The dance company gears up for two big productions
By Rebecca Ragain
It’s no small feat to keep a dance company running for more than a decade. But BodyVox co-artistic directors Jamey Hampton and Ashley Roland have done it—and then some. Not only does BodyVox perform and teach locally, as well as tour, this year marks the company’s second season in its own 11,000-square-foot dance center.
It all began 13 years ago, when Hampton and Roland choreographed Carmina Burana on commission for the Portland Opera, at the behest of Christopher Mattaliano, who later became the opera’s general director.
Paired with Pagliacci, Carmina Burana was a triumph. Oregonian writer Catherine Thomas called it the hit of Portland Opera’s 1996-97 roster; Portland Opera’s own description dubs it “one of Portland’s all-time favorites.”
Hampton and Roland, along with five other dancers, created BodyVox to build on that success. “It’s the piece that started the whole ball rolling,” says Hampton. “It will always have a special place in our history and at the heart of BodyVox.”
Eric Skinner, one of BodyVox’s founding members, says about dancing Carmina Burana: “It’s a really amazing experience, to be there with all the voices [of the opera singers], with the live music, and to have this raw, physical energy of dancing.”
Over the years, Portland Opera’s production of Carmina Burana has been presented by other opera companies including Atlanta Opera, Opera Omaha and Minnesota Opera.
“It had a really long run … which shows that it’s a piece that has a lot of strength and truth to it, and that it still resonates for audiences,” says Hampton.
Now, for the first time since 2000, Portland Opera is bringing Carmina Burana back to the stage, at the end of this month. The production marks the beginning of the opera’s 46th season.
When they’re not rehearsing with the opera, BodyVox dancers are learning choreography for a new holiday show.
Hampton and Roland are too savvy to compete with the beloved performing arts productions centered on December’s monster holiday, such as The Nutcracker and Do Jump’s long-running holiday show. Instead, BodyVox is creating a Halloween show.
The company had been talking for a while about doing a Halloween show, but they knew the time was right when the perfect moniker for the production came up during a planning meeting last year.
Someone in the meeting said a Halloween show could be called “BloodyVox.” “Everybody started laughing,” says Hampton. “Since we had a name for it, we knew that we had a show.”
Although BloodyVox is still a work in progress, Hampton can say that it features moments of dark humor and absurdity. Choreography is by Hampton and Roland, with contributions from Skinner.
One of Skinner’s contributions is a duet with him and Hampton, a previously choreographed dance that “we’re going to spook up a little bit,” says Skinner. Skinner is also creating a new piece, featuring a creepy clown named Krebby.
Skinner confesses a fear of clowns that has plagued him since childhood. He says: “I used to have these awful nightmares … a spooky clown was putting a ladder up to my window, jiggling the window and trying to get into my room. I’ve hated clowns ever since then.”
Scary clowns aside, BloodyVox is being advertised as a family-friendly show that leans toward the eerie and spooky, not the horrific.
Even Skinner, who claims Halloween as his least favorite holiday, thinks thatBloodyVox will be a fun show. He says that BodyVox fans are already abuzz about it: “They know we do funny and offbeat things; they’ll be very curious to see what we come up with to celebrate Halloween.”
If BloodyVox is a hit, Hampton is open to producing an updated version next year. He adds, “This is version 1.0. We’ll see where it goes.”
Skinner expands on the project’s potential: “If it is popular, it could turn into one of BodyVox’s annual shows … a BodyVox kind of Nutcracker, which tends to be the bread and butter for a lot of companies.”
It’s this kind of forward thinking that keeps a dance company in business in an environment where producing interesting and high-quality art is rarely enough; company leaders also need to consider the realities of the market and determine how they can stand out in audiences’ minds.
Hampton and Roland have proven adept at remaining relevant to their audiences, year after year. They’ve not only kept BodyVox alive but also kept it quirky enough that it seems perfectly appropriate for the company to celebrate its 13th year with a bloody Halloween show.
“That’s one thing that’s awesome about BodyVox: We’ve worked hard, we’ve played hard,” Skinner says, in reference to being with the company since 1997. “It’s a really special company to be a part of.”
Portland Opera perform Pagliacci/Carmina Burana, featuring BodyVox in the latter opera, Sept. 24, 26, 30 and Oct. 2, Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St. Tickets start at $26. Visit portlandopera.org.
BodyVox presents BloodyVox Oct. 21-23 and 28-30 at the BodyVox Dance Center, 1201 NW 17th Ave. Tickets start at $20, at bodyvox.com.
