The LA based international theater company Jazzo has put together their biggest annual production and exhibited the company’s work on December 19th 2015 at Mimoda Studio. Conducted by Yasha Jacob Michelson, the company combines acting with movement and live music to create a unique theater experience. There were classically trained ballet dancers like Julianna Bulgarelli, Ottavio Taddei (also an actor) and Clarence Windel, as well as an amazing opera singer and well-known actresses Carina Haller and Nathalie Birmenns. With such a range of talent combined, the show was bound to be a success. Jazzo is the residant company at Mimoda Studio and has cast members from all over the world (Brazil, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, etc.).
There is no plot, no real story being told, and yet, the performers were able to create moments of storytelling that felt like a dream or a memory. The synchrony between the performers is perfect as they followed the lead of Yasha Michelson in creating deconstructed forms with their bodies. This show was remarkable. The dance sequences with Mr. Taddei were stunning. His elegance and grace were captivating and he continued to mesmerize with his acting in the second half of the show. There was a moment when some actors were sat at their own desks with a few props and the mini scenes they created with them were phenomenal. There were four scenes happening simultaneously on stage, each lead actor (Carina Haller, Ottavio Taddei, Nathalie Birmenns and Clarence Windel) were sitting in front of a desk with a few props that they interacted with. Each one of the scenes was so well designed and executed with the rest of the cast that it was like magic for the eyes.
Mrs. Haller, who also dances, caught my eye with her magnetic presence and the quality of her performance. Mrs. Birmenns’s funny characters reminded me of Commedia del Arte and clown work, but in a whole new form. Yasha Michelson’s bodily freedom is wonderful, he calls himself a non-dancer, but he certainly has developed a way of moving that is his own and wonderful to watch.
Mimoda Studio is a busy center for the arts with weekly events in theater, dance, music and cinema. To learn more, visit www.mimodajazzo.com
