy of the piece keeps your
attention for the entire 20 minutes.
Hunter said her piece in the show
began as a solo and then developed into
a quartet. Diener-Brazelle said she created
her piece two years ago as a VCU student,
but she has set it on a different dancer,
junior dance major Casey Royer, for this
show. Valo’s piece was her 2006 senior
project. She said it is a way for her to vent
her frustration about politics.
After heading the Dim Sum Dance
Company in Richmond for four years,
Mayo is off to the big city – either Chicago
or New York.
The move is partly because her husband,
a music writer, has been offered
a job at Pitchfork Media. Mayo said the
timing is also right for her to finish her
stint in Richmond.
“What I’ve needed and wanted to do
here has been done. For me, it has become
about resources and larger community.
You might be an amoeba in a mammoth
ocean, but there’s more to draw from,”
she said.
Dim Sum Dance will be reincarnated
wherever Mayo ends up. She said she’s
already re-connected with two former
collaborators who now live in New York
– Zander and Carrie McDonald.
“We’re doing projects together, even
being in different cities,” Mayo said.
“My company and I have come to an
understanding about our ways of working
and what my work is ‘about.’ “
It’s for this reason she’s hopeful her
current company members will continue
to work with her after the move, thinking
they’ll eventually make the natural
progression to a larger community.
“I would go the distance for Julie,” Valo
said. “There’s definitely the possibility
for travel.”
Company member Rachel Hunter has
worked with many Richmond choreographers.
In losing Mayo, Hunter said a
hole will be left in Richmond in the way
of more experimental choreography.
“Everybody has a different process,”
Hunter said. “Julie has a non-linear, very
different way of looking at dance. It’s more
experimental.”
Dim Sum Dance’s final Richmond
performance, “Please,” will be at Art6
gallery Nov. 9-10 at 8 p.m. Tickets are
$10.