Dancer wades into uncharted waters

by Marimar McNaughton
Thursday, August 30, 2007
The alban elved dance company rehearsed in silence, greeted by the
quiet roar of the surf at the north end of Wrightsville Beach. Walking,
lunging, pushing, hugging, four dancers explored the point of human
contact, connecting and disconnecting, struggling and relenting, their
energetic choreography sketched out in the sand by company founder
Karola Luttringhaus.
s they danced, a couple strolled bet!een them. family played bocce,
pitching their brightly colored balls into the air. man raised his arm and
touched the shoulder of the !oman near him to !hisper into her ear.
boy rode his skim board along the littoral !here the ocean meets the
land. The distance bet!een the dancers" staging area and the public"s
space !as stretched to embrace the sum of the parts. The heightened
a!areness that Luttringhaus and her dancers brought to the beach that
evening elevated ordinary movement to a higher frequency.
#t !as a !arm up to a four$day dance installation, the %arus &ance
'estival, !hich began Thursday, ug. (), and concluded *onday, ug.
(+, attracting seven contemporary dance companies performing
engaging site specific
!ork at Wrightsville
Beach ccess ,o. -, on .ohnnie *ercer"s /ier, on the banks of the 0ape 'ear 1iver during the 'armer"s
*arket in do!nto!n Wilmington, fountain side at 2,0W campus commons and throughout the 0ameron rt
*useum, !here the ambitious premiere came to a conclusion under streams of !ater beneath the do!nspouts
splashed across the museum"s black granite fa3ade. s if on cue, a spit of rain fell on the appreciative
audience that surfaced in !aves over the festival !eekend like a rising tide.
Luttringhaus, !ho relocated her company to the area last *ay, conceived the festival, and !ith funding from
the *ary &uke Biddle 'oundation, the ,orth 0arolina rts 0ouncil
and 2,0W, she unified her concepts for %arus, so named for the
crane that is the largest flying bird on earth, by choreographing ne!
!ork inspired by !ater, a recurring theme in her life.
# have a fascination !ith !ater,4 she said. 5The name alban elved
literally translates to 6the light of the !ater," !hich # didn"t kno!,
!hich is a bit of a coincidence. #t"s 0eltic, and it"s the name for the
fall equinox. round %ept. (7, the fall season starts, and that"s the
name for that day. There"s al!ays a little bit of melancholy and a
ne! beginning !ith everything # do. # love that.4
&ancing and
choreographing !ith abandon, Luttringhaus seeks release.
Then you !ill find freedom !ithin giving up. 8ou give yourself to the moment 799 percent,4 she said.
Staff photo by Allison Brinr
!arola "uttringhaus #lcoms th audinc to th Saturday morning prformancs of th Sarus $anc %sti&al at Bach Accss No' (
Staff photo by )oshua *urry
Su+ann ,almr, a mmbr of -ilmington.s $anc *ooprati&, prformd during Sarus #ith th human /intics mo&mnt arts'
#n the piece, 5the !eight of a grain of sand,4 performed by alban elved on the beach at + a.m. %aturday and
again at : p.m., Luttringhaus interpreted the task of s!imming to ;urope.
That"s sort of a <oke on my part,4 she said.
8ou don"t have to get the story,4 she explained. 5#t"s made to be en<oyed visually, but there is a story, to make
the dynamic of the piece. To me, it has something to do !ith longing, !ith that path going out into the unkno!n
= becoming part of something else, a transition, a transformation, from sand to !ater.4
%he explores the terrain of that idea as a group, as couples and as individuals.
We are being moved by the elements. There are different kinds of relationships !ithin that group, the couple
= the t!o !omen, and they have their individual stories going on,4 Luttringhaus said.
>ne dancer lingers behind the others, struggling !ith fear.
That is very complicated. # think that is really the most abstract piece # made, !ith the most physicality in
mind.4
/hysicality is a hallmark of Luttringhaus" style, built on a foundation of shared trust among her dancers,
simultaneously lithe and taut, !ho sometimes toss their bodies
and each other through space like children might play !ith dolls.
With plans to explore the theme of temptation and desire played
out in a full$stage performance at Kenan uditorium in ,ovember
and a ?olocaust remembrance piece in *ay (99@, Luttringhaus
!ill likely transform the contemporary dance culture of the
Wilmington area. %he has been invited to become the official
resident dance company at 2,0W.
>ne of her student performers, 1achel %teinsberger, studies
dance at the university !ith ,ancy 0arson, !ho is also a founding
member of the &ance 0ooperative. %teinsberger, !ho studied
ballet for many years, expressed the challenge and excitement of
!orking !ith Luttringhaus during %arus.
There"s a lot of improvisation. 8ou have to go !ith the
movements. *aybe your body"s never done it, and that"s a huge difference from ballet, !here steps have been
set for over )99 years,4 %teinsberger said.
When she heard that Luttringhaus !as coming to Wilmington, she told 0arson, 58ou have to tell me about this.
# have to !ork !ith her. # can"t !ait to dance outside.4
Staff photo by Allison Brinr
0achl Stinsbrgr and 0ichard Amic/ of 1N*- prformd inch by inch,2 chorographd by !arola "uttringhaus for th Sarus $anc %sti&al Aug' 23324