When dating meets dancing

Attack Theatre captures the world of romance and chance encounters in its newest production, Someplace, not here. The fast-paced, provocative dance show opened last weekend in Bloomfield and runs through Friday.

“It starts with the end of an evening at a bar,” said Peter Kope, co-director and co-choreographer of the piece, as well as one of the five dancers. “[After that] there is a flashback from earlier that day of three people preparing to go out. They’ve all been trying to find different ways to connect with people, and they find that they received the same message.” Obeying the message, all of the dancers end up at the “A-Bar” wearing green scarves, adding an element of confusion conveyed through the expressive choreography.

Through dance, the characters show not only their excitement about meeting someone new, but also jealousy and frustration, not to mention inebriation — they are at a bar, aren’t they? The

choreography is spectacular. Dancers are constantly weaving in and out of one another, wrapping their legs and arms around the other characters to convey sexuality and attraction. The performers also made use of the green scarves, wrapping them around each others’ waists, pulling each other close and propelling each other to the other side of the stage.

Accompanying the production was the Pittsburgh band Local Honey, whose lyrics, Kope said, “largely inspired the dance.” As though they were truly out on a Saturday night, the dancers responded realistically to the music, clapping at the end of each song. At one point, lead singer Becky Corrigan even asked the fictional bartender (played by Patrick Jordan), “Could I get a shot of Southern Comfort?” The live music helped reinforce the bar scene, and the mood even extended into the audience. It’s unusual to see interpretive and jazz dance performed to country/rock songs, but it worked seamlessly.

Other elements used in the production, like a live video of the dancers projected onto a screen behind them, made the production modern and fresh. The script also contributed to this contemporary feeling by referencing new technologies like e-mail and text messages, which also added to the humor of the show (particularly in a choreographed number about spam).

Not only is Someplace, not here a fabulous example of dance theater, it also incorporates the feelings of anticipation and curiosity familiar with meeting someone new for the first time. The choreography, paired with Local Honey’s rock music, conveys these emotions in a fascinating way through the theatrical arts.