Marketplace

Marketplace premieres Maladroit and revisits Salaam with additional works choreographed by company members Yayoi Kubota & Emily Vetsch, as well as guest choreographer, Bridget Rawls. In addition, Alaine Handas latest dance film will premiere at Marketplace.

The performance begins with Maladroit, choreographed by Alaine Handa. It is a deliciously awkward piece that embraces the child in each of us and the awkward scenarios we encounter along the way. The word maladroit, meaning inept, or an inept person, takes on a new meaning as nine dancers mix grace and coordination with the discomfort of everyday interactions.

Maladroit is followed by Handas latest dance film that explores how hard it is to say goodbye to a good friend. Described as a third-culture kid, Ms. Handa said many farewells to friends leaving for other countries and cherishing all the memories that each person gave her. A third-culture kid “refers to someone who, as a child, spent a significant period of time in cultures other than his or her own, integrating elements of them and their birth culture into a third culture.

Salaam ends the performance, starting with a penultimate solo performed by Molly Campbell. It shows courage in the face of war as a Muslim woman from a poor family is sold to an organization that thrives on violence. Salaam, depicting the fear and pride of women in a war-torn nation, facing extremes of emotion and brutality every day, is performed by the full cast.

Marketplace, offering a selection of original and revived work and exhibiting both the profound and familiar, marks the beginning of A.H. Dance Companys second year. Berita, the companys first full show, drew sellout crowds and inspired the New York dance community to return remarkable praise for a young companys first showing.

Alaine Handa and Dancers mission is to present and support independent contemporary artists and companies in New York and worldwide. Through collaborations with local dancers and artists of other mediums, Alaine Handa and Dancers hope to share modern dance to communities that lack exposure to it. Ms Handa’s movement vocabulary is quirky, athletic, and lyrical.

No Street Shoes allowed in the theater.