 trip dance theatre |
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PRESS QUOTES BREATH & BONE “Artistic Director Monica Favand explores the fusion of modern Western dance with the rhythms and tone of African and Asian dance and music. With the talented ensemble of dancers of the TRIP Dance Theatre company, as well as gifted musical composer Charlie Campagna and vocalists Moira Smiley and Jessica Basta, Favand weaves an enchanting, impressionistic evening of dance and media.. In "When the Bones Lie Open," Denesa Chan and Taryn Wayne dance a powerful, athletic duet with overtones of death and transfiguration. And in the final piece, "Body," the company enacts vivid, poignant memories of pain and loss, accompanied by Campagna's music, which uses live vocal and instrumental music in four-channel audio to produce an almost-hallucinatory effect. As with any powerful dance piece, Breath & Bone reaches to a primordial place, a depth of human feeling that is more the province of music, voice, and movement than of words.” - Hoyt Hilsman, Backstage West (January,
2006) - Ravi Narasimhan, Los Angeles Theatre Newsletter (February, 2006) |
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"...Charlie Campagna's score seduces you with an impressive array of textures and rhythms that artfully exploit the resources of four-channel audio and, especially, the improvisational capabilities of vocalists Jessica Basta and Moira Smiley.” - Lewis Segal, Los Angeles Times (January,
2006) “Enter Breath & Bone, a mind-blowing escapade into the world of memories, voices and primal instincts choreographed by Monica Favand, the superbly talented Artistic Director behind Trip Dance Company.” - Sergio Martinez, SOCAL.COM (January,
2006) PRAYING FOR DAYBREAK: “Monica Favand's octet “'Howl'” bristled with primeval longings and intoxicating leaps" -Victoria Looseleaf, Los Angeles Times “With its hallucinatory music, fertile moves and seductive lighting, TRIP Dance Theatre, under the artistic direction of an indefatigable Monica Favand, is aptly named. Its latest journey: “'Praying for Daybreak',” a program of 10 stunningly danced works...proved memorable...as the troupe used Favand's dramatic and precise movement style to probe current dark times.” -Victoria Looseleaf, Los Angeles Times THE ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD OF THE HEART: “Trip founder Monica Favand
kicked into an improvisatory melange of free-form poly-rhythmic
articulations. The mixture of influences that made up her
“Call and Response” (African torso isolations
here, whirling dervish spins there) typified Favand's tendency
to borrow and blend cultural idioms with abandon. For the
length of this altogether too brief solo, she was a sight
to behold: a dynamic flurry of flying limbs and long hair
riding the kinetic impulses of Ron Bartlett's and Hector Torespercussion
and Charlie Campagna's guitar accompaniment.” INANNA: "Vein' sensitively evoked the bonds of sisterhood through overlapping speeches and dream dances created and performed by Elaine Wang and Koala Yip. Hovering protectively over each other, mirroring each other's actions and linking their relationship to nature imagery, they made family blood ties into sweet, mystical communion." - Lewis Segal, Los Angeles Times "Modern dance began a little more than a century ago in attempts to connect with profound, ancient spiritual expressions, and it periodically returns to those sources of inspiration as an antidote to corrupt consumer culture. TRIP Dance Theatre's full-evening life-cycle "Inanna" had all the hallmarks of such a return in its premiere Friday at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood ...Favand and company delivered it all with ... considerable skill... As in past TRIP Productions, Favand's costumes defined a bold creativity, but music director Charlie Campagna must be credited with the evening's most intense pleasures: atmospheric but sharply grounded instrumental and vocal performances." - Lewis Segal, Los Angeles Times "Dancing alone on a box, drenched in the light of changing slides, Wang seemed to be participating in a private ritual. The photos sometimes looked like her family snapshots, the recorded voice could have been a monologue about what she expected in life, and for just a moment-as she sank moodily into a place where her face merged with the projected image of an expectant, dressed-up little girl-there was something to share, and electronic rite of passage, from snapshot memory to burdened adult." - Jennifer Fisher, Los Angeles Times WANDERLUST: "A welcome aggressive edge . . . the
first two installments of Dance Kaleidoscope '96 belonged
to its wonder women . . . insanity invaded the secretarial
pool in Monica Favand's off-the-wall theater piece, 'Carpal
Tunnel' . . . " "'Wanderlust' brimmed with interpretative talent, beginning with Trip artistic director Monica Favand . . . a performer of great emotional urgency . . . Eric Daniel Haun invigorated (TRIP) with a new energy and a sophisticated dynamic sense. (In "Wasteland") Liz Maxwell, Lynne DeMarco and Koala Yip all performed strongly, with everyone meshing into a honed ensemble . . . rocking against one another and then whirling restlessly through the space and across the floor, they effectively physicalized the sound of rushing wind that accompanied them, displaying a level of skill and stamina worth celebrating." - Lewis Segal, Los Angeles Times "Monica Favand's humorous performance art piece 'Carpal Tunnel' struck a resonant chord with any frustrated artist who's ever held down an office job." - Pamela Hurley Diamond, Dance Magazine "In her solo 'Slither', Monica Favand gamely shape-shifted her torso, arms and legs, seamlessly moving as if an internal energy force were passing through her . . . erotic and primal . . . showing off incredible body control, yet making it look easy, Favand's 'Slither' only underscored the loss to our dance community now that she's relocated to L.A." - Deni Kasrel, Philadelphia City Paper "Monica Favand curled and unfurled to the steamy 'Coffee' music from 'The Nutcracker' in 'Slither'. Working mostly on the floor, Favand seemed sinuously propelled by the dips and swerves of Tchaikovsky's score." - Jennifer Fisher, Los Angeles Times "Monica Favand's 'Slither' was a sensuous solo full of bent wrists, cocked elbows, and curving legs developing with daring, unexpected turns . . . sexy choreography." - Bing Mark, Philadelphia Inquirer "TRIP Dance Theatre brings back Monica Favand, a masterful mover who's sensuous with a capital 'S'". -Deni Kasrel, Philadelphia City Paper OTHER WORKS: "Monica Favand has an unerring sense of timing and kinetic dynamics, an instinct for the telling shape and gesture. She is definitely a talent to watch in the seasons ahead…first-rate work as a dancer and choreographer . . . 'Child Garden' is an extraordinarily well-crafted ensemble work, set to an increasingly chilling narration of children's aspirations and fears." - Brad Rosenstein, Philadelphia City Paper "'IF' generated much creative heat . . . Monica Favand's 'Wasteland', a bleak tableau of isolation, featured strong performances by (the company)." - Victoria Looseleaf, Los Angeles Times "Friday night had several high points, starting with 'Carry Me'…performed by Bazell and Brenda Kunda. Both women are beautiful movers who glided through an emotional landscape, riding bursts of music and landing in soft embraces in golden pools of light"… - Jennifer Fisher, Los Angeles Times "... with a rapid rhythm, permanent changes of levels and dynamics, (Monica Favand) changes into several personalities spanning the entire stage in a solo performance full of vigor and despair." - Irene Amuchastegui, Beunas Aires Herald |
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