Things may get a little funky at the Bates Dance Festival this summer.

The festival — 29 years old and growing stronger by the year — opens this week in Lewiston. Director Laura Faure has worked her usual magic to bring together some of the most exciting and interesting contemporary performers. They will give concerts on a weekly basis throughout the six-week festival.

For my money, the most compelling name on the list is Nicholas Leichter and his singer-songwriting sidekick Monstah Black. They will present what Faure calls an “outlandish” take on one of the most classic pieces of American popular art, “The Wizard of Oz.”

“Nick took the story and transformed it through his own vocabulary. He’s retelling the story in a different, contemporary way,” Faure said.

He calls his piece “The Whiz.” It’s hyperactive, funky and jazzy, full of sensual, insistent, athletic ideas. Leichter founded his dance company in 1996, and in the time since has energized New York’s underground club scene. Monstah Black is a hip-hop/spoken-word artist. “Nick draws on club dances, hip-hop and social dancing, so it’s recognizable to some people, and it’s very funky,” Faure said.

That funk theme runs clear through to David Dorfman, a longtime festival favorite. Dorfman, a veteran of the contemporary dance scene, has been to Bates many times. This year, he will present “Prophets of Funk” that features the music of Sly and the Family Stone.

Dorfman mixes theater and dance to create a wildly visceral performance piece that is both upbeat and hopeful. It celebrates the flower-power era with humor and unbridled energy.

“Prophets of Funk” is the third piece in a Dorfman trilogy. He’s either performed or developed or otherwise worked on all three parts of the trilogy during his time at Bates. The first of the three, “Underground,” explored the Weather Underground, the radical left-wing organization that dates to the 1960s. “Disavowal” explored racism.

The new one delves into the funk era, and tells the story through the music of Sly and the Family Stone.

“It’s going to be fun,” Faure promises. No doubt about that.

Dorfman is near the top when it comes to contemporary dance. He founded his company in 1985, and has won eight Bessie awards, which recognize innovation in contemporary dance. That he has remained loyal to Bates over the years speaks to the festival’s role in nurturing artists.

The concerts represent the public face of Bates dance, but the true work of the festival occurs behind the scenes. Hundreds of students come from around the globe each summer to study at Bates. Similarly, artists like Dorfman show up for the opportunity to work on their craft for an extended period of isolation and immersion.

Faure has molded Bates as an artist-oriented festival. The artists is always first on her list of priorities, and artists appreciate coming to Maine because they know they will be well cared for and will have the chance to create without the pressure of having to deliver.

In the performing arts world, that’s an increasingly rare commodity. Over the course of nearly 30 years, Bates has made that its most important offering. Artists like Dorfman, who are truly in demand around the world, are loyal because without Bates, they likely would not have the same opportunity to create meaningful work.

As audience members, we benefit. We often get to see new work or the kernel of a new idea. It’s one of the benefits we enjoy from living in Maine, which remains a place that artists of all disciplines still cherish.

Staff Writer Bob Keyes can be contacted at 791-6457 or at:

bkeyes@pressherald.com

 

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