A Liberated Congress

“Hey, kids, let’s put on a show!” said Mickey Rooney to Judy Garland in the definitive Depression-era musical film, Babes in Arms, lo those many years ago. Well, if Denna Thomsen and Zak Ryan Schlegel had been around back then, what a show they would have mounted! Seriously, for three nights last weekend, this duo, the co-founders of Congress, the dance salon that serves as a platform for cross-genre movement artists, presented Congress X (but who’s counting), a blockbuster of an evening at 2245, the hip, black box space that’s home to L.A. Dance Project.

Performance

Congress X

Place

L.A. Dance Project Space, Los Angeles, California, November 8-10, 2024

Words

Victoria Looseleaf

Toyin Sogunro’s “Eternal Echoes.” Photograph by Carlos the 1point8 Gonazelez

With Thomsen—choreographer, dancer and actor—and Schlegel, a three-time Outstanding Choreographer of the Youth American Grand Prix who also performs with New York-based Shen Wei Dance Arts, as the evening’s producers and hosts, the Friday concert opened with Charissa Kroeger’s “Exploration of Feminine Range V.2”

Here was a gaggle (33, perhaps?) of gorgeous gals clad in Caileigh Knapp and Kroeger’s costumes—variations on skimpy grey and white ensembles—beginning on the floor seated, but were soon catwalking, dipping and spinning to a steady drumbeat (sound editing by Austin Spacy). Think “A Chorus Line” times 1,000. This display of female power, with all sorts of body types, proved potent, the women eventually shedding their stilettos and adorning one of their own with the killer heels.

Talia Rose Favia’s “New York” followed, with Kiarra Waidelich doing neo-“Cabaret” footwork, accessorized with bowler hat and cane. Acrobatic and akin to pole dancing, but sans a pole, this number, also filled with slo-mo back bending and acrobatic breaking, was a steamy blend of jazz hands and happy feet, set to the music of, among others, Ex:Re’s “New York.”

With the evening’s question being posed to all artists by Thomsen and Schlegel —“Where do you find freedom?”—the answer was apparent in all the works—the body. The body in motion. The body as vessel for the human spirit. With Jonathan Redavid’s “Gigi,” a slew of guys and dolls also appeared in Fosse mode, with a soupçon of Cirque du Soleil thrown in for fun measure. Set to a score that included Benny Carter and C.W. Stoneking, the piece was rollicking decadence set amid high kicks and unison slithering.

Denna Thomsen’s “Dripping Wet.” Photograph by Carlos the 1point8 Gonazelez

After a long absence from the L.A. scene, Bubba Carr returned from his hometown of Atlanta, to grace the stage with a powerful solo, “Black Hole/ “Fuck, No!”/ “And Here We Are.” Set to music of Beck, this was a study in determination. Slicing the air with his hands one moment, rocking on his heels, skittering backwards and utterly owning the stage the next, this was, if you will, Butoh on speed. But one would expect nothing less from the dude who danced in and helped choreograph seven, count ‘em, seven of Cher’s world tours.

Calvit Hodge for RDA Creatives then presented “Man’s Dem,” a romp—of sorts—for a quintet of rubbery-legged guys whose fierce unisons rocked the joint to music of Camila Cabello. Brandishing ropes around their necks, though, was a bit disconcerting; less so, when they removed them. Still, this was liberation on all counts: corporeal, morally and metaphorically.

As Thomsen said after their performance, “I can relate hard on that!”

After a rather lengthy intermission, or “recess,” the reason was clear: Thomsen returned in full British monarch-y mode as “Helen”—replete with a towering wig —conversing with Heather Wake as “Evelyn,” who was equally decked out. Oscar Wilson’s “Alfie” did his best Jeeves interpretation as the ladies’ server, albeit one swathed in chartreuse satin, with the number showcasing both the performers’ thespian chops, and then some.

Welcome to “Dripping Wet,” Thomsen’s take on sex, dildos and, well, sex, specifically faux cunnilingus. Assisted by ten men and women, Thomsen, who wrote and directed the piece, can play farce as well as anyone. Think “Ab/Fab” on steroids or Mae West actually untethered, where the comically bold, multi-hyphenate declaimed the work’s final words, “Everyone deserves a wet dream!”

Amen to that, sister!

Calvit Hodge for RDA Creatives's “Man’s Dem.” Photograph by Carlos the 1point8 Gonazelez

Making their professional debut as choreographers and performers were Maddie Lucas and Ella Melideo, juniors at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. In “Thread Lightly,” the pair began on the floor, intertwining limbs, eventually rising, and continuing to loop, wind and ease their way into each other’s spaces/bodies, where maneuvering and yoga-esque poses (crow, anyone?) ruled.

And then, in a complete and utter departure from any contemporary/cum/commercial dance concert, came Samba Queen Gisella Ferreira, a Brazilian American performance artist who wowed with her brilliant smile, dazzling footwork and showgirl costume: a giant, faux feathery headdress, plumy wings and a requisite jeweled bikini. Moving non-stop around the floor, occasionally having to adjust her crown, this terpsichorean bird of paradise may bill herself as Samba Queen—at home in Rio, Vegas or a Havana nightclub of yore—but she is clearly Samba Goddess.

Between the numbers’ banter also functioned as a bridge connecting works, with Thomsen touting Schlegel’s inspired choreography, “Three Arrows.” The antithesis of the Brazilian spitfire’s oeuvre, this number featured Emmy Cheung, Aika Doone and Emma Marcellana, and was set to the soothing sounds of Native American flutist R. Carlos Nakai with the Wind Travelin’ Band.

In constant motion, the trio also deployed intertwining limbs, often resembling a corporeal amoeba, or koi luxuriating in a peaceful pond, their slow walking reminiscent of Robert Wilson, while a sudden leap alerted one to the possibilities of humankind: three graces as a kind of guiding force.

With Toyin Sogunro’s “Eternal Echoes,” the room was jolted back to another life: one of hips, arms, legs and torsos exploding with joy. Deities, a quintet of women, including Sogunro, gyrated to the music of TPM, and exemplified Black culture as seen through street and club dance. Teeming with spins, jumps and solo turns, the work served as a coda to an evening that was nothing short of high-intensity, thought-provoking and ever-exhilarating dance.

Kudos to Thomsen, Schlegel and crew, and to the tremendous choreographers and performers who proved once again, that the arts, especially dance, can heal us when we need it most, especially after a week when a bruising and terrifying election has unsettled so many.

Indeed, when the future seems so uncertain, it’s a good thing we have this Congress to help us not only deal with the world, but also, in a strange way, make sense of it.

Victoria Looseleaf

Victoria Looseleaf is an award-winning, Los Angeles-based international arts journalist who covers music and dance festivals around the world. Among the many publications she has contributed to are the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, Dance Magazine and KCET’s Artbound. In addition, she taught dance history at USC and Santa Monica College. Looseleaf’s novella-in-verse, Isn't It Rich? is available from Amazon, and and her latest book, Russ & Iggy’s Art Alphabet with illustrations by JT Steiny, was recently published by Red Sky Presents. Looseleaf can be reached through X, Facebook, Instagram and Linked In, as well as at her online arts magazine ArtNowLA.

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