Washington takes house, voguing to concert stage

On Saturday, MasterZ at Work Dance Family ended the Kaatsbaan Cultural Center's annual festival on a high note. (Photo by Works in Process/Titus Ogilvie-Laing)

Kaatsbaan Cultural Park’s annual festival ended on an upbeat note on Saturday with an invigorating program with MasterZ at Work Dance Family. This collective of a dozen ballroom culture dancers, led by Courtney “Balenciaga” Washington, strutted their bodies and styles on the outdoor stage in a showcase that honored the differences that the ballroom community embraces.

I’m not talking the old-fashioned ballroom waltzes, tangos and the cha-cha. I’m talking the runway-style competition dancing, popular in some quarters of the Black and Latinx LGBTQ+ circles. Here, house, voguing, jazz, hip-hop and modern dance merge to create something uniquely personal for each dancer. The point is to let free the dancers’ honest expression, which is encouraged and applauded.

Interestingly, Washington’s creative choreography somehow preserved that essential independent vibe while harnessing it into concert dance – where unified movement elevates and exposes the ballroom community to larger art-loving community.

Certainly, two works shown, “ALL INCLUSIVE” and “The 24/7 Diner” were gratifying. Not only were audiences able to witness the dancers’ artistry, but Washington’s ability to construct pieces that spoke to those who are used to the formal stage.

The propulsive “ALL INCLUSIVE,” to music created by DJ Byrell the Great, opened the afternoon show. With a strong percussive beat, the dancers of all body types showed off their forms, as individuals and in group synchronized sections.

Dressed in neon colors – green, pink and orange – the dancers looked electric. They also donned sweat bands around their heads and wrists, as if they just stepped out of a 1980s music video or Jane Fonda aerobic workout.

Their flashy colors did not detract from their flashy dancing – their hands were constantly moving, their arms flowed and cut in front of their body and face and suddenly stopped to make a frame. They walked – one leg crossed over the other – with their chests and buttocks exaggerated. All this sashaying was quite sexy and fun to watch.

“ALL INCLUSIVE” was pure showmanship.

“The 24/7 Diner,” on the other hand, told a tale of a busy diner. Inspired by Suzanne Vega’s “Tom’s Diner,” the piece portrayed a city eatery as a place where the staff and their costumers conspired to create an environment where all were welcomed.

It began with the dancers literally playing out Vega’s song. It then morphed into a DJ rendition, like a dream-sequence of stops and starts that the dancers played with as they dined, served and shined up the invisible eatery. During intermission, Washington said the piece is not technically complete as she wants to have a clearer storybook ending.
​
But it’s just fine as it is – so too is her company. Hopefully, Washington’s dancing family will continue to share their gifts beyond the ballroom community.