True Reverse

True Reverse, a dance improvisation performance by a group of local and international artists will be presented at Hanna Barn on Wednesday, March 27 at 7pm.
 
Have you ever wanted to reverse something that happened so you could try another strategy? How often do you find the reverse gear in a car so that you can then move forward to your next destination? Have you ever reversed a video film so you could see a scene again? Is commuting home from work a True Reverse of your morning ride?
 
The dance artists of True Reverse including Nora Hajos, Ray Chung, Mary Ganzon, Lily Kiara, Katarina Eriksson, Joan Hanna and Karen Nelson bring together an amazing collective of experience in movement. All the dancers have a background in various styles of improvisation including: Contact Improvisation, a touch-based, often duet dance form that includes falling, rolling, flying, and spiral movements, and Tuning Scores, a way of crafting composition while improvising.
 
The 7-member cast of True Reverse includes 3 Europeans, 2 who live most of their year in the states. Nora Hajos, born and raised in Hungary came to the US to explore contemporary dance improvisation in the late 1980’s. Her work with avant garde dance artists Steve Paxton, a one-time Merce Cunningham dancer and founder of Contact Improvisation, Simone Forti, the originator of LogoMotion and Lisa Nelson the creator of Tuning Scores, and Dreambody Process Work with Arnie and Amy Mindell have impacted her view of dance, art and embodiment.
 
True Reverse works with a collaborative process. The performers will develop the evening length piece through their skill in crafting improvisation. For them, improvisation is a process and a goal at the same time. The performance will use various styles and forms to promote creative choices for the players.
 
The dancers in True Reverse will use "tuning calls" such as reverse, pause, and repeat to influence the action and to communicate with each other and the audience during the creation of the piece. Much like tuning a musical instrument, the tuning calls help each player in the improvisation to understand the desires of their collaborators.
 
The process is entirely democratic. Unlike a dance form with one director or choreographer, each dancer has an equal voice and responsibility for the piece. The leadership trades around naturally. And, each player is learning something new, along with the audience. The whole room vibrates with presence and appreciation for the present moment. Far from a comedy improvisation, or an in-your-face theatrical style improvisation, dance improvisation is about embodied experience, both for the mover and the watcher. Lisa Nelson’s famous question to her audience is "when you watch me dance, are you improvising?"
 
Please welcome these traveling dance artists over at the Hanna barn performance of True Reverse. The donation is $10-20 on a sliding scale, but don’t let lack of funds be an obstacle to treating yourself to this unique experience. For information please call Karen at 503-740-0523 or email heartgreen@yahoo.com .