Getting Up Close at the Kennedy Center
The REACH Opening Festival
Featuring the Syncopated Ladies
Studio K at the REACH
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, D.C.
September 8, 2019
Just outside of Studio K — a new rehearsal and performance space recently minted as part of the Kennedy Center's REACH expansion project — hangs a sizeable, two-dimensional collage by Fred Tomaselli entitled "Flipper." Looping ellipses define the work, weaving in and out of one another, but these balanced optical designs only represent the bigger picture. If you walk up and get close enough to the art, you begin to notice that something concrete and ordinary makes up the intricate patterns of Tomaselli's work. You discover that what lies at the heart of his masterpiece is not abstract shapes offering little more than aloof, academic recognition. Instead, natural figures like dainty beads, delicate flowers, and a diverse array of hands all come together to form neat rows, making up the bigger picture that is so easy to casually admire. What does this random piece of wall art hanging on the lower level of the REACH's Skylight Pavilion have to do with The REACH Opening Festival, you might ask? I believe this in-depth, investigatory look at what art is, where it comes from, and how it develops, is what the REACH expansion and opening festival are all about.
In June 2018, the Kennedy Center announced its intention to construct a $250 million expansion that would enhance viewers' connections with the performing arts. Advertised as an opportunity for the Kennedy Center to provide more immersive and accessible performing arts experiences, the REACH is an exciting prospect, especially to those in the local community. Last Saturday, the historic project finally opened to the public with a 16-day celebratory festival featuring over 1,000 artists and 500 free events. These events range in genre and are generally more informal and collaborative than the performances that usually take place on Kennedy Center stages. Instead of witnessing the finished product of a large touring company's "Swan Lake," guests can observe an open rehearsal of Nolan William's concert entitled "Stirring the Waters" or the complicated, elegant combinations featured in Tiler Peck's advanced ballet master class.
Each day of the REACH festival focuses on a different area of the arts that the Kennedy Center wishes to spotlight. The time to see the bulk of dance programming will be on September 21, also known as National Dance Day. Nevertheless, there are dance events held sporadically throughout the upcoming weeks.
This past Sunday marked the second day of the REACH festival, and that evening the Syncopated Ladies took to the stage in Studio K. Their presentation was not a polished performance, but instead an explanatory showcase of their craft as African American tap dancers.
Chloe and Maude Arnold, the sisters who founded the Syncopated Ladies tap troupe, are D.C. natives currently based in Los Angeles. Their advancement as artists is in part due to the free youth programs offered by the Kennedy Center, where they took tap master classes and met dance legends like Debbie Allen. Between dancing and showing video excerpts of projects they have created in Los Angeles, the sisters praised the city and community that built them. They additionally applauded the Kennedy Center's efforts to provide arts education and opportunities to children throughout D.C.
The style of the Syncopated Ladies is contemporary and entertaining, as they perform to soundtracks by Beyoncé and other popular rap and hip hop artists. They are also passionately dedicated to the roots of their art form. Tap dance first originated as a type of African American dance, providing a way for an oppressed people to express themselves and relate to one another through rhythm and art. The Syncopated Ladies carry on this tradition with a 21st Century freshness.
After providing a sample of their repertoire, the Syncopated Ladies presented an improvised jam session, feeding off each other's energy to develop lively rhythms with impressive footwork. They then invited the audience to join in the experience, offering the opportunity to clap and contribute to the beat. A feeling of closeness emerged from being in such an intimate place, something which I have never felt before when attending a Kennedy Center event. This show revealed how the REACH expansion has the potential to provide a new kind of performance experience at the Kennedy Center.
In all, we are often accustomed to seeing the bigger picture when we visit the Kennedy Center. When attending a dance performance by the American Ballet Theatre or a live concert by the National Symphony Orchestra, we expect to witness a scarcely attainable level of perfection. The REACH provides the opportunity to observe the performing arts in a raw form, achieving a greater understanding of the artist, their journey, and their passion for their craft.
The REACH Opening Festival will continue to run at the Kennedy Center until September 22, 2019. All events associated with the festival are free to the public but require prior registration online.
copyright © 2019 by Arielle Ostry
