Photo by Lara Kaur. Dancers pictured (L to R) - Katie Florez, Nicole Maimon, Olivia Caldeira Holston, Erik Debono, and Sawako Gannon.
David Herrera Performance Company Ignites Language in “The Tip of My Tongue”
By Garth Grimball
Language shapes reality. Living across languages intensifies the power of the spoken word. For David Herrera, artistic director of David Herrera Performance Company, language was formative in his experience growing up as a child of immigrants.
The Tip of My Tongue, premiering this weekend at Z Space, opens with Herrera sharing a story of his past. He and his sister would “argue and fight. Who would translate for my parents? I was an adult as the same time I was a child.” This anecdote foretells the movement language and structure of the dance. Choreographed in collaboration with Antoine Hunter (Director of Urban Jazz Dance Company) and the six dancers, Herrera wants the work to render the non-linear bilingual experience of immigrants. “Everything is chopped up. You get pieces of things,” said Herrera.
The dancers, representing “multi-lingual, bi-lingual, minority, and immigrant communities,” contributed their own stories of language and identity. Their recorded stories weave into Riley Nicholson’s sound score. The score evolves from non-verbal to verbal. Choral harmonies, chants, and vowel sounds spoken in multiple idioms create a polyphony of the human voice.
At a recent rehearsal Nicole Maimon questioned “where to find listening in your body” while performing in The Tip of My Tongue. The choreography shows how language changes but isn’t fragile. Dancers shift weight, see each other, listen with limbs, but are rarely off-balance.
As a guest choreographer Hunter brings his professional expertise and personal experience to the project. Hunter's own experience being a member of the Deaf community adds another vital layer to the themes of the work. American Sign Language is expressed within The Tip of My Tongue; incorporating ASL opened up dancer Erik Debono to a greater “aspect of clarity in the body that translates well into all communication.”
Viral videos of people of color being attacked for speaking their native languages inspired Herrera to think about how the body records moments of aggression. “Where does that live in your body? Where is the fire? How does it cool?” he asked. In The Tip of My Tongue Herrera and collaborators dance answers as complex as translation and as straightforward as a slogan.
The Tip of My Tongue at Z Space, March 31 - April 2. Tickets here.
Garth Grimball is a dance writer and artist based in Oakland, CA. He hosts the Reference Desk podcast and is the co-director of Wax Poet(s) performance collective.
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