BodyVox: Dance troupe to perform two shows this weekend in Old Town Temecula

By: CHARLES HAND - For The Californian | Wednesday, January 16, 2008 1:22 PM PST ∞

Eclectic. Athletic.

That's about as far as Ashley Roland can get describing BodyVox, the dance troupe that will land at the Old Town Temecula Community Theater this weekend.

Roland, artistic director with Jamey Hampton of BodyVox, is hard-pressed to put words to a show that draws on musical genres from classical to pop to hip-hop and combines classical ballet with modern, jazz ... even dance on a trapeze.

“It's sort of a complete thought from beginning to end,” she said of the virtually nonstop segue from number to number start to finish -- almost. Actually, the Temecula performance includes an intermission.

She tosses in terms like high-

energy, humor, spiritual and interactive, still without quite being able to put her finger on a description.

“We use dance as our artistic interpretation,” Roland said. “Anything from standing on your toes to eating a sandwich can be dance. People who leave our shows get it.”

There are some examples Roland can give to provide an idea of what she means. One is a pas de deux between a dancer and a piece of earth-moving equipment in “John Deere.” In “X-Axis,” the two dancers' entire routine is executed on a trapeze.

“BodyVox is not just a company,” Roland said. “Each dancer brings his own energy to the group.”

The eight dancers who will perform in Temecula have been together for years, four of them since BodyVox was founded in 1997.

Prospective dancers do not audition for BodyVox. They hang out with the company, dance and finally get to the point at which they decide they want to fit in with the troupe and the troupe decides they fit in with them, Roland said.

Once in the company, all of the dancers have the opportunity to choreograph parts of the program, as Eric Skinner does with “X-Axis.”

There are other dance companies that can say similar things, but there is one characteristic of the company that is unusual, if not unique. There are more men than women, which is the opposite of most companies.

“Men want to come dance with us,” Roland said.

Roland is a Connecticut native who has studied at the Alvin Ailey and David Howard studios in New York and the North Carolina School of the Arts. In 1987, she co-founded ISO Dance with Hampton, a company that performed on five continents and for which Roland created more than 30 pieces.

She and Hampton also won

Emmy Awards for their work on the KCET public TV production “Episodes” and together choreographed an Academy Awards show.

Hampton, who is Roland's life partner as well as artistic partner, started in the modern dance scene of the early '70s and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1976 with a degree in drama. He and Roland live in his hometown of Portland, Ore., with their sons, Bowen and Julian.

Since hooking up in BodyVox, the pair have developed 40 shows, including two for full-length operas.

BodyVox

When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Where: Old Town Temecula Community Theater,

42051 Main St., Temecula

Tickets: $20-$34

Info: (951) 653-8696

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