J. Cohen
MARTITA GOSHEN "WAY OF THE WHALE" June 14, 2024
A lifelong environmentalist, choreographer Martita Goshen and her company Earthworks wove a mystical enchantment with their latest premiere. On June 14, 2024 at Paul Taylor's Scripps Studio Theater, devoid of curtains or wings, light still streaming in from the windows and dancers entering in full view of the audience via doors from adjoining rooms, Goshen and her collaborators presented "Way Of The Whale," a spellbinding tribute to these magnificent cetaceans. I mention the simple state of the performance space because as opposed to some of the more elaborate concerts and theater pieces I've seen recently Goshen manages to tell her emotional tale sans bells and whistles but with clear and artful storytelling. David Darling's transcendent score along with Dr. Roger Payne's Songs Of The Humpback Whales, Gregory Kostroff's haunting soundscape and Arron Copp's elegant lighting helped to create a vibrant world of peaceful communion, turbulence and destruction, life and death. Without fanfare a trio of elders dressed in white enter the room and walk centerstage as their eyes take in the entirety of the space. Joining hands in a symbol of unity they bring on a child who is given a cello to play. How unexpected. How perfect. Soon Goshen and her ensemble appear, taking us into the world below. Backs arching gracefully, arms (fins?) extending towards one another, gently moving through space giving the impression of a school of whales floating and engaging. Unspooling over nine vignettes a tale of community, survival and hope, not just for the whales but humanity itself, is shared. Each cast member deserves praise for their complete immersion into their character. Kim Grier-Martinez' stillness and sinewy muscularity in the Veil of Crescent section was fraught with tension, arms thrusting outwards to guard off danger, conveying the strength it takes to survive in such an environment. Carla Rigon's elegiac portrayal of the passing of one of the school's members during The Beauty of all Things was exquisite. As she rose to her feet to rejoin the welcoming ensemble I was reminded that marine mammals often cling to the body of a dead compatriot as a way to express their grief. Two dancers took to the floor as if they were foliage rippling from the force of the carcass floating down to the ocean bottom where it will help to feed other sea creatures for years. Goshen's commitment to the natural world and the human race is evident
throughout and the poetry of her plea for their survival will ring
in my heart for some time. [J. Cohen] |
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