Marie-Christine Giordano Dance Company Inc

http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwdance/article/BWW-Interviews-Marie-Christine-Giordano-A-Dancer-Comes-to-New-York-20131203#.U_M8KUi0bSE

Open Studio Review, June 5, 2010 by Carolyn Merrell, freelance writer for FitEngine.com

As I walked up the apartment building steps and buzzed suite 202 I questioned the authenticity of this dance company. A woman let me in without saying a word and I awkwardly took a seat in the dance studio (naturally lit room connected to the owner’s apartment). I doubt the three female dancers in their early twenties even noticed me come in because of their intense focus on the steps the instructor (Marie-Christine) had just given. The dramatic music (beats to sounds of a thunderstorm) mixed with the contemporary steps, and heavy sighs as the dancers collapsed to the ground, made me feel like I was witnessing something sacred. The unique choreography consisted of spinning (both on heels and toes), caving the spine and chest in, slow slides into deep-turned out lunges in second position, and exaggerated falls or turns to the floor. There weren’t counts and she only showed the combinations once. It was fascinating to see the individual dancers’ personalities reflected in their steps. One used her frustration, which almost ended in tears, to create depth to her dance. It was moving to see her channel her aggravation and overcome her weakness instead of giving into defeat. I felt privileged to peek into their private space and honored to watch three different stories told through the same set of steps.
I understood the choreography better after I talked to the founder of the company. Marie-Christine studied Graham for many years but felt the style was missing a crucial aspect, the total abandon. Graham’s emphasis on control and strength needed the balance of lyrical dancing’s collapse. You cannot go through life tense, at some point you have to trust and let go. A rubber band can only be stretched so far until it breaks. Marie-Christine developed her own genre of dance and began teaching it to students at Broadway Dance Center in the early 2000s. She left there and created her own dance company, which will be holding auditions for new members within the month of June. She explained that it takes time for a dancer to understand her style because it is her own. Marie-Christine is loving and warm, but has no tolerance for uncommitted dancers. Her heart is completely surrendered to her company and she asks the same of her members. Marie-Christine’s dance style, which is a harmonious mix of give and take, reflects her life. The company has been developing an outreach program at a local school (for the past four years) where they teach weekly dance classes to children in kindergarten to fifth grade. The fact that the company is small (three members) and their studio is in an apartment in Brooklyn should not deter anyone from coming to their future open rehearsals (occurring once a month). Their talent, voice, and determination will leave you changed. The lessons taught through their dancing will convince you that “To be strong is to be able to let go” (Marie-Christine). Carolyn Merrell