DANCE
BY RACHAEL CARNES
VANESSA MARTIN
(FRONT) WITH
XCAPE DANCE
COMPANY
LOVE! IS ALL YOU NEED
With company premiere, Xcape Dance Director Vanessa Martin brings a healing
grace to the Hult
L
ots of little kids take a dance class or two, but most
won’t make a career of it. Sometimes, however, a
special child comes along who has the talent and
drive, along with the family support needed, to
keep investing in dance for a lifetime.
Choreographer Vanessa Martin was one of those lucky
kids, who had big aspirations and a parent to back her up.
“When I was three, I told my mom I wanted to be a tap
dancer,” Martin says. Her mom encouraged her, and this
past year, Martin started her own dance studio in the same
space where she learned her first time step, 26 years ago.
A native Eugenean, Martin danced at South Eugene High
School, and at the UO and LCC. She’s been choreographing
professionally ever since.
“My mom just always pushed for me to dance, and to
follow my dreams in that way,” Martin says.
Now, with Martin’s Xcape Dance Company heading
towards its Hult Center premiere, she misses her mom
acutely.
This September, Martin’s mother, Cindy Kieffer, the
department director for the American English Institute at
the UO, succumbed to a massive infection, leaving
Martin, a mother of two small children herself,
emotionally devastated and wondering how to move
forward, let alone finish her artistic work.
“The show was in-progress before she passed away,”
Martin says. “Since she passed, it’s been difficult to keep
pressing on. But there have been a lot of people who’ve
put in a lot of input.”
The adage says “The show must go on,” and it was
Martin’s company members that helped to revive her
spirits. In rehearsal, the Xcape dancers provided artistic
contributions while buoying Martin with support and
good cheer.
“This group is positive, uplifting,” Martin says. “And
talented.”
The show, Love!, premieres at the Hult Center
Saturday, Nov.15, and will feature the 21 Xcape dancers,
along with guest artists, including Work Dance Company,
Kings Krew, Flex Studios, Duck Street Dance Crew,
Dance Northwest, ZAPP Academy of Dance and the UO
Jam Squad. The performance is a benefit for Danceability
International.
Martin has pulled together this diverse crowd to
create a unique narrative and a strong artistic statement.
“I thrive on street-style dance, old school hip-hop and
energy-based dance,” she says. “I’m really about good,
big energy!”
Love! is dedicated to Martin’s mom.
“In the original idea, I was going for serious,” Martin says.
“But it’s ended up a fun, life-affirming show instead.” ■
Love! shows for one night only 7:30 pm Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Hult
Center’s Soreng Theater; $20, student and youth discounts available.
EMERY BLACKWELL
SAVE
THE LAST DANCE FOR EMERY BLACKWELL
Emery Blackwell, 55, dancer, choreographer, musician, composer and teacher, retires from 25 years
with DanceAbility International this fall. A giant figure in the local dance scene and a representative of
disability rights around the globe, Blackwell will perform onstage one last time with his longtime dance
partner Alito Alessi, as part of Vanessa Martin’s Xcape Dance Company’s premiere piece, Love!
Blackwell’s journey hasn’t been easy. Born with cerebral palsy, a disability that affects the motor
control centers of the brain, Blackwell never expected as a child that one day he’d be a dancer. “Other
people put limits onto me,” he says.
A world traveler, Blackwell has shared his gifts, as a teacher and an artist, with people with and
without disabilities all around the globe. Blackwell says he’s motivated to help people find and develop
their talents and abilities, the way he found his.
In his 25 years working as a dancer with DanceAbility International, Blackwell has challenged
audiences “to see in a different way,” he says. “To think in a different way.”
As a teacher and mentor, Blackwell offers sage advice: “Just be who you are,” he says. “And don’t
worry about other people.”
Looking back over his career, Blackwell says the spark that has kept him going, that continually
motivates him, is “when I see people find their own power.”
And when asked what’s next after retirement, Blackwell is upbeat: “I don’t know what is next,” he
says. “Change, and I will see.”
DanceAbility International hosts a retirement party for Emory Blackwell 6 to 7 pm Saturday, Nov. 15,
in the Hult Center lobby; free. — Rachael Carnes
Join us for one more Market
day in the great outdoors at
8th & Oak. Saturday Market is
open for business on Saturday,
November 15! See you there…
Local Crafts, Food & Music • Every Saturday • 10 AM-5 PM • 8th & Oak
w w w.eugenesaturdaymarket.org
28
November 13, 2014 • eugeneweekly.com
THIS THANKSGIVING
BUTTER ROLLS, POTATO FENNEL,
CRANBERRY ORANGE, HONEY & DAKOTA
10% OFF
ALL ADVANCE
ORDERS
ORDERS MUST BE PLACED BY
NOVEMBER 22, 2014 FOR DISCOUNT
2564 WILLAMETTE ST • 541-345-5398 • EUGENEBREAD.COM