THE BANG GROUP... Doin’ What Comes Natur’lly

Opened by two silent cowboy “pahtnahs” wearing red pajama onesies, doin’ some front porch sittin’, evil-plotting on the neighbors, and understated dance partying – The Bang Group’s SHOWDOWN is already a hit. I was literally crying and have found that not for the life of me can I describe how funny these two are. Listed in the program as “Silent Hosts”, Deborah Lohse, the uber-tall self-proclaimed “ugly duckling”, and Monica Bill Barnes, the half-her-height little fireball light up the stage with their intentional lack of personality and Johnny Cash soundtrack. (Pic is of a different performance but gives you an idea!) When Monica raised her two mini-guns and spun them at hyper-speed over her head for nearly two straight minutes with the straightest of faces, it was over for me. I could not breathe. The whole show was worth it just because of these two - hilarious bookends to the actual meat of the show!

Getting to that meat… The evening is June 4, 2009 and Joe’s Pub is hosting Dancemopolitan through DanceNOW NYC. DanceNOW “strives to renew and reclaim dance as an integral part of our lives. DanceNOW experiments with traditional, emerging, and alternative means to bring dance and community together, by partnering with other arts organizations, sharing resources, and creating distinctive events to offer audiences a more tangible experience with contemporary dance.” Founding directors and producers Tamara Greenfield, Robin Staff, and Sydney Skybetter keep shows brief using a “less is more” approach to keep audiences wanting more from their featured NYC choreographers.

This Thursday evening, DanceNOW featured THE BANG GROUP with fresh and enticing choreography by David Parker. Through a special arrangement with The Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization, the group twirled, tapped, and partnered their way through the entire score of “Annie Get Your Gun”. Dressed in denim jeans and button down flannels, the cast of eight was a picture of the Wild West.

Parker’s “Annie…” is not your typical musical theatre bit – but instead very modern, ballet-based and full of contemporary partnering. He sprinkles it with humor which brings so much humanity and humility to the performance. I was on the edge of my seat trying to decide how some of those lifts were possible- and on such a small stage. The most unique part was the blending of gender lines as we saw tons of AMAZING, never before seen man-to-man partnering. The occasional guy/girl lifts were also beautiful, but it was the overwhelmingly genuine, flowing movement between the men that really spoke of Parker’s intention for the overall piece.

That intention was directly supported by Parker’s “bonus track” – a witty vocal duet of “Old Fashioned Wedding”, which he sung with company dancer Jeff Kazin. The two had lovable chemistry and definitely went all out with a big ol’ musical theatre tap break! The audience was all smiles and loving this genuine portrayal of love crossing all boundaries. I’d definitely follow the Bang Group onto their next endeavors... Doin’ what comes natur’lly.

Dancers as described by Parker: The perspicacious Bryan Campbell, the triple-stilled Terry Duncan, the sagacious Nic Petry, the go-for-broke Amber Sloan, the bewitching Marissa Palley, the blooming Megan Flynn, and the nefarious Jeffrey Kazin.

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