March 15–22, 2001

critic pick| dance

Kahn Do

When dancer/choreographer/performance artist Faye Kahn found out she would soon lose her long battle against breast cancer her friend, dancer Susan Deutsch, asked what was the one last thing she wanted to do. Kahn’s response? "I want a big dance party." So that was her last hurrah — a fun-filled evening with friends, getting down to the sounds of the ’60s and ’70s. And now that the artist has passed on, those who remember her best are staging another event, this one featuring works by Kahn, plus pieces by others with whom she was associated.

DanceFusion is producing the program. The company’s director Gwendolyn Bye, says the tribute is not meant to be sad, but rather, "It is to remember and maybe feel like a send-off to Faye’s spirit." That sentiment will surely be felt when Deutsch performs Jew’s Harp, a solo done to the music of Meredith Monk that was created and originally danced by Kahn. Jew’s Harp, and excerpts from another work by Kahn titled Green, are being reconstructed by Miriam Giguere of Body Language Dance Company. DanceFusion will perform Between Worlds – Part III, based on the legend of King Arthur. Deutsch will show a new work, and Trapezius Aerial Dance will present two segments from Angels & Ghosts, a piece about death and memory of those recently departed.

The latter will surely carry a sad note, not only because it will remind viewers of Kahn’s recent passing, but also because its choreographer, Louise Gillette, is fighting her own battle with a brain tumor. "I don’t know if it’s too heavy," notes Gillette, "But my deepest relationship with Faye was in the last two years when she helped me sort through things about my illness… And to me it seems to honor her in a particular way — to be direct and speak clearly about what is really happening."

With Angels and Ghosts, plus speeches by Kahn’s daughter and dance pals, it may be tough to hold back the tears at this one. Yet Bye is looking to end things on a high note by closing with Jew’s Harp. As she observes, "It’s a short, quirky, very happy piece. We put it last on the program to somehow encapsulate in one short, sweet moment a lot about Faye Kahn."

—Deni Kasrel

Tribute, March 16-17, 8 p.m., Harold Prince Theater, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St., 215-898-3900, $20 adults, $10 children/students. Reception following the March 16 performance, $15, reservations required, 215-898-2881.