FASTDANCE, performed by members of professional dance companies, production and lighting by Isaac Ben Daniels, choreographed by Ed Blee, dancing coordinated by Karen Christensen, and music by Chuirs Douglass, DJ. Every Monday, 10 p.m. at Satch's, 43 Stanhope Stree, July 25.
"Fastdance is here and live," reads the sign behind the bar at Satch's.
Fastdancing is Satch's version of interpretive dance, fashioned after the box office hit movie Flashdance.
Every Monday night, professional dancers who have auditioned to perform at the restaurant, "have a chance to express themselves in ways they can't with the company they dance wtih," explained Satch's manager George Butler.
Butler and restaurant owner, former Boston Celtic Tom "Satch" Sanders, saw Flashdance and put the concept to work at the restaurant.
And the idea looks to be a success. By 10 p.m. last Monday, the room was packed with eager patrons waiting for the 9:45 performance to begin. Seven dancers in a variety of innovative and creative routines performed for an hour and 15 minutes to a cheering and oftentimes spellbound audience.
Dancers that evening were affiliated with aJoy of Movement. The Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts, Sherry Gold Studios, Jennette Neill Dance Studio, and the Danny Sloan Dance company.
Particularly outstanding were Carlton Jones and Joe Richardson. Jones began the show with a solo to Don't Be So Serious by Starpoint. All of his movements---were rhythmically perfect. His body ease, juxtaposed with precise definition in his movements, conveyed an alluring harmony to the audience.
A Member of the Danny Sloan Dance Company, Jones danced in the New York production of A Chorus Line and Dancing.
Dancing a second routine with Wyatt Jackson, the duo pleased the crowd in a skit that suggested electrical energy running from a nearby spotlight into Jones' ody and then into Jackson's, through the element of touch. The dancers moved in a high tech, robot-style that metamorphosed intoloose, curvacous bends similar to those of an eel moving through the depths of the ocean. Both Jackson and Jones spun on their backsides and danced on their hands to the audience's delight.
Sixteen-year-old Joe Richardson from the Elma Lewis School treated patrons to some incredible footwork and crazy legs. This young man is so limber and loose that you can see themuscles ripple through his body. Most impressive about him, however, ishis ability to so effectively combine mime and dance. Richardson performs with the Unique Dominos at 9 Landsdown Street and at the 777 Club in New Hampshire.
Joanne Nelson of the Sherry Gold Studio and Karen Christensen from Joy of Movement danced solos which leaned more to the erotica with a flair for disco in their interpretations. Both dancers need to express more control in their form and precision in defining their movements.
Beth Hirschhaut, a teacher at the Jeannette Neill Dance Studio and Jodi Rubin, also an instructor there and a member of the dance company, performed a routine about a doctor and a vamp having cocktails at a restaurant. Karen Christensen played the waitress, Hirschhaut, the doctor, and Rubin, the vamp. All three danced furiously, showing off their jazz techniques to Donna Summer's She Works Hard for the Money. Jodi Rubin performed an exceptional solo in this routine.
For a $3 cover, fastdancing at Satch's is one of the best buys in live entertainment on a Monday night. Watching professionals give us a taste of some new and creative movements in this setting is fantastic!