Two lonely New Yorkers find solace in Dancing Lessons
Credit to Author: Shawn Conner| Date: Wed, 02 Oct 2019 18:00:43 +0000
When: Oct. 4-20
Where: Jericho Arts Centre
Tickets: $20-25 at theatrewire.com
In Dancing Lessons, a geophysics professor approaches a professional dancer who lives in his building. He wants to learn how to dance for an awards dinner. But she’s injured, and he has Asperger Syndrome.
The two-hander stars Sandra Medeiros as Senga, the dancer, and Andrew Coghlan as Ever, the professor.
Medeiros, who is the founder and artistic director of Naked Goddess, read the play years ago.
“I thought it was a really sweet, heartwarming story, and I loved the dynamic between the two characters, who are lonely and have shut themselves off and come together,” she said.
“I also like the differences in the characters. She has an injury, he has autism. I have a nephew with autism, so it’s close to me.”
Naked Goddess Productions is presenting the western Canadian premiere of the play, with Sarah Rodgers directing. Melissa Sciarretta is doing the choreography. She’s worked with Rodgers before at Theatre Under the Stars.
“I’ve had a lot of help from the rest of the team, creating the bits and pieces that we needed,” Sciarretta said.
The play features a few choreographed moments as well as a dancing lesson. For the latter, “I was just going off the dialogue,” she said. “Then there’s a filmed contemporary dance within the piece, and that was open to my interpretation.”
The choreographer had to keep in mind that the two characters had different abilities.
“There is a part of the show where we flash back to before the injury, and that made it easier. But when we get to present times, it’s very difficult for Senga. She’s doing everything one-legged. As for Ever, the social aspect is so difficult for him. Once he puts that past him he can feel the beat and starts to pick it up, and he’s eventually feeling the groove.”
“It’s a little weird, even just moving around,” Medeiros said of working in a leg brace.
“I keep finding myself really concerned about that leg, as though I’m injured for real. You have a limp whether you want one or not. Sarah’s been really cognizant that I’m not wearing it every minute of every rehearsal so I’m not off because I’ve been wearing it for so long.”
Written by American playwright Mark St. Germain, Dancing Lessons opened in 2014. Despite the play’s contemporary pedigree, Medeiros felt it needed some updating.
“Some things seem modern and other things seem dated,” she said. “It was almost like we were straddling something that happened in the mid-80s and something happening now.”
One archaic element? An answering machine plays a prominent part. “
We had to make some creative adjustments to make it more contemporary.”
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