Review: The A.W.A.R.D Show at OTB is a fascinating weekend of competitive dance and art.

zoey/juniper won Thursday night's round of The A.W.A.R.D. Show and advance to the finals Sunday, Jan 30. Photo: zoey/juniper

This weekend, On The Boards has been presenting its annual The A.W.A.R.D Show, which is co presented with The Joyce Theater. The A.W.A.R.D Show was created in 2005 by choreographer Neta Pulvermacher as a way to nurture new work and foster artist-audience discussion. It was originally a purely New York based show, but eventually expanded to other cities nationally in 2009.

The format of the showcase is as follows. For the first three nights of the show, Pacific Northwest based dancers and choreographers are given a chance to debut their works in front of a live audience. Following the performances, the audience is given a chance to ask the choreographers questions about the work, in hopes of fostering a collaborative and interactive dance-based community. After all of that, the audience votes on their favorite piece of the night. The winning number then advances to tonight’s finale, where they will compete for a grand prize of $10,000.(Editor’s Note: Tickets still available, as of 11: 45 am, for Sunday’s grand finale. Go here to purchase.) For each of the first three nights of the competition, four acts are featured per night. The entire showcase is a wonderful opportunity to feature choreographers and performers from all walks of life.

I had the task of viewing the very first night of the showcase. Four extremely different acts were showcased during the two hour event. First up was an excerpt from A Crack in Everything by zoe/juniper. The result was a bit of surreal psychosis. Featuring only two performers and relying heavily on visual arts, the thematic point of this piece was difficult to discern. The male dancer spend the bulk of the piece gyrating and convulsing sharply all while holding a long red cord, that was suspended offstage, in his mouth. The other performer spent a good ten minutes continuously tracing her silhouette on a wall towards the rear of the stage. Near the climatic end, the two performers sat face to face, stripped off their close, and bark at each other like rabid hyenas. Yes, it was just as weird as it sounds. The gratuitous nudity was pointless and distracting. This was easily my least favorite piece of the night.

The second number also relied heavily on performance art. In an excerpt from It’s a Saloon by the Cherdonna and Lou Show, there was a notably greater amount of creative movement than existed in the previous number. This comedic bit featured a more discernable storyline and featured more choreographed dancing, which was nice to see considering this is a showcase to celebrate dancing and choreography. A pure highlight of the entire piece was the sharp comedic timing of Cherdonna.

The latter half of the show featured two numbers that featured a larger amount of choreographed dancing, which was definitely a relief. The third number, Only You by Crispin Spaeth, featured an eclectic group of five dancers. The entire number was stark and haunting, set amidst an almost an unlistenable soundtrack. The music serious sounded like the lovechild of nails on a chalkboard and a scratchy old record player. It was physically uncomfortable to listen to, but it ended up making the piece that much more somber, powerful and moving. The piece played around with traditional notions of partnered dancing, featuring every conceivable combination of the dancers possible. As a result, two men were occasionally partnered together, just as were two women. This simple choice elevated Only You to an entirely different level.

The best piece of the night was definitely saved for last, and coincidentally, out of all four pieces, it was the closest to classical contemporary dance. And another war broke out by Shannon Mockil, featured a beautifully and difficultly choreographed number that featured the tortuous relationship between two women. The choreography was sharp and well executed and for the first time all night, I felt that the dancers involved in this piece had a complete mastery of their craft.

Interestingly enough, the bizarre piece by zoe/juniper received the most votes Thursday night. They will be joined by tEEth and The Offshore Project, where they will perform their winning numbers for acclaimed experts, Pat Graney, Jen Salk, Amelia Reeber and Linda Shelton. The panelists will then choose the winners of this year’s showcase. If nothing else, The A.W.A.R.D. Show is a fantastic showcase for all kinds of talented dancers, choreographers and other performance artists. Whether you love or hate each number, it is truly a format that celebrates unique creativity and individuality.