june 17.2005’
just OUt 55
DANCE
ith his project Ten Tiny Dances, Port
land choreographer Mike Barber insti
gates dance on the edge, sometimes
quite literally. In his piece, “Wicked,”
for instance, the stage is actually tipped on end.
The uniqueness of Ten Tiny Dances, now in
its ninth edition, is largely inspired by its set of
rules: The stage spans only 4 feet by 4 feet;
dancers can only leave the stage for 15 seconds
at a time; and each dance must be less than 15
minutes long.
Unlike many guidelines that hamper cre
ativity, the parameters of Ten Tiny Dances actu
ally foment it.
“That sense of confinement is such a cre
ative spark, a challenge for choreographers,”
says Barber, who is gay.
Each work in Ten Tiny Dances is choreo
graphed by a different artist, and each choreog
rapher finds his or her own way to stretch the
small space. In “Wicked,” Barber and collabo
rator Cydney Wilkes met that challenge by
turning the stage on end. Linda Austin filled
the stage with multiple dancers. Daniel Addy,
Barber’s partner, uti
lized his aerial exper
tise to add a vertical
element to his dance.
“People have been
themselves in a beau
tiful way, really work
ed through the con
cepts,” says Barber.
In fact, Barber
sees the artists’ com
mitment to creating
interesting, quality
work as one of the
main strengths of the
project. To encourage
a diverse show, he
intentionally chooses
choreographers with
different skills and
backgrounds, from
Oregon Ballet The
atre artistic director
Christopher Stowell
to performance artist
Amber Martin.
“I look for people
Mike Barber and Cydney
that are experi
menters, innovative,” Tiny Dances.
says Barber.
Ten Tiny Dances has been more successful
than Barber ever expected when he staged the
first event in 2002 as a fund-raiser at Crush.
During the Portland Institute for Contempo
rary Art’s Time Based Art Festival last year,
Barber estimates Ten Tiny Dances drew a crowd
upward of 300. And in February, nearly 200
people filled Bluehour restaurant for the eighth
edition.
“From the first one, I realized that this is a
great idea and kept doing it, and each one kept
Big ideas, small stage
Latest edition of Ten Tiny Vances brings together
artists from Seattle and Portland
by
R ebecca R again
Mike Barber
Wilkes go full tilt in Ten
proving itself,” says
Barber.
Part of the appeal
for audiences is the opportunity to view a wide
range of performance all in an evening’s outing.
And because the pieces are short, nothing is
too taxing to watch, adds Barber.
The fact that Ten Tiny Dances is usually held
in a bar or restaurant—one chosen for its own
energy and atmosphere—doesn’t hurt atten
dance. For many, it’s a more comfortable way to
enjoy dance: eat, drink and be merry while
watching area dancemakers strut their stuff.
“That’s one of the things that I love about
the event,” says Barber. “It is a party. It’s
cabaret-ish, because you’ve got food and
drink, but there’s also really incredible dance
going on.”
Barber has a lot of other dance projects on
his plate, as well. He is a member of Minh Tran
(Si Company and is working on an evening-
long performance with his own company,
Wi Ikes. Barher/Prox i m i ty.
Still, he is constantly kx>king for new ways
to expand the experience of Ten Tiny Dances.
For instance, rhe ninth edition is a bi-city
exchange between Portland and Seattle, featur
ing five groups from each
city. The performance will
open June 19 in Seattle,
with the assistance of
Seattle choreographer
Crispin Spaeth, then
come to Portland the fol
lowing week.
Through this exchange,
Barber hopes to increase
the visibility of Ten Tiny
Dances and to create more
connections between the
two dance communities.
After this, he’s considering
San Francisco, New York
City and Boulder, Colo.
“That’s the plan. I want
to do other cities. I want
to conquer the world,”
he says.
However, Portlanders
are in no danger of
Ten Tiny Dances
withdrawal. Barber
has secured a spot
for Ten Tiny Dances
in the Portland
Building for May
2006, as part of the
Regional Arts &
Culture Council’s
Installation Art
Series. He says it’s
the first time the
space will be used
for performance art.
“The next experi
ment with Ten Tiny
for me is to do it for
more public art,”
says Barber. “As suc
cessful as it is,
I want to continue
that, but I’m also
looking for ways to
keep it fresh, as
well.” jm
T en T iny D ances will be performed 8 p.m.
June 26 at Bernie's Southern Bistro, 2904 N.E.
Alberta St. Tickets are $15 at the door, cash only
No reservations are accepted, so early arrival is
recommended.
R ebecxia R again is a Portland free-lance writer
who thinks that short is cool.
%
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