It’s no small feat to keep a dance company running for more than a decade. But BodyVox co-artistic directors Jamey Hampton and Ashley Roland have done it—and then some. Not only does BodyVox perform and teach locally, as well as tour, this year marks the company’s second season in its own 11,000-square-foot dance center.
It all began 13 years ago, when Hampton and Roland choreographed Carmina Burana on commission for the Portland Opera, at the behest of Christopher Mattaliano, who later became the opera’s general director.
Paired with Pagliacci, Carmina Burana was a triumph. Oregonian writer Catherine Thomas called it the hit of Portland Opera’s 1996-97 roster; Portland Opera’s own description dubs it “one of Portland’s all-time favorites.”
Hampton and Roland, along with five other dancers, created BodyVox to build on that success. “It’s the piece that started the whole ball rolling,” says Hampton. “It will always have a special place in our history and at the heart of BodyVox.”
Eric Skinner, one of BodyVox’s founding members, says about dancing Carmina Burana: “It’s a really amazing experience, to be there with all the voices [of the opera singers], with the live music, and to have this raw, physical energy of dancing.”
Over the years, Portland Opera’s production of Carmina Burana has been presented by other opera companies including Atlanta Opera, Opera Omaha and Minnesota Opera.
“It had a really long run … which shows that it’s a piece that has a lot of strength and truth to it, and that it still resonates for audiences,” says Hampton.
Now, for the first time since 2000, Portland Opera is bringing Carmina Burana back to the stage, at the end of this month. The production marks the beginning of the opera’s 46th season.
When they’re not rehearsing with the opera, BodyVox dancers are learning choreography for a new holiday show.
Hampton and Roland are too savvy to compete with the beloved performing arts productions centered on December’s monster holiday, such as The Nutcracker and Do Jump’s long-running holiday show. Instead, BodyVox is creating a Halloween show.
The company had been talking for a while about doing a Halloween show, but they knew the time was right when the perfect moniker for the production came up during a planning meeting last year.
Someone in the meeting said a Halloween show could be called “BloodyVox.” “Everybody started laughing,” says Hampton. “Since we had a name for it, we knew that we had a show.”
Although BloodyVox is still a work in progress, Hampton can say that it features moments of dark humor and absurdity. Choreography is by Hampton and Roland, with contributions from Skinner.
One of Skinner’s contributions is a duet with him and Hampton, a previously choreographed dance that “we’re going to spook up a little bit,” says Skinner. Skinner is also creating a new piece, featuring a creepy clown named Krebby.
Skinner confesses a fear of clowns that has plagued him since childhood. He says: “I used to have these awful nightmares … a spooky clown was putting a ladder up to my window, jiggling the window and trying to get into my room. I’ve hated clowns ever since then.”
Scary clowns aside, BloodyVox is being advertised as a family-friendly show that leans toward the eerie and spooky, not the horrific.
Even Skinner, who claims Halloween as his least favorite holiday, thinks thatBloodyVox will be a fun show. He says that BodyVox fans are already abuzz about it: “They know we do funny and offbeat things; they’ll be very curious to see what we come up with to celebrate Halloween.”
If BloodyVox is a hit, Hampton is open to producing an updated version next year. He adds, “This is version 1.0. We’ll see where it goes.”
Skinner expands on the project’s potential: “If it is popular, it could turn into one of BodyVox’s annual shows … a BodyVox kind of Nutcracker, which tends to be the bread and butter for a lot of companies.”
It’s this kind of forward thinking that keeps a dance company in business in an environment where producing interesting and high-quality art is rarely enough; company leaders also need to consider the realities of the market and determine how they can stand out in audiences’ minds.
Hampton and Roland have proven adept at remaining relevant to their audiences, year after year. They’ve not only kept BodyVox alive but also kept it quirky enough that it seems perfectly appropriate for the company to celebrate its 13th year with a bloody Halloween show.
“That’s one thing that’s awesome about BodyVox: We’ve worked hard, we’ve played hard,” Skinner says, in reference to being with the company since 1997. “It’s a really special company to be a part of.”
Portland Opera perform Pagliacci/Carmina Burana, featuring BodyVox in the latter opera, Sept. 24, 26, 30 and Oct. 2, Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St. Tickets start at $26. Visit portlandopera.org.
BodyVox presents BloodyVox Oct. 21-23 and 28-30 at the BodyVox Dance Center, 1201 NW 17th Ave. Tickets start at $20, at bodyvox.com.
