Northrop Dance Staff Pick: Jessica Lang Dance

I’m a Pisces. Art is a part of me. Before I could walk, I’d pull myself up using the coffee table as leverage so I could stand and bounce to music. As soon as I could talk, I was begging my parents to take dance classes. I also recall, at the age of 3, sitting contently in my stroller as my grandma brought me to the neighbor lady’s basement to make art in a kids art class. The combination of art and dance have been with me for as long as I can remember. Today, I am a dance major here at the University of Minnesota, and I love the arts.

This is why I am excited Jessica Lang Dance is coming to Northrop this Saturday. Jessica Lang is a contemporary choreographer masterful at crafting her dancers’ to form lines and shapes in harmony with other visual art forms. Jessica Lang Dance is bringing six works: Lines Cubed, Mendelssohn/Incomplete, Among the Stars, The Calling, White (film), and i.n.k. I am especially intrigued by the different art mediums we will experience woven throughout the evening. Inspired by the artwork of Mondrian, Lines Cubed brings movement to a rather static, geometric painting with technically precise movers acting as the brush strokes on a canvas. The Calling features the stunning movement by a single performer, reflected in the fabric of a spectacular but simple dress that stretches across the stage. Among the Stars will also incorporate beautiful draping fabrics and Mendelssohn/Incomplete includes bursts of color. i.n.k., which incorporates video art by Shinichi Maruyama and is meticulously partnered with the movement on stage. I am also very interested to see how White (film) is experienced in a proscenium setting.

Jessica Lang Dance at Northrop will be visually enthralling performance—do not miss it.