Eugene weekly., February 16, 2012, Page 22, Image 22

dance
BY DANTE ZUÑIGA-WEST
Work It
NATHAN BOOZER AND SOME OF THE LADIES OF WORK DANCE COMPANY
PHOTO BY TODD COOPER
CHRIS SANJOSE
PHOTO BY TRASK BEDORTHA
Work Dance Company is about to grace the Hult Center with
a performance that can only be described as all-encompassing.
“We are about bringing raw and honest dance to the stage,”
says choreographer and LCC dance alumnus Nathan Boozer.
“This is a full-scale production. It’s theatrical and high energy.”
Nightlife!, a show touting 125 dancers, 20 original
pieces of choreography, video projection and an
incredible music score is Eugene-based Work Dance
Company’s fi fth show at the Hult. The group’s last four
shows have completely sold out, and it’s easy to see why
this one probably will too.
“This is a huge collaboration, with guest appearances by
really incredible dancers,” Boozer says.
And indeed, the lineup is pretty impressive. Kings Crew,
Zapp, Dance Northwest and UO Jam Squad will be making
appearances throughout the evening in what will be a
production that has “no slow pieces.”
The jazz, funk, hip hop, modern and contemporary dancers
on stage will be backed by a 30-by-40-foot video screen
showing the videography of Boozer and Ryan King. A series of
exciting props, everything from white picket fences to dry ice,
will also play a role in the show.
The theme of Nightlife! fi ts this energetic menagerie of
dance. “This is about the feeling you get when you get off work,
or when you get your paycheck,” says Boozer. “We are taking
the audience through a fantasy land of nightlife, what happens
when the work is over and you want to live.”
Pieces to look forward to include “Monster’s Religion,” in
which dancers costumed as zombies put a new spin on what
it means to be the living dead, and “Place Your Bets,” a dance
riffi ng on the theme of gambling, set to the sound of Lady
Gaga’s “Poker Face.”
Nightlife! hits the stage 7:30 pm Friday, Feb. 17, at the Hult; $13-$15.
sports
BY DANTE ZUÑIGA-WEST
On to the Next One
The Midtown Throwdown III on Feb. 11 showcased Eugene’s
mixed-martial arts talent in masse. Local gyms pitted gutsy
competitors against each other in fi ght after fi ght in what
proved to be a gripping series of contests — with each
combatant hungry to further propel his nascent career into
what has now become the world’s fastest-growing sport.
And one up-and-comer was preparing to welcome another
kind of birth.
Amateur fi ghter Chris Sanjose sat in the staging area. His
body bears telltale signs of the fi ght he’d just engaged. Next to
him sat his wife, Jamilyn, attending to his wounded ankle with
an icepack. She is eight months pregnant. Their daughter is to
be named Anaia. It’s a family affair.
With a record of six wins and only one loss, Sanjose has built
a reputation for himself in the Northwest as a skilled stand-up
fi ghter in the 135-pound weight class — he competes in Thai
boxing as well as amateur mixed martial arts. At Midtown
Throwdown III, he defeated Haizam Golez by unanimous
decision, in a Thai boxing match that displayed the most
surgical striking of the evening.
Though from a cultural perspective, it was odd to witness
Thai boxing performed in a cage without either the traditional
woodwind music or requisite ceremonial dance, neither Sanjose
nor Golez lacked in form or conditioning. Sanjose set the pace,
and his leg kicks were the determining factor. The match went
all three rounds before defaulting to the judges’ score cards.
“I wanted to open up with boxing but (Golez) is a heavy
puncher,” says Sanjose. “I stuck to the game plan, which was
kicking.”
He says in his next fi ght he will look to go pro, but not before
some well-deserved rest, and the arrival of his daughter.
For more photos, go to blogs.eugeneweekly.com/trask
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