Monday, November 11, 2013
Even in an extremely busy arts season, this is one to make time for.
One, it’s a terrific show, one of the best I’ve seen the company do since it was founded, in 1994. (Admittedly, I haven’t seen every production, but quite a few.)
While The Chalk Line builds on techniques from the troupe’s 2011 performance series What?, it’s full of surprises and fresh and lively movement. The two choreographers and the five performers — Liz Chang, Kaitlin Dann, Brent Luebbert, Dane Toney and Ashley Williams — are clearly having a blast playing with space, with this space (Attack’s Spring Way studios) and with the sheer pleasure of arranging bodies in and through space (not to mention against wall-sized chalkboardsl, up a steel support beam and down a makeshift slide).
Here’s Steve Sucato’s review for CP.
Second, note that distinction between de la Reza and Kope as choreographers and everyone else as performers. Neither of Attack’s founding artistic directors is onstage for this show, which is a first. (Indeed, before Friday’s show, Kope told me a performance of Chalk Line last week was the first Attack performance of any kind, anywhere, that he’d missed in the company’s 19 years.)
There’s been no formal announcement, but if de la Reza and Kope are backing away from performing, let’s hope it’s with more shows as good as this one.
Unusual for any kind of dance company, Attack often runs its shows over multiple weekends. So even though The Chalk Line opened Nov. 1, five performances remain, starting tomorrow night and continuing through Sat., Nov. 16. Tickets are $15-20.
The Spring Way studio is actually at 2515 Liberty Ave., in the Strip.
Tags: Attack Theatre , The Chalk Line , Program Notes , Image