UpRooted Dance
Where fantasy and reality collide in the form of dance!
Reviews
An Excerpt From Cathy Hardy's Review of the Live Arts Dance Festival 2009 in Charlottesville VA. This article was written Feb 9, 2009 in the C'Ville.
"Leading UpRooted Dance, Keira Hart-Mendoza has some good ideas. Her duet, “Trace Memories,” performed with Jessie Laurita-Spanglet, incorporated a lovely wriggling motif that made me think of Botticelli’s “Venus.” And there was a pretty gesture of wrapping the inside of the forearm that left an impression. I don’t know why the piece, set to music by Erik Satie and an electronic variation of same, ended when it did. But I can still see some of the moves.
In addition, Hart-Mendoza showed real theatrical ambition with “Short Stories of Entertainment,” a four-parter in which she played the master of ceremonies as she led a quartet of lovelies (including the witty Aaron Wine) through entertainment scenarios that variously exploited attractive, supple women, ending with “America’s Next Top Hot Dancing Ladies.” As might be expected, that segment called for the audience to vote by phone for the winner. It was an overly long piece, but one infused with a recognizable idea, and one that encouraged the performers to project into the crowd."
An Excerpt from Ellen Chenoweth's Blog Widening the I
"Two local choreographers, Keira Hart-Mendoza and Layla Mrozowski, gave an informal presentation of what they termed “dance scribbles” at a Bethesda gallery on May 13. The evening felt refreshing: the energy and optimism of the two women, the willingness to share something that wasn’t all slick and processed, and the relaxed vibe in the gallery. Each scribble played around one central idea, whether the performers were experimenting with the center of gravity or pretending to be spies. The highlight was seeing the communication and rapport between Hart-Mendoza and Mrozowski as they played around the space responded to the neon sculptures by Craig A. Kraft. The space was small enough that it was easy to see the dancers’ faces and all of the subtle communication that goes on in a danced duet.
"Leading UpRooted Dance, Keira Hart-Mendoza has some good ideas. Her duet, “Trace Memories,” performed with Jessie Laurita-Spanglet, incorporated a lovely wriggling motif that made me think of Botticelli’s “Venus.” And there was a pretty gesture of wrapping the inside of the forearm that left an impression. I don’t know why the piece, set to music by Erik Satie and an electronic variation of same, ended when it did. But I can still see some of the moves.
In addition, Hart-Mendoza showed real theatrical ambition with “Short Stories of Entertainment,” a four-parter in which she played the master of ceremonies as she led a quartet of lovelies (including the witty Aaron Wine) through entertainment scenarios that variously exploited attractive, supple women, ending with “America’s Next Top Hot Dancing Ladies.” As might be expected, that segment called for the audience to vote by phone for the winner. It was an overly long piece, but one infused with a recognizable idea, and one that encouraged the performers to project into the crowd."
An Excerpt from Ellen Chenoweth's Blog Widening the I
"Two local choreographers, Keira Hart-Mendoza and Layla Mrozowski, gave an informal presentation of what they termed “dance scribbles” at a Bethesda gallery on May 13. The evening felt refreshing: the energy and optimism of the two women, the willingness to share something that wasn’t all slick and processed, and the relaxed vibe in the gallery. Each scribble played around one central idea, whether the performers were experimenting with the center of gravity or pretending to be spies. The highlight was seeing the communication and rapport between Hart-Mendoza and Mrozowski as they played around the space responded to the neon sculptures by Craig A. Kraft. The space was small enough that it was easy to see the dancers’ faces and all of the subtle communication that goes on in a danced duet.
The evening was designed to be a fundraiser for a couple of individual projects by the women. Keira Hart-Mendoza, with her company UpRooted Dance is presenting a Soiree at the Jack Guidone Theater on June 12, taking the 1920s as inspiration and performing along with pro ekoh dance, Emily Crew, and Alice Howes. But this doesn’t sound like a typical night at the Jack. The promo materials promise that “you are invited to sit cabaret style in the Jack Guidone Theater with beverages provided by local bootleggers!” One show is for the regular crowd and one is for the “naughty/rowdy” crowd. Love it!..." By Ellen Chenoweth
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