Equipoise Exposes Relatable Emotions with Stunning Movements

Equipoise, defined as a balance of forces, is a name well suited for the debut Seattle dance company created by Heather Smith and Samantha Weissbach. The company, which set upon their first performance at the Yaw Theater on Friday, February 28, offered audiences a blended style of movement, tapping into the grounded athleticism and aesthetics of modern dance and the emotionally driven, raw beauty of contemporary dance.

The show opened with a piece titled, L’appel Du Vide, choreographed by Melissa Krienke. Performed by Co-Directors Heather and Samantha, it proved a strong introduction to the company’s work. Heather and Samantha’s movement styles bore opposing qualities, one free flowing, the other controlled, sharp, and staccato. The dichotomy of the two weaved together harmoniously, creating a unique dynamic which appeased the eye. 

Samantha Weissbach (L) and Heather Smith (R)

Warren Woo Photography

Drawn on too long, it would have eventually grown dull, but Melissa choreographed a clever counter-element to the threat of stagnation. In the downstage corner of the theater, a black cloth structure beckoned to the dancers. An almost-doorway with the soft flapping of a black drape in a fan-produced wind. The call of the void. 

At intermittent points, the music shifted to a tune more sinister, and the dancers came together, gazes locked on the beckoning darkness, movements synchronized and strong, strengthened by intent. They’d charge toward the void, recognize its dangers, and pull each other away, relinquishing themselves from its gravity for a short while until it called again. The piece was strongest in those moments, where movement united with the music, and a subtle narrative took shape. 

Following the first piece was an improvisational piece titled, Hi, I’m. This piece brought vulnerability center stage. Dancers were asked a series of questions and were told to record their responses, to be as real and raw as they could be. The voice overs were compiled together and listened to for the first time shortly before the first performance. Dancers sat upstage with crafts and projects that brought them peace, from video design to junk journaling to Tarot reading, while one stepped forward and offered their utmost vulnerability in movement and spoken word. 

Each dancer brought a unique story and movement quality to their individual segments. Melissa Krienke wore a cloth covering her head and body, constraining her movements in a way loosely reminiscent of Graham’s Lamentation. Alexandra Sipe exhibited intricate floor work, “beating herself against the marley,” as her recording spoke of the physical hardships and emotionally therapeutic aspects of dance. Anneka Parr presented beautifully expressive and expansive movement, giving physical form to her dialogue on the uncertainties of living and the simple, relatable humors of clawing through the day. Bethany Lynch offered a grounded and controlled movement, highlighting the unceasing strength of both dance and vulnerability. Lastly, Madison Walker-Mebus told the ever-dreaded fears of any individual whose body is their instrument and movement the expression of their soul. A tale of medical struggles and the fear of not knowing what comes when the dancing ends.

At the end of the piece, the dancers carried the projects they’d been working on to the front of the stage and encouraged audience members to peruse them during intermission, offering a brief window into the things that brought them joy. Only a handful found the courage to go up and look, both finding it difficult to break that fourth wall between the stage and audience and reluctant to glance into the deeper thoughts of the performers.

Equipoise Company (L-R, T-B): Anneka Parr, Emma Neilson, Melissa Krienke, Bethany Lynch, Madison Walker-Mebus, Alexandra Sipe

Image by Catlyn Sue

The final piece of the show, Seaglass, completed the overarching story arc of the performance, taking audiences on a journey through darkness, vulnerability, and at last, healing.

I had the opportunity to see this piece at a rehearsal about a month prior to the performance. What was presented then had worried me. Where it was supposed to dive deep into the emotions of the dancers, it fell flat, never leaving that free-flowing movement style that felt more ambient and drifting than powerful or passionate. In addition, for a piece meant to represent togetherness, the dancers rarely came together choreographically. While pretty, the intent behind it didn’t land.

It is a thing of great difficulty for an artist to hear such critiques of their work and find the strength to fix it. The Equipoise dancers and Heather, the piece’s main choreographer, heard the issues brought up by preview audiences and reworked every moment that had bogged the piece down. The performance took to the stage as a reborn creation.

Dancers began with their individual motifs, often separate, existing in the same harsh world, but standing alone within it. At the midpoint, the piece broke into a series of duets—an intimate and emotion-driven moment giving the audience a more zoomed-in look on the performers and their connections to one another. At the piece’s end, it all came together with a beautifully choreographed and synchronous choreography. Dancers performed in unison to face whatever darkness might come, bearing the weight of all the motifs of hardship the individual dancers had once carried alone.

Anneka Parr dancing

Warren Woo Photography

Like gilded glue, the lighting design brought the finishing touches to the piece. It steeped the performance in ethereal hues which were commanded by the whims of designer, Jeremy Williams, who changed the lighting live, responding to the movement and the emotions of each part of the piece with the color faders, the design never to be seen the same way twice. A feat that is an incredibly fun yet complex thing to pull off.

Equipoise’s performances as a whole were enjoyable, raw, and physically stunning. I look forward to seeing what they do next.