Not everything went swimmingly when the dance troupe BodyVox opened Water Bodies at the Annenberg’s Zellerbach Theatre on Thursday night. There were technical difficulties and mistakes nearly from the start: Video wouldn’t play; sound volume and quality were inconsistent; dancers missed steps.

But the Portland, Ore., group’s suite of modern dances paying homage to H2O is so charming, funny, and inventive that the flaws hardly mattered.

The evening opens with co-artistic director Jamey Hampton testing the waters and dancing in a bathtub. (Later, he and the tub return several times – these are wild fantasies, brought on by the steamy bath?)…READ FULL STORY

Known for its bold athleticism, physical humor and breathtaking theatricality, BodyVox presents Water Bodies, a full-length Philadelphia premiere, on the Dance Celebration Series, Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 3680 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA.

Water Bodies is conceived and choreographed by BodyVox artistic directors Jamey Hampton and Ashley Roland), former alums of MOMIX, Pilobolus and ISO, and Emmy award-winners for performance in KCET television production Episodes. Water serves as a metaphor, medium and trigger point as a harbinger of disaster and hope.  This mixed media production features 12 dance sections and two dance- for-camera films, including the visually-stunning and hilarious Metamorfishes by award-winning filmmaker Mitchell Rose in collaboration with Roland. Dance Magazine praises BodyVox as “sidesplittingly funny and magnificently danced.”

Under the artistic direction of Randy Swartz, Dance Celebration presented by Dance Affiliates and Penn Presents, maintains the tradition of bringing to Philadelphia the world’s best contemporary touring dance companies.  This season’s The Magic of Movement pays tribute to American dance and showcases its diversity of styles: tap, Broadway, jazz, contemporary, hip-hop, multimedia and dance  theater.

Performances will take place on Thursday, October 22 at 7:30 pm; Friday, October 23 at 8:00 pm and Saturday, October 24 at  2:00 pm and 8:00 pm. Ticket prices are $48, $42, $38, $28 (evening) and $42, $36, $32, $24 (matinee). Tickets may be purchased by calling the Annenberg Center Box Office at 215-898-3900 or by visiting www.AnnenbergCenter.org

Sections titled “The Big Dip,” Catch of the Day, “Fishers are Men,” “Water Body” and “The Final Wave” reiterate Water Bodies overarching theme. Moving from the comic to the serious, “Water Body” is a solo for the uproarious Hampton prancing, grimacing and gesturing in (and around) a claw-footed bath tub.  “S.O. S,” a compelling ensemble section filled with seamless inverted lifts and tender partner work, set to Lowell Mason’s “Nearer My God to Thee” and Jean Sibelious’ “Valse Triste,” addresses hope and salvation.  In contrast, set to the music of the Sex Mob, “Catch of the Day” is a playful belly-laughing parody featuring fishermen – Jamey Hampton and Eric Skinner in thigh-high wader boots catching the sumptuous and deadpan Ashley Roland in a scuba suit. “Airborne” highlights the relationship of the two artistic directors in a moving duet. Interspersed in the production is live video feed and two short dance films.  The work closes with “The Final Wave,” an electrifying full-ensemble section to Michael Torke’s “White Pages.”

Founded in 1997 to fulfill a commission from Portland Opera, BodyVox is dedicated to the creation of multidisciplinary dance works that entertain, inspire and uplift audiences of all ages.  Known for its inventive approaches and “freewheeling movement style’” (Oregonian), the Company’s movement sources come from years of cross-training imbued with a curiosity and fascination with the endless possibilities of the human body in motion. Artistic Directors Jamey Hampton and Ashley Roland (partners, longtime collaborators and distinguished dance theater artists) choreographed and performed with the innovative dance companies MOMIX, ISO Dance, and Pilobolus. BodyVox builds upon this tradition with its unique creative voice that is influenced by its Northwest roots. The company has choreographed two operas and created six original full-length works. BodyVox’s films have won numerous awards in national and international festivals.  Modern Daydreams – composed of “Treadmill Softly,” “Islands in the Sky,” “Unleashed” and “Deere John” – won the prestigious American Choreography Award for Outstanding Achievement in Short Film in 2002.

In addition to performances, BodyVox will offer outreach activities including two master classes as part of The Artist to Artist Series and two special school performances for The Student Discovery Series.  For more information call 215-636-9000 ext.110 or visit www.danceaffiliates.org.

Significant funding for the 2009-10 Dance Celebration season is provided by the William Penn Foundation and also in part by Business Friends of Dance (Affiliates), The Connelly Foundation, Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation, Samuel S. Fels Fund, Friends of Dance (Affiliates), Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Pennsylvania Dept. of Community and Economic Development, Pennsylvania Presenters, The Philadelphia Cultural Fund, and the Virginia C. Mulconroy Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation.