Imagine what happens when two artists, a performer and a choreographer, discover that they are both engrossed in the same book at the same time. Instead of simply discussing their shared love for the novel, they decide to create a breathtaking dance piece inspired by it.
This is exactly what Jodi Melnick and Maya Lee Parritz, former student and collaborator, did when they stumbled upon the 1973 novel, “Água Viva,” by Clarice Lispector. Lispector, a Brazilian writer born in Ukraine, captured their attention and served as the foundation for their dance collaboration.
Their creation, also named “Água Viva,” will premiere at Hudson Hall on Saturday at 7 p.m., with an additional showing on Sunday at 4 p.m. Rather than directly translating Lispector’s narrative onto the stage, Melnick and Parritz have used her fluid writing style and profound themes, such as self-discovery, gender, otherness, and the meaning of life, as sources of inspiration.
Lispector’s mesmerizing writing is akin to a stream of consciousness, effortlessly flowing and transforming. Melnick, an acclaimed choreographer who has worked with renowned artists like Twyla Tharp, Trisha Brown, and Mikhail Baryshnikov, finds parallels between her improvised dance style and Lispector’s prose. The intention is for the dance to feel spontaneous, even when following structured choreography.
Phrases from “Água Viva,” such as “fragile conductive line” and “the sadness of flowers,” have found their way into the dance, embodied through gestures and emotions. Parritz, whose most recent work, “The American Sun,” debuted earlier this summer, emphasizes the importance of the body as its own language, beyond traditional emotional expression or psychological storytelling. They seek to discover geometries, momentums, and textures that convey the body’s inherent desire for expression.
Collaboration fuels the creative synergy between these two New York City-based artists. Melnick sees their joint exploration and experimentation in the studio as a profound and revolutionary dance practice. Over the past couple of years, they have taken turns improvising, observing each other, and drawing from their own experiences and movement languages, gradually merging their artistic voices.
As Parritz eloquently puts it, when creating a piece, it takes on a life of its own. The result is often unforeseen, as they gather everything in constellation between them and meticulously craft it into a coherent whole. This week, they have been immersed in the creation process at Hudson Hall, refining their work and incorporating a sound score and video element.
Their collaboration is a constant evolution, as they continuously generate new material, question existing ideas, and refine their movements. Melnick describes the piece as a love letter to movement and dancing, an ode to the transformative power of artistic expression.
In conclusion, Jodi Melnick and Maya Lee Parritz have masterfully channeled their shared passion for “Água Viva” into a visually stunning dance performance. Through their collaboration, they have brought Lispector’s ethereal words to life on the stage, utilizing the body as a vessel for profound expression. Don’t miss the opportunity to witness this unique and captivating dance experience at Hudson Hall.
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