The Double Life of Anne Plamondon
At Jacob's Pillow Through August 23
By: Ken Ross - Aug 21, 2009
Like Clark Kent slipping into a phone booth, one weekend sheÂ’s sitting on a couch on stage, pretending to talk about her life in between performing a starring role in a dance that looks like something out of a martial arts movie choreographed by Fred Astaire. The next weekend, sheÂ’s strutting around the same stage in a sleeveless shirt like one of the guys, her face tough and determined as her body sinuously moves to the sound of the wind blowing.
The woman who inhabits both these roles is Anne Plamondon. And the place to see her last week and this week (through Sunday) is in the Doris Duke Theater at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Becket. Last week, the classically-trained dancer dazzled the audience with her scene-stealing performance in Rubberbandance’s “Punto Ciego,” an instant classic. This weekend, she’s one of the lead dancers in Kidd Pivot’s dazzling production of “Lost Action.”
Seeing the same dancer back to back performing with two different dance companies is a rare privilege. You realize how much of an influence a choreographer has not just on the dancerÂ’s movements, but on how a dancer can even look or appear to the audience.
Kidd Pivot founder and world-renowned dancer and choreographer Crystal Pite created “Lost Action.” Rubberbandance founder and artistic director Victor Quijada choreographed “Punto Ciego.” Both choreographers are ones to watch in decades to come, especially Quijada. In “Punto Ciego,” Quijada exhibits the imagination and the power to create visceral works of art that would make Pina Bausch proud. Most of all, like Bausch, Quijada has the courage to be corny. So many choreographers work so hard to show you just how sad and serious they are. Big whoop. It’s takes real skill and talent to show the lighter side of life. That’s why audiences still flock year after year to see the dances of Mark Morris and Paul Taylor. They love life and it shows.
There’s also the music. In “Punto Ciego,” composer Jasper Gahunia turns classical music on its head. Known for working in the world of hip hop, Gahunia scratches and claws his way through familiar fragments of classical compositions to create an entirely new form of music. It’s off putting at first. But once you get into the rhythm of the music, you enter a new world.
But don’t count Pite out. “Lost Action” is a must-see performance this summer. And in many ways, many of the movements in “Lost Action” share the same physical vocabulary as Quijada’s “Punto Ciego.” The dancers in both dancers often look like there are engaged in hand-to-hand combat with their bodies, lunging and reacting to the movements of another dancer. But there are subtle differences in their style. And all you have to do is watch Plamondon to see the distinction.
In “Punto Ciego,” Plamondon looks like Natalie Portman or Audrey Hepburn at times, her smile dazzling and her movements light and playful. The most memorable scene does not even require her to dance. It’s a close up of her face on film as she pretends to be interviewed by a blowhard television announcer played by Quijada about what her life is really like behind the scenes. Plamondon’s vulnerability and expressiveness as she talks about her loneliness could have come straight from one of the interviews James Spader’s character does in Steven Soderbergh’s 1989 movie, “Sex, Lies and Videotape” – if Spader’s character had asked her about something other than sex. Plamondon proves in this scene she can not only dance but hold her own on the big screen.
In “Lost Action,” Plamondon’s face looks rougher, more determined, like she has lived a hard life that she’s not about to share with you. She doesn’t let you in. She keeps you at arms length. In many ways, her movements are masculine. She’s often the only woman on stage with four other men. And several times, she exits the stage like a man, strutting slowly and walking with a loose, easy gate.
Then there are the duets with Plamondon: the same woman, two totally different dancers. In “Lost Action,” Plamondon shares some of the final, haunting moments of the piece on stage with Jermaine Spivey. Dancing with Spivey, Plamondon’s movements for the first time in the piece become more sinuous. The eerie music by Owen Belton also adds to the drama. The sound of someone whistling and the wind blowing could have come straight out of a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western. And while not giving away the ending, let’s just say that the emotional impact of the final moments of “Lost Action” will leave you breathless.
As for “Punto Ciego,” when you do seek out this group’s signature piece, which they’re performing several times this year in Canada, you’ll leave the theater giddy with delight. Yes, Quijada has a serious side. But it’s his light, energetic side that shines in this piece, especially in a duet between him and Plamondon later in the evening-length work. To be fair, it’s unfair to compare Plamondon’s work with Kidd Pivot to her work in Rubberbandance. Plamondon and Quijada have years of experience dancing with each other. Plamondon is the co-artistic director of Rubberbandance and has been with company since 2002.
Whatever the reason, there’s so many little moments in Plamondon and Quijada's duet in “Punto Ciego” that leave you amazed. One that jumps out is when Plamondon literally dances her way into Quijada’s suit jacket – an acrobatic, humorous move Gene Kelly or Donald O’Connor wish they had invented. The exchange happens so quickly and so seamlessly, all you can do is smile as you watch it happen. And while Quijada and Plamondon move more at times like the fighting lovers in the memorable tree-top battle scene in the movie, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” many of their movements also have the grace and synchronicity of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers – if they happened to listen to hip hop and sneak out to clubs late at night.
And if you were lucky enough to see Plamondon last weekend, race back to the Pillow today, Saturday or Sunday to see why two different, dazzling choreographers took the time to create two distinct pieces featuring this singular dance sensation.
Kidd Pivot performs at JacobÂ’s Pillow Dance Festival in Becket on Friday (Aug. 21) at 8:15 p.m., Saturday (Aug. 22) at 2:15 p.m., 8:15 p.m. and Sunday (Aug. 23) at 5 p.m. For tickets or for more information, call (413) 243-0749.
Ken Ross has written professionally about dance for more than a decade. He lives in Western Massachusetts. He can reached at kenrossnow@hotmail.com