Raising the barre

In an upstairs studio tucked away at the Frances Anderson Community Center in Edmonds, Daniel Wilkins and his troupe of dancers known as Danielandsomesuper-friends rehearse their new program “Religilistic.”

Wilkins likens the work to “a trip around the world.” The numbers reflect dance traditions of West Africa, the South Seas, and the Middle East, from Sufi dancing to a Saudi Arabian hair dance, and are set to compelling, rhythmically exciting selections of world music.

Wilkins refers to these works as “all terrain dance.”

“I’ve tried to put the contemporary voice and language of dance into traditional forms through a dynamic use of ballet, modern dance, yoga and martial arts,” he says. “It’s a diverse program, all driven by athleticism and agility.”

Watching the vigorous rehearsals, one cannot miss that athleticism. Wilkins works into these traditional dances his unique, stylized slant, infusing them with dynamic street dances from pop culture, as well as the occasional classical ballet movement.

The Saudi Arabian hair dance, which was developed by women for other women and depicts a woman’s rite of passage, particularly challenges Wilkins’ dancers. “The slouch in this dance is in the face of their classical training,” he explains. “There’s a transition from the relaxed to the articulate. We’re constantly changing the texture of what the audience is seeing. And that’s interesting to me.”

A collaboration has been established between Olympic Ballet and Danielandsomesuperfriends (DASSF). Wilkins, son of OBT founders John and Helen Wilkins, founded the New York-based troupe in 2000.

A graduate of the School of American Ballet, Wilkins danced at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Returning to New York City, he performed with Donald Byrd/The Group, Suzanne Farrell Stages Masters of the Twentieth Century Ballet, and Complexions.

Wilkins is hopeful the symbiotic relationship between Olympic Ballet and DASSF will encourage the Seattle dance community to support his troupe. “OBT acts as a new training ground for our company. I hope to be able to add to this community, and to the company my parents built,” he says.

The DASSF troupe, in residence in Edmonds for six to seven weeks, is made up of artistic director and dancer Daniel Wilkins; executive director and dancer Danielle Wilkins; dancers Jennifer Banks, Artez Jackson, Joanna Keller, Maika Misumi, Selfick Ng-Simancas, and Julia Wilkins, Daniel’s sister. All bring impressive credits and diverse backgrounds to their performance.

For its visual impact, the company borrows from the Diaghilev era, employing visual designer Lyle Starr, who is quickly making a big name for himself in New York. For the fourth season, Diane von Furstenberg is designing costumes for the company.

As Wilkins and his dancers rehearse, his baby son Phoenix creeps along the studio floor, charming newcomers with his smile. At seven months, he already moves with a strength and agility that hints at there being another dancer in the family. His father holds him in the crook of his arm as he demonstrates the dances, then lays him down after the child falls asleep in his arms.

Wilkins says the dances in this program are “like prayers, or intimate stories, which tell about various parts of the world through a human relationship or a setting, such as a ceremony.”

The program also sets out to challenge the audience’s biases. “People are too comfortable with preconceived notions,” Wilkins says. “Different peoples of the world are segregated from each other. But today technology and computers have changed that. You can download photos from Bangladesh, it’s just one click away.” Wilkins hopes his dances will also serve as a global hook-up.

His program starts with fireworks. Each dancer faces a different direction, their stances symbolizing different world views. Then there’s a “phrase and reaction” dance that acts as a hand shake or introduction.

From there, the program transitions into the first dance, “Judaism,” a celebratory piece set amidst a wedding, full of inter-generational family and community, featuring clapping and joyful Klezmer music. Inserted here is a pas de deux, showing a man’s conflict between his studies and marriage.

Wilkins says he deliberately picked Super Friends as a diverse group. “My dancers’ backgrounds expands my style,” he explains. “I rely on the dancers to interpret my vision.” Artez Jackson, for example, brings his familiarity with African dance style to the African segment in the program.

In the African dance, the intense athleticism of Daniel and Danielle Wilkins, who are paired, sneaks up on the viewer. There’s an infusion of American pop elements, such as a dancing of the frug. The music, mostly from Ghana, features jubilant voices. Jackson performs knee bends with great strength, then slithers on the floor. Ballet steps appear. His body is sinewy throughout. Next, Joanna Keller enters, symbolizing a young woman being initiated into womanhood. Villagers alternately embrace and reject her, depicting the challenges inherent in coming of age. There’s an intense excitement of the male/female pairing, as Daniel Wilkins and Keller perform some movements reminiscent of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.