Photography by Gerry Love
On Saturday night, The Big Muddy Dance Company presents two new works in its signature diverse style—including one inspired by a voyeuristic podcast.
First up is Caput, choreographed by Phoenix-based Daniel Marshalsay. The full company will dance the piece, which includes a variety of music and dance styles. “It’s a fun and playful piece,” says Big Muddy artistic director Brian Enos.
Next, the company will present Bright Lights, Still Bodies. While listening to NPR and RadioLab’s podcast The Living Room, Big Muddy company member Thom Dancy heard the tale of a woman who began a one-way relationship with her curtain-averse neighbors. The story inspired him to create the work, which incorporates spoken-word audio from the podcast itself, as well as music from Mozart, Joni Mitchell, and Nils Frahm.
“It’s an interesting piece,” says Enos. “With dance, it’s not a vocal medium, and with a podcast, that’s all it is—just voices. It’s interesting to see how he’s interpreted the dialogue.”
The piece is in collaboration with Webster University's department of dance, which is contributing several dancers and will perform the piece again this spring.
There will also be three character-driven solos—Rose, Jasmine, and Violet—from a work by company member Brandon Fink for MADCO, which debuted last March.
The program also includes the revival of a piece that Enos created two seasons ago, Because Jazz. “It’s a bit lighter, a bit less intense than Thom’s piece,” Enos says. “It’s a nice way to close out the program.”
The name Menagerie “kind of came out of the diverse nature of the program," says Enos. "We just wanted something that spoke to the fact that our shows are always a very broad spectrum mix: different styles of dance, different moods of dance. We love the way the word ‘menagerie’ encompasses that spirit.”
Menagerie begins at 8 p.m. Saturday, January 21, at the Sun Theater, located at 3625 Grandel Square. Tickets are $25.
