Summer Sets / Summer Steps

The ongoing exhibit at Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Modern Life: A Global Art World, 1850-1950, was the inspiration for the delightful and fascinating concert Summer Sets/Summer Steps outside on the Museum steps on July 6. Patsy Hicks, Education Director, brought together two-time Grammy winner Ted Nash and his jazz ensemble from New York and the internationally-acclaimed dancer/choreographer Vanessa Isaac and the Vanessa Isaac Dance Company for a unique collaboration.

 “We often pair art forms in our programming, always starting with the curator’s vision, the exhibitions and the artworks on view as inspiration. In this case, the exhibition Modern Life: A Global Art World, an exhibition drawn from our permanent collection, invited this kind of collaborative performance resonating with the fast pace, vibrancy of color, energy, and global connections of the modern,” said Hicks. 

The performers were enthusiastic to bring Hicks’ vision to life. “I have worked with the Museum for many years and I always welcome their beautiful imaginations for projects and performances that bring together art and music. This was a special one as it involved a third discipline, dance,” said Nash.

Isaac, who has collaborated with the Museum before, said, “When I learned the composer would be Ted Nash, I was thrilled. He is an extraordinary composer and musician. The opportunity to choreograph a contemporary piece to his music felt deeply inspiring.” 

The Modern Era in art, music, and dance is characterized by a desire to be free of traditional boundaries. The expression of the art exhibit through music and dance created a fascinating, synergistic experience which emphasized the connections between these art forms as well as the freedom of expression embodied by each. Isaac described her choreographic process as she approached this collaboration: “I thought of dancers’ bodies almost as moving brushstrokes: shifting densities, swirls, sudden transparencies. The outdoor elements became silent collaborators in the creative process.” 

In a video from the Tate Modern in London called “Why Dance in a Museum?” art historian Jacky Klein traces the expression of art through dance, performed in a museum, to choreographer Merce Cunningham in the 1950s and ‘60s. Rather than being confined to the gallery, this outdoor performance was open to everyone passing by on State Street. It was magical. 

The dance performance was so smooth that the audience understood nothing of the behind-the-scenes challenge of bringing together musicians and dancers from opposite coasts who had only a few days to rehearse together. Isaac chose a recorded piece by Nash called “Palace,”which she said really spoke to her. “It immediately felt aligned with the choreography I envisioned and with my inspiration from the exhibition.”  

Nash thoroughly enjoys working with dancers, also acknowledging the challenge of creating choreography to a live jazz performance. “One thing that can be a challenge for dancers is that jazz is largely improvised and is never the same in different performances. So either the dancers have to be flexible to respond to the improvisations, or the players have to keep things very similar from one performance to the next. With this concert featuring Vanessa’s choreography, it was somewhere in between — we kept things as close as possible to the original without compromising the nature of jazz soloing. I felt it worked very well.”

And indeed, it worked spectacularly. American jazz has its roots in African music, with the call-and-response patterns found there prominently featured in jazz. Isaac’s roots in Afro-Brazilian dance and music, as well as contemporary dance, connected perfectly with the piece she chose. The meticulous balance between synchronicity and asynchronicity, between harmony and juxtaposition, in her choreography were perfect expressions of the musicians’ performance.  “‘Palace’ called me to create movement based on expansion and contraction, reaching into unseen corners, and pausing in thresholds,” she said, describing Nash’s music as “richly textured… with an electric sense of presence,” holding  “space for interpretation while anchored by a strong internal structure.”  

The program began with the music. Nash, lead musician on saxophone, and his ensemble — Ed Smith (drums), Trey Henry (bass), and Anthony Wilson (guitar), performed eight original compositions that were reflections on works in the exhibition.  As I watched the musicians, I could see them dancing as they played, their bodies and expressions responding to the notes and nuances of each piece. Rather than a literal interpretation of the paintings, the compositions left room for personal reflection by the audience about each artist who was being represented in their music — Henri Matisse, Rufino Tamaya, Kay Sage, Vasily Kandinsky, Wilfredo Lam, Claud Monet, and Marc Chagall. Nash explained, “We chose paintings that inspired us from the museum’s exhibit. My quartet picked existing compositions of ours we felt really paired well with many of the paintings.”  

The artists that Isaac chose to reflect through her choreography were Oskar Fischinger,  Pierre Bonnard, Georgia O’Keeffe, Wifredo Lam, and Mark Tobey. She explained, “At first glance, these artists are quite different in style and context. But for me, there was a subtle and meaningful thread connecting them. Their moods, colors, spatial arrangements, and energy flows became the foundation of the movement vocabulary. Stillness and motion, clarity and ambiguity, structure and spontaneity — let those dualities shape the emotional and visual tone of the piece.”

I must acknowledge the spectacular Arianna Hartanov, guest dancer with the Vanessa Isaac Ensemble. Hartanov is known in Santa Barbara for her stunning performances with State Street Ballet and Selah Dance Collective. I asked Isaac how she chose Hartanov for this performance and she said, “I knew right away [Arianna] would be perfect for this piece. Her presence, fluidity, and sensitivity to the choreography align beautifully with this work. She brings both clarity and nuance, allowing the choreography to breathe while still holding its shape.” And what an impressive collaboration it was! Hartanov is a highly accomplished ballerina as well as a skilled contemporary and lyrical dancer. Isaac is skilled in so many dance genres; her smooth-like-velvet style was beautifully complemented by Hartanov’s raw power. They were a perfectly matched duet, and I hope to see more of their collaborations in the future!  

The original costumes by Vesela Deterline, who designed the beautiful, flowing outer layer, and Nicole Thompson, wardrobe director for State Street Ballet, who designed the comfortable inner layer, enhanced the fluidity of the movements. Isaac explained, “After selecting specific paintings from the show as my inspiration, I envisioned the colors, textures, and how the fabric would move on stage.”  She collaborated with both these designers to create the perfect garments to enhance the choreography and music.

Lastly, I must acknowledge that this show was made possible by the generous donation of Starr Siegele, who established a fund at SBMA to support dance performance as part of the Museum’s programming. 

To see an excerpt of the performance, click here. For more about Vanessa Isaac and her company, see vanessaisaac.com. And for more information about Ted Nash and his ensemble, see tednash.com. For more information about SBMA’s exhibit Modern Life: A Global Art World, 1850-1950, click here.