HQ Review: STL Rhythm Collaborative presents “Pockets of the Big Easy”
STL Rhythm Collaborative’s newest production, “Pockets of the Big Easy” featuring Al Holliday & The East Side Rhythm Band Horns premiered on the final weekend of March at Missouri Baptist University.
On the night of the Saturday performance, Maria Majors, artistic director of STLRC and primary choreographer, opened the evening by addressing the audience from the stage. She described their exciting collaboration with musicians Al Holliday & The East Side Rhythm Band Horns, Simon Cervitz and Scotti Iman, and shared several milestones for the performance collaborative including reaching five years as a non-profit organization and seven years as a professional company. Majors spoke briefly about the dance pieces we were about to see highlighting the value the company places on collaboration. She prepared us for a high-energy evening of music and dance and warned us we would be moved to get up and dance to the music ourselves. She asked for the house lights to come up and was joined on stage by the entire cast of dancers before inviting us to stand and find a place in the aisle if needed while they led us in a simple warm-up. The audience was eager to engage and we all did our best to patter our feet and isolate our heels to the rhythm set by the dancers on stage. Such crossings of the invisible performer-audience barrier provide a welcome change from the traditional theater experience and an opportunity to see each other and to engage with the performers.
Once the audience was seated again and the house lights lowered, the show began with a bang. The music was upbeat and rowdy as a row of dancers neatly dressed in black pants and colorful blouses tapped together in unison on a miked stage. Behind them, the six-piece band stood in a single line against a bright backdrop, which shifted colors with the stage lights. Occasionally a musician would wander forward with their instrument for a brief solo, moving through the dancers as they worked their way to the edge of the stage. The layered organization on stage was an unexpected feature of the evening – the typical barriers on and off the stage seemed permeable as musicians and dancers moved back and forth between one another.
Another delightful moment of transgressed boundaries was in the second piece of music. Majors entered the stage as the musicians played Drop Me Off in New Orleans in their Mississippi blues style. She moved in syncopated rhythms before stopping as the house lights came up slightly to reveal another dancer, Megan Mayer, situated among the audience. Mayer tapped a response to Majors and a playful, engaging, call and response began between the two dancers who moved with precision and enthusiasm. They danced in unison as the music revved up to its climactic finish.
The music throughout the evening was nearly always celebratory and riotous while the dancers bounced, pattered, and glided across the floor, each displaying their unique flare while staying connected in impressive unison. The effect of the strong unison of the dancers' feet and the energetic swell of music was uplifting and exciting and throughout the evening the audience erupted in spontaneous cheers and whistles. Everyone on stage seemed to be having a wonderful
time, often catching eyes or sharing smiles. The dynamic movement and exciting music worked together to create an immersive and engaging atmosphere.
A stand-out moment was in the sixth piece, set to the song Ool Yo Coo With Me and danced by Maria Majors and Chris Rutledge. The duet was charming and the dancers displayed chemistry and ease with one another. Hoots and hollers emerged from the crowd as this highlight of the evening unfolded. The playful and exuberant pair were well-matched in skill and stage presence; they played off one another, the musicians, and managed to work the crowd with cheeky looks and grins thrown periodically over their shoulders in our direction. The piece concluded with Majors winding Rutledge up in her arms before they both struck a pose.
The night ended after twelve distinct and enjoyable music and dance numbers with a standing ovation from the audience. The hour-long show flew by thanks to the collaborative, roaring fun coming from the stage and the mastery of the content from both musicians and dancers alike. Maria Majors was correct in her assertion at the top of the show: this beautiful collaboration between music, performers, and audience will make you want to get up and dance.