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Go with the FLOW

TaMaMa Dance Company presents a stunning show tonight, Saturday

Dancer and choreographer Maria Formolo, center, takes to the stage with other dancers during the third act of FLOW. FLOW, is a stunning collaboration of movement, music and light which will be presented by the TaMaMa Dance Company this weekend. (Journal photo by Corey Kelly)

MARQUETTE — This weekend, the TaMaMa Dance Company presents FLOW, a stunning collaboration of movement, music and light. This full length modern dance performance is the companies’ second large work and is featured as part of Marquette’s annual Art Week. The hour-long performance is made of three acts: Meditation, Dichotomy, and Beauty. Company founders, Marissa Marquardson, Maggie Barch, and dance figure Maria Formolo choreographed three acts brought to life by 13 dancers.

FLOW features original music by Carrie Biolo, Dylan Trost, Nancy Zimmerman, and Mark Shevy. Shevy also provides video projections and lighting design produced by NMU Theatre Professor, Vic Holliday.

Four months ago each choreographer discussed and meditated on the concept of flow and then generate movements around those ideas.

“The image that we started with when we started talking about this show is the image of water, plants, earth,” co-founder and co-artistic director Marquardson said.

Marquardson drew her inspiration for her act, “Meditation”, from a couple of places.

“I was inspired by two things. First, by music, I am using Beethoven’s Sonata No. 14, the Moonlight Sonata. Secondly, I was really inspired by energy flow. Each of us have energy inside of us and we are each have a divinity, a spirit, and every living thing on earth has that, I was intrigued by. The energy exchange between all living things on earth, that motivated my movement,” Marquardson said.

In contrast to Marquardson’s creative process, co-founder and co-artistic director Barch started with movement, not sound, to create her act “Dichotomy.” Music was added after through collaboration with the musicians associated with the show.

“It just sort of happened that way. I had feelings and words for how I wanted the music to sound and then Dylan created music from there,” Barch said.

The last act, choreographed by Formolo, explores the subject of beauty.

“I was thinking of different aspects of beauty and how you bring that through when it’s being covered up,” Formolo said.

Formolo went on to describe of her piece as looking at nontraditional beauty through a narrative of “a mythology from a society that we never knew before.”

While Marquardson, Barch and Formolo are the creative forces behind the production, Marquarson insists that FLOW is a collaborative effort between all the artist on and off the stage.

“We ( Marissa Marquardson, Maggie Barch, and Maria Formolo) came up with our choreography, but we also relied heavily on our dancers to create movement and then to incorporate that into the piece so it’s a little bit of everybody,” Marquardson said.

Experience FLOW today or Saturday at the Forest Roberts Theatre on Northern Michigan University’s campus. Tickets are $10 general Admission and can be purchased in advance at Second Skin Shop in Downtown Marquette or from any TDC dancer. Tickets can also be purchased at the door (cash or check to TaMaMa Dance Company only).

Corey Kelly can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 243.

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