max_mara_dec12_07DALLAS & NEW YORK, Dec 14, 2009 / FW/ — It began as a collaboration between artists Sebastien Agneessens and Kyle Fische and Sportmax; then it blossomed into three events of art, music and dance.

On December 10th, the final day of the three-month Re:MIXX installation, a multi-media presentation that included a performance by GALLIM dancers with music being played from the six totemic speakers which are the main element of the Re:MIXX exhibition.

This time, the multi-channel installation established a connection between music, dance, fashion and the audience, which took its initial goal of creating a dialogue between contemporary music and archival field recordings of vanishing cultures from around the globe a step further.

With the Gallim Dance troupe wearing pieces from the Sportmax Fall 2009 / Winter 2010 collection, the dancers performed on the “retail floor”, using the store as background, incorporating the space as a vital part of the dance.

Using handles on the walls, the wood planks that made up dressing rooms, and even members of the audience, the Gallim dancers created their stage as they danced. Moving around the crowd, interacting with the audience, the choreography was staged as such that everyone in the room is part of the performance and not just silent watchers.

Known for their use of extreme physicality – movement that shifts between explosive power and contained tension – creates an experience where the dancers appear to exist at the edge of their limits. And thus, the audience was captivated, even mesmerized as the dance were “aggressive” one minute and then they were in complete control the next.

Even when the dance ended, the kinetic energy was still there; and somehow, for a few brief moments, time was suspended then audience clapped and the dancers took their bow.

[MARI DAVIS]
Photos by Fran Roberts