BalletLab in Portland, Oregon

30/01/14

Standing the test of time, Amplification received fantastic responses last week in Portland, Oregon.  Founding directors of White Bird, Walter Jaffe and Paul King, are the latest to present the company’s timeless masterwork to Portland audiences.

Confrontation and experimental choreography remain deeply at the core of Amplification’s resounding themes of sex, death and the afterlife and Portland audiences were fascinated with its gothic portrayal of beauty and trauma.  In one review, a critic comments that "passages in Amplification where the dancers undress themselves or each other are some of the rawest moments of challenged intimacy I’ve seen on stage” and another notes "a feeling similar to what I experienced after watching Rosemary’s Baby when I was 10: a heavy, ominous dread.”

Bringing new life to a nostalgic piece, we were blessed in this performance to have Michelle Heaven - one of the original cast members - perform on stage with fellow dancers Brooke Stamp, Rennie McDougall, Tim Harvey and Carlee Mellow. The dancers really pushed themselves to the limit, finding new experiences with live DJ Lynton Carr, and their commitment showed when almost an entire audience stayed back for the Q & A session, intrigued to hear more from Philip and the dancers.

After 15 years of performances Amplification still leaves its mark ahead of time. Just when we think it might be the last performance, it keeps springing back, buff and ready to ricochet into its continued legacy.

Read reviews of Amplification in Portland, Oregon in Oregon's ArtsWatch and Wilamette Week.

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