Wednesday, October 22, 1997
LACE gives independent artists a shot
DANCE Series overcame financial woes to support dance graduate
students
By Kristi Nakamura
Daily Bruin Contributor
Band-Aids, a tattered wedding dress, mirrors and Marilyn Monroe.
What do all of these things have in common? Each is one of the many
elements that help make up the Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibit’s
(LACE) Annual Dance Series, "Twisted Fall."
"Twisted Fall" will run October 23 – 26 at the new LACE building
just down the street from Mann’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood.
"(LACE) really serves the sort of underground, avant-garde
explorative performance art community," "Twisted Fall" artist and
second-year UCLA world arts and cultures graduate student Ilaan
Egeland said. "I think that if you did a series at some other venue
it might have a little more conservative outline and I think that
(LACE) is a pretty ‘anything goes’ kind of place."
In one piece that Egeland is performing, called "No Man Is An
Ilaan," slides of Marilyn Monroe paper doll dresses are projected
onto the dancer’s white clothing.
"It’s just about checking out who the human being underneath is
and I’m negotiating my own way through being a woman and finding my
own strengths and weaknesses and feminisms and all the issues that
confront women," Egeland says.
Egeland is performing four pieces – two solos and two duets. She
dances the first duet with Jo Parkes and the second is a video of
Egeland and Sally Lambert created in the UCLA sculpture garden. All
of Egeland’s pieces are different views of women in
relationships.
Nina Kaufman, a third-year world arts and cultures graduate
student, is also taking advantage of the freedom of creativity LACE
offers to new artists. Her work includes not only dance, but a
visual installment of 600 pounds of little grey stones painted red
and a tattered wedding gown.
"It’s about the Cinderella myth basically, that a lot of young
women are encouraged to believe," Kaufman said. "What happens to
this character is she’s waiting and waiting and that Prince
Charming never comes."
Kaufman leaves the uncertainty of what will happen to that
character until the last moments of the piece.
Independent of UCLA, both Egeland and Kaufman submitted a
proposal to LACE of the work they wanted to perform back in
February.
Originally, the LACE show was supposed to be called "Twisted
Spring" and take place six months ago. However, due to the funding
crisis within the art world, many NEA grants were taken away from
smaller organizations and given to larger organizations.
As one of the smaller venues, LACE was unable to produce the
"Twisted" dance series until now. After four years of transition
and losing their lease, LACE finally was able to reopen in a new
Hollywood location. A change of luck brought a private donation
that provided the necessary funding for the dance series.
"Often we have to self-produce as independent artists," Kaufman
said. "It’s a very sad situation (in the arts) right now, but those
who are determined will get their work out. I believe that."
For many artists who are just beginning to make a name for
themselves venues like LACE are just about their only plausible
option. Self-production is expensive and time-consuming. Artists
must secure money through fund-raising, box office receipts and
private donations from family and friends or others interested in
what they are doing.
"I think its nice to have LACE around," says "Twisted Fall"
artist Phyllis Douglass. "I think it pretty much is the only place
you can do things, especially for dance. A lot of the other spaces
are geared more towards theater."
Douglass and her company, The Bridge Dance Theatre, will perform
excerpts from two pieces in the "Twisted Fall" concert. One
Douglass describes as an "urban procession" and the other is about
a woman’s journey through life.
The many different topics and media used in "Twisted Fall"
exhibit the creative genius that LACE’s open-minded attitude
nurtures.
"Its amazing," Egeland said. With the funding crisis at least
temporarily behind them she and other LACE members are free to
focus on dance. "There are no limits; you know – the sky’s the
limit."
DANCE: "Twisted Fall" runs October 23-26 at the LACE building,
6522 Hollywood Blvd. Tickets are $10 or $8 for LACE members. For
more information call (213) 957-1777.
LACE
UCLA graduate student Ilaan Egeland will perform her work as
part of the LACE dance project.
LACE
LACE dancer Ilaan Egeland.