ANIMAL MAGNETISM, CONTINUED FROM PG. 51
PRESENTS...
DEATH BY CHOCOLATE A comedy/farce by Paul Freed
NOVEMBER 21, 22, 23 Friday and Saturday performances at 8:00 p.m. Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m.
TICKETS ARE $15.00, $7.00 FOR STUDENTS GROUP RATES AVAILABLE. HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE.
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1614 COURSIN ST. ST.
McKEESPORT
(412) 673-1100 For Reservations www.mckeesportlittletheater.com
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recently she’s pursued a master’s degree in animal behavior at Hunter College. Of her love for animals, she says, “I can’t remember a time without it.” She adds, “I would have started [advanced education] earlier, but by the time this type of study got formalized I was already an adult actress and model.” Green Porno began when Sundance asked her to develop a short film for the environmental program The Green. “I have passions for both art and animals. To be able to bring them both together is miraculous.” She submitted the first three films of what would become the series, figuring that “animals don’t sell, but sex does.” Additional series have since been produced, including Seduce Me: The Spawn of Green Porno and Mammas, logically following mating with pregnancy and birth. When a friend suggested that the material could become a spoken piece, Rossellini initially balked: “I said no way. I’m non-capable. I’ve never done a monologue.” But when the opportunity arose to work with Jean Claude Carriere, screenwriter of The Unbearable Lightness of Being and The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, she was in. “He’s a legend. I couldn’t resist,” she says, laughing. The result includes more in-depth investigations of animal courtships, a few costumes, some puppets, projected illustrations and an evening the New York Times says “suggests a class by a high school biology teacher who is angling for a suspension.” Now she’s toured Europe, performing in English, Italian and French. This year, she has brought the show to the United States, including shows at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and, on Nov. 21, a stop at Carnegie Music Hall, in Oakland, courtesy of The Andy Warhol Museum. Rossellini says that while she enjoys stage work, touring is a little more difficult. “The part that’s a little harder is there’s lots of traveling, hotels,” says Rossellini. She feels at home at her farm in New York state, with “chickens, sheep, dogs, cats. ... I try to limit myself to two dogs. I try.” In her spare time, she raises and trains puppies to become guide dogs. Her love for animals and her work is evident in her voice, as is her longing for her own animals in particular when they’re mentioned. While the series and consequently the stage show are handled with tongue-in-cheek humor and a nonclinical approach, they’re also driven by the utmost respect for the subject. Viewing the videos is a gloriously indulgent pastime that you can also mark off as educational. Rossellini’s rendition of the material live promises to be nothing less than spectacular. INF O @PGH C IT YPAPE R . C O M
52
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 11.19/11.26.2014
[DANCE REVIEW]
SURE STEPS {BY STEVE SUCATO}
Luke Murphy’s “This Room Was All Set For Us,” part of Contemporary Choreographers {PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF SWENSEN}
MC KEESPORT LITTLE THEATER EATER
Emotionally powerful and thrilling was the ultimate effect of this past Sunday’s performance of Conservatory Dance Company’s Contemporary Choreographers program. The annual production showcases works by some of today’s best choreographers and talented up-and-comers. This year’s, however, began with a disappointing performance of David Morse’s “BWV 1063.” Set to vibrant music by J.S. Bach, the neoclassical ballet for 19 female dancers on pointe featured pretty (if somewhat academic) choreography, with dancers moving into and out of a variety of attractive formations. The most interesting came when rows of dancers broke from unison group choreography to deliver counterpoint movement phrases. Uneven lines and sloppy dancing, however, soured an otherwise promising ballet. The dancing improved with the premiere of 2009 Point Park graduate Luke Murphy’s “This Room Was All Set For Us.” Inspired by Jean Paul Sartre’s play No Exit, and the idea of the locked room, Murphy’s modern dance work for six dancers set to familiar songs from the 1960s and ’70s, cast a surreal spell. Confined to a small floor pattern of squares, the dancers moved through a succession of highly physical dances suggesting themes of isolation, co-dependence, relationship anxiety and suicide. Amidst fine performances by the entire cast, dancer Alexandra Chain stood out for her emotional intensity along with Ashley Zimmerman, whose solo to The Door’s “The End” was mesmerizing. Fueled by an intensely moving Arvo Part score, Troy Powell’s “Fallen Angels” produced a whirlwind of emotional dancing. Powell’s premiere work for 11 dancers was a riveting display of angelic imagery, falling bodies and emotional support. Most striking was when nine male dancers, each with a hand to his chest and gazing downward, slowly walked onstage, then launched into a fervent dance that carried them back and forth across the stage. The sequence ended with their collapse to the floor, and a heartfelt closing pas de deux by dancers Hailey Turek and Justus Whitfield. The program concluded with a triumphant bang as Ronan Koresh’s tribalistic “Standing in Tears” (2005) poured forth his signature contemporary movement style infused with Israeli folk dance. Set to hard-driving Middle Eastern music, the large group piece led by a commanding Jenna Saccurato produced a dazzling display of aggressive, fist-pumping dancing that was brilliantly crafted and danced. INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
Conservatory Dance Company’s CONTEMPORARY CHOREOGRAPHERS continues through Sun., Nov. 23. George Rowland White Performance Studio, 201 Wood St., Downtown. $18-20. 412-3928000 or www.pittsburghplayhouse.com.