Original dance piece to debut in Port Townsend on Saturday

Published 1:30 am Friday, March 31, 2017

PORT TOWNSEND — “Expect to be surprised, smile and laugh,” said Phina Pipia about her original dance piece, debuting Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

The performance will be in the parish hall at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1020 Jefferson St.

Admission will be by donation, and seating will be first-come, first-served.

“You’ll be instantly drawn in by this fast-paced and engaging duet,” said Rachel Campanoli, the only other dancer in the performance. The piece is a lively and quickly unfolding tapestry of movement; wherein the dancers leap, swirl, turn, crawl and swoosh.”

Pipia, who choreographed the dance, is the co-founder of a local production company, Generation Goat Rocket; danced professionally in New York with The Julian Barnett Project; and attended the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College, SUNY.

Campanoli is a local performer who was last seen in the dance concert “Fanfare.”

Both dancers have trained with local instructor Ling-Hui O’Connor.

The dance is set to a score by film composer Cliff Martinez and avant-garde composer John Cage. Audiences will hear chimes, radio clips and an electronic pulse.

“Set in a moonlit train station, the piece evokes arrival and departure — the sensation that everyone has come from someplace different, carrying a suitcase filled with rich and fascinating stories,” Pipia said.

“A few props are unconventionally used to enhance the choreography: a collection of suitcases and trunks, and, in a few surprising moments of the piece, a tuba.”

Pipia crafted the piece over a five-month rehearsal process, with the goal of creating something completely original from the ground up.

“There’s something wonderful about seeing a brand-new work take shape,” she said.