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This story is published in cooperation with Willamette Week and by White Bird.
White Bird opens its 26th season on October 4th with a performance by Pilobolus, whose bold choreography has awed audiences across the globe.
White Bird has become a national leader in the curation of dance companies from all over the world, but its unique commitment to pushing the boundaries of contemporary dance is what really makes Portlanders so proud to have White Bird.
In fact, WW is such a fan, that we sponsor the non-profit’s Uncaged series: key performances in the season that invite audiences to redefine their perceptions of modern dance; often piloting new movement techniques, inspiring social change, and bringing in other art forms like music and visual arts. This year is no exception.
White Bird is bringing three women-led companies to town this year for Uncaged - and they all will leave you awestruck.
See Street Dance Fuse with Tradition
The Uncaged series kicks off this November with a performance of “Odeon” by Ephrat Asherie Dance. A b-girl with an appreciation for both street and club dance, Ephrat’s work has created a rich new movement vocabulary by uniting breaking, hip-hop, house, and vogue. Nowhere is this truer than in “Odeon,” which she set to the music of Brazilian composer Ernesto Nazareth, conjuring a captivating combination of athleticism and playfulness.
Ephrat collaborated with her brother Ehud, a jazz pianist The New Yorker has called “a master of swing and stride on “Odeon.”
Ephrat Asherie Dance will perform “Odeon” Nov. 2-4 at Portland State University’s Lincoln Hall, Thursday – Saturday, 7:30 p.m., matinee 2 p.m. Saturday. Get tickets.
Challenge Your Idea of Movement and Performance
White Bird also brings us Abby Z and the New Utility’s “Radioactive Practice,” a thrilling mix of movements, pulling from activities like sports and manual labor.
Artistic director/choreographer Abby Zbikowski, a former field hockey goalie with New Jersey working-class roots, uses dance not just to challenge physical limitations but to blast through them. Her dancers are in constant motion as they thrust, collide, and kick their way through the unknown, emphasizing how humans are hardwired to fight for their survival. When her dancers run, she has said, it isn’t meant to look pretty. They’re running for their lives.
With extensive training in African dance, Zbikowski uses choreography to defy the limitations of labels. She is white and her partner, the Senegalese dance artist Momar Ndiaye, is the production’s dramaturge. “Radioactive Practice” reflects their mutual interest in race, relationships, and cultural conflict.
“Radioactive Practice” will be presented in the round, and audience members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets for seats located directly onstage. Performances are Nov. 16-18, at Portland State University’s Lincoln Hall, Thursday – Saturday 7:30 pm. Get tickets.
Watch a Colorful Story Come to Life
The final production of White Bird’s Uncaged series is a wild ride through a 1970s-style game show competition called “Kid Lightning,” from LED, and comes to the stage in January 2024. The dance tells the story of a group of contestants whose craving for fame causes them to go to outrageous lengths to win, only to find that celebrity is more than they bargained for.
Kid Lightning is an imaginative mash-up of intense physicality and energetic music, and was created by the artists Lauren Edson and her husband Andrew Stensaas. Edson, formerly an acclaimed dancer with Trey McIntyre Project was named by Dance Magazine as one of their breakout artists in 2020. Stensaas has also gained fame in two critically acclaimed bands, including Portland’s Sons of Sirens.
The collaboration is a dynamic, risk-taking production. Using brightly-colored costumes, breathtaking athleticism, and wit, the couple, who have two sons, aim to inspire and entertain the whole family. LED’s “Kid Lightning” can be seen Jan. 25–27, at Portland State University’s Lincoln Hall, 7:30 pm Thursday – Saturday, matinee 2 pm Saturday. Get tickets.
It’s difficult to put into words what sort of dance you can expect on the stage with White Bird, you’ve just got to get there and see for yourself. With its continued commitment to promoting excellence and fresh dance voices, White Bird is poised to soar into its 26th season. To learn more about White Bird’s new season, you can visit whitebird.org.