From December 9th-11th HERE Arts Center presented a collaborative performance of the band, The Mural and the Mint of Philadelphia and Nichole Canuso Dance Company.

The intimate performance space is transformed into a candlelit haven with dozens of jars hanging from the ceiling with flickering light inside, a bicycle wheel dangling above the drums, a guitar stand nestled against the piano.

This busy atmosphere is quickly taken over by musicians and dancers, interweaving their art forms to create a fun, loud, yet peaceful indie-rock concert splashed with soft yet deliberate abstract movement. The six dancers, donned in shades of white, start by simply stepping together and apart. One at the end of the line turns their head to look at the dancer next to them.

This sense of interconnection is what gives this multi-art show its charm. Whether interacting with the audience by handing out candles or grapes to hold, the musicians serenading the moving dancer in front of them, or the dancers using all parts of the space (including the walls) as a springboard for movement, its seems every relationship, every crevice of the space and every creative possibility is explored.

Different songs entice different movement and vibes. A great group section occurs as the dancers, clumped downstage, place their hands in front, arms bent at the elbows, only to reach upwards and move their fingers as if tickling the air. A meditative feel takes over as the space cools in a blue light, dancers pacing in circular paths to the steady drum beat. A memorable movement sequence is when one female dancer moves another’s arms, a puppet master of sorts. As she bends the dancer’s arm, they both pause to peer at each other through the triangle window her arm created.

The movement in this performance is similar to that of water when a pebble hits it. There are sharp moves that create soft reverberation, allowing the audience to really see the movement. A solo dancer shows this in particular as she looks at her right hand, slaps it, sending her torso into a bending, body roll back to standing. The movement is odd and has an aire of self-deprecation. Appropriate as Co-Director/Songwriter, Michael Kiley, softly sings his touching lyrics, “I need you to love me when it’s hard to love me.”

The presence of live music and musicians amongst the dancing worked extremely well. The music itself, the power of the lyrics, left great room for dance to take part and interpret and echo the feel of each song. Seeing the musicians perform was a whole other choreography of its own – the drummer spinning the bicycle wheel to let the metal rod clink against the spokes, the in and out of character, performer to background musician for dancers.

The Mural and the Mint offer free music downloads on their website, which is definitely worth checking out –  http://www.themuralandthemint.com/  As the Eyes of the Seahorse doubles as a name for this performance as well as the band’s newest album.

For more information on other projects the Nichole Canuso Dance Company is involved with as well as upcoming shows please visit their website at http://www.nicholecanusodance.com/

-Jennifer Thompson