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MoToR/Dance

Water in the kettle film available now.

MoToR/dance’s first evening-length production, Water in the Kettle premiered February 2023 to Sold Out shows and rave reviews, so the ensemble restag ed the show twice in the 23-24 season: at Manny’s in the Mission, and back at Rhythmix in Alameda. Artistic Director Evie Ladin’s b ody music choreography (harmony singing, body percussion, rhythm dance), illuminates the maddeningly recurrent struggles of modern women, and the country, with intention, humor, and connective rhythm. We put water on to boil when we organize, commiserate, work, celebrate, refuel. The multigenerational ensemble – women raised by feminist mothers, still fighting the same fights – harmonizes over polyrhythmic body music, “I just might soak it up and some.” Put some water on, we have a lot to discuss.

RENT or BUY  the Edited FILM

More About WATER IN THE KETTLE PHOTOS & VIDEO: Dean Bosche/Outdoor Fi

A dynamic, exciting work for…an unbelievable ensemble. – Joanna Harris, Bay Area Stringer

All evening new sounds and rhythms are introduced, our bodies a seemingly endless source of possibilities in the hands of Ladin and her collaborators. – Jen Norris, Dance Reviews

The performers demonstrate a virtuosic command of the interplay between physicality, rhythm, and musicality to poke, prod, interrogate, and propose perspectives on what it means to be a woman—often with a delightful dose of dry humor   – Molly Rose-Williams,  Life As A Modern Dancer

Motor/dance films

about MoToR/dance

Evie Ladin’s all-female percussive dance company MoToR/dance explores the complete expression of the sonic body in space. Inspired by the vibrant International Body Music scene to workshop complex physical rhythmic independence with world rhythmic systems, Evie created MoToR/method: unique interlocking percussive dance arrangements with layered vocal harmonies and large group choreography in a powerful moving choir.

Stunning work and performing, as always, with such integrity and artistry.  – Randee Paufve, Producer 8x8x8

MoToR/dance works harmonize Appalachian and related songs layered with African-diaspora rhythmic systems, elucidating elements of this tradition’s genesis.  The large ensemble works are evocative and moving works of music/dance, and resplendent dance films.

MoToR/method challenges dancers physically and intellectually on precision and expression, breath control, tone, musicality; while developing ensemble and personal rhythmic/harmonic solidity. Pushing the envelope in Body Music and Contemporary Dance, company members and audience remark that the work is singular in its visceral power and integration of systems, exceptional in drawing audiences into shared human experience.

MoToR debuted vocabulary at the 6th International Body Music Festival , Oakland, 2013 and premiered their first work AIN’T NO GRAVE at the famed 8x8x8 choreographer’s showcase in Oakland, 2014, where it was  proclaimed “the event of the night.”

The work was sonically recorded by Jeff Cressman (Santana), and the film directed by Mark Kohr (Green Day, Norah Jones) was selected for the 2015 American Dance Festival’s Movies by Movers and Sans Souci Film Festivals.

MoToR/dance debuted a second complete work, THE STORM, at the 2015 International Body Music MiniFest, with an ensemble of 13. Selected for the 2019 American Dance Festival Movies by Movers Film Festival  and the 2020 San Francisco Dance Film Festival, the film was sound recorded by Jeff Cressman, and shot and edited by Chafic Saad/Kind Motion (STOMP, Google). 

MoToR/dance was deep in creation for W ATER IN THE KETTLE, delving into the contradictions in women’s work in a re-feminist age, and the country’s neglected foundational notions of equality – when the pandemic canceled the year of performances. The group detoured into filming DRUMSET, a Fiona Apple song, and Evie diverted from long form plans to the 15-60 second #MoToRMonday on  TikTok and other socials. With a CA$H Grant in hand from San Francisco’s Dancer’s Group, and a Jubilation Fellowship, MoToR/dance resumed focus on their first evening-length show, and WATER IN THE KETTLE premiered to Sold Out crowds in February 2023. the ensemble restaged the work at an intimate venue Manny’s in San Francisco’s Mission District, and two sold out shows back at Rhythmix February 3, 2024, with support from CA$H and Zellerbach grants. The edited FILM of the work from Dean Bosche/Outdoor Film was released November 20, 2023, available for rent or purchase here .

Appearances include:

Sold Out World Premiere @ Rhythmix Cultural Works   International Body Music Festival 8x8x8 Choreographers Showcase Albany Bulb Dance Festival Trolley Dances , San Francisco University of San Francisco  CREATE Festival, San Francisco

Our group has been talking all day what a fabulous time it was and how entertaining the band was. You are all so much more than musicians, you are true entertainers. Donna Berry, Athenahealth

Upcoming Shows

21 sep 12:00 pm 3:00 pm Portland Recovery - Rally 4 Recovery Fundraiser

Event Details

This annual event is the largest celebration of recovery in Maine. It also serves as a resource fair and an opportunity to highlight organizations that support recovery in our communities.

12:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Edward Payson Park, Portland, ME 04103, USA

Calendar GoogleCal

28 sep 7:00 pm 10:00 pm Old Town Riverfest

Come on down to Riverfront Park and check out the food carts, beverage garden and get FUNKY as heck with MBA for a FREE show at this funktastic location!  

7:00 pm - 10:00 pm

170 Main St, Old Town, ME 04468, USA

05 oct All Day Baileyville Octoberfest - Baileyville, ME

12:00 am - 12:00 am

12 oct All Day 2024 Noyes Family Foundation Fundraiser

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Anyone who missed last year’s world premiere of MoToR/dance’s full evening-length production,  Water in the Kettle , will have another chance this year to snatch up a ticket to one of two restagings Feb. 3 at Alameda’s Rhythmix Cultural Works.

Oakland-based artistic director, banjo player, singer/songwriter, percussive dancer and choreographer Evie Ladin has created the equivalent of a masterclass in poignant and exuberant choreography and compelling storytelling. The multi-layered work speaks in response to the struggles of modern women in contemporary society.

Through polyrhythmic body music, three-plus-part harmonies and tightly woven spacial configurations and patterns, a multigenerational cast of women and additional guest musicians renders an in-the-moment experience that feels innately human, tactile and personal, but also utterly and completely communal.

In a video performance, the women’s faces at first are reserved and focused, as if the marvelous sounds they make with clapping hands or by contacting their torsos and legs are created at work desks and come from keyboards. After 30 seconds, with the camera shifting, the women begin to sing lyrics. Their arms float skyward like scarves swept upward in the wind, and chins lift. A serene look appears on one or two faces.

At the one-minute mark, the women’s interactions become interpersonal and more complex, like a game of tag or a conversation occurring in physical form. Language and punctuation arrive as their black boots stomp clear, weighty “consonants.” Glances, direct gazes and smiles provide expressive messages that seem to say, “You are in this with me and I with you,” or to ask, “Can you believe this is happening, and what do you think about it?” Listening is inherent in the dynamic dialogue of this company made up of bodies in motion.

Composing the cast in addition to Ladin are Valerie Gutwirth, Keira Armstrong, Tammy Chang, Kristen DeAmicis, Heather Arnett and Sydney Lozier. Additional performers include chorus members JJ Hansen, Cynthia Mah and Linda Carr, and musicians Amber Hines (vocal, percussion) and Lisa Berman (vocal, banjo, slide guitar). An edited version of the 2023 premiere, created by Dean Bosche/Outdoor Film, is available for streaming online to audiences unable to attend a live performance.

“MoToR/dance is an ensemble of grown women, raised by feminist mothers, amazed to find ourselves still facing some of the same obstacles, especially as we come into ourselves at our most powerful,” Ladin says. “In the most creative ways, Water in the Kettle explores the complex female in a way that’s not didactic but expository, with humor, grace and tight ensemble rhythm.”

Ladin’s foundational training as a performer is grounded in Appalachian cultural arts that include percussive dance, harmony singing, string band music and social dance. Bringing these time-honored traditions into contemporary context introduces a complex blend of Black, brown and white cultures, and seeks to investigate rhythms and other aspects of sound that trace their origins to African diaspora polyrhythms.

In program notes, Ladin writes, “I have been exploring the real roots of this music since I was a teenager and realized this inherent connection. I’ve been fortunate to be able to authentically explore these traditions in very intercultural experiences, [including] with Keith Terry and Crosspulse, through the International Body Music Festivals and [the body music/percussive dance] community around the world.”

The founder of IBMF, Keith Terry, trained as a jazz drummer. His performances have been called “musical ballet” by the Wall Street Journal . His collaborations with artists such as Robin Williams, Bobby McFerrin, Bill Irwin, Turtle Island Quartet and Ladin have raised the art form’s visibility.

“The 12-member cast has been the same since the start,” Ladin says. “Everyone is committed to this show and finds great pleasure in the opportunity to perform it as often as we have. Dancers tend to work for years on work that is only performed a few times, and I balk against that model! The complexity yet accessibility of ‘body music,’ plus the emotional and intellectual impact of the production, is deeply satisfying for the cast and the audience.”

The International Day of Body Music is celebrated annually on the first Sunday in February—on Feb. 4 a free, interactive Body Music workshop/jam led by Ladin, Terry, Bryan Dyer and Jim Santi Owen will guide and encourage people of all levels to clap, step, sing and “play with their human instruments.”

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