What Wendy's Watching: A Blast from Molissa Fenley's Past

January 21, 2018

Back in the 80s, Molissa Fenley introduced a luscious, almost Eastern-feeling torque in the body that made her work compelling to watch. Her sculptural shapes and fierce momentum showed a different kind of female strength than we had seen. Now, as part of The Kitchen‘s series on composer Julius Eastman, Fenley has remounted her 1986 Geologic Moments, the second half of which she had developed with Eastman. The result, which premiered at Brooklyn Academy of Music, is a richly textured piece in both music and dance. (The first half has music by Philip Glass.)

Another choreographer who worked with Eastman was Andy de Groat, and some rare video footage of their collaboration is included in this program. Eastman was not only a composer, but also a singer, pianist and choreographer. Maybe that’s why he worked so well with dance artists like Fenley and de Groat. That program, on January 30, is titled Julius Eastman and Dance: Molissa Fenley, Andy de Groat and more.

The whole series, Jan. 19–Feb. 10, is titled “Julius Eastman: That Which Is Fundamental.” This is the kind of production typical of The Kitchen in its commitment to interdisciplinary art forms.