Bare flesh, broken timber, and plastic scraps are regular components of this dance-theater company, established in Philadelphia in 1998 by Brian Sanders. In what Siobhan Burke of the New York Times calls “daredevil vignettes,” Sanders and his crew climb, fly, glide, and tumble across the stage. Junk’s quirky grace reveals itself as performers move with seemingly effortless poise amid clunky props. “I like to find the dance inside each of these pieces of junk,” says Sanders. Junk’s latest production, “Urban Scuba,” is a playful nod to dumpster diving that features five performers conjuring debris into fantastical animations; a shower curtain and garage door springs transform into a magic carpet ride. “With each object, a new perspective is found; how to see something in a different way. Perhaps this leaves us closer to seeing our lives in a vibrant new way,” says Sanders. Junk performs at PS21 as part of the Chatham Dance Festival on August 7 and 8. (518) 392-6121; Ps21chatham.org.
This article appears in August 2015.
