Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
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photography by Christopher Duggan (brooks); Jill Wheeler (groupMuse) "I'mInterestedInwhatrIgorousphysIcalIty candoforcommunIcatIng....wecaresomuch abouttraInIngthebodytodosomethIngjust unbelIevableandrefIned." —brian brooks characteristic of his work, test the limits of the human body. Call it extreme dance. "I've always been interested in what really rigorous physicality can do for us in terms of communicating," he explains. "We care so much about training the body to do something just unbeliev- able and refined." Growing up in Hingham, Brooks says, he was natu- rally drawn to the performing arts: "I had a very fast and strong connec- tion to dance making, and it seemed intuitive." He built sets for the drama club, took dance lessons, and choreo- graphed Hingham High shows like anythinggoesand greasedespite having no formal choreographic training. "I remember telling my mom I was going to move to New York and become a choreographer," he says with a laugh. Trips to Boston Ballet as a student at the city's celebrated Jeannette Neill Dance Studio further fueled Brooks's ambition: "A few patrons took me to Boston Ballet, and I saw Twyla Tharp's Intheupper room. I'll never forget that." Joining Brooks on the Shubert bill is dancer Wendy Whelan, whose retirement last year from New York City Ballet inspired lavish trib- utes. For the classically trained Whelan, working with Brooks was creative love at first sight. Their ini- tial encounter was at the Fire Island Dance Festival, where both were performing. "The audience just went bananas for his work, and I thought, This guy is amazing!" she recalls. Whelan also noticed him wearing his Top-Siders offstage. "And I thought, You are preppy! He's unpredictable, and his work is unpredictable." Like Brooks, Whelan has a ferocious determination to push both her body and her artistry as far as she can—not to mention her comfort level. "No nutcracker—that's over," she says emphatically about her ballet days. "I'm really determined to go forward with the new Wendy." Enter Brooks, who choreographed the dramatic duet firstfall for them to perform together. "It's a new duet unlike anything I've ever done," Whelan says. "It's something unique to me. It's so incred- ibly close-knit between the two bodies…. It cannot be done separately in any shape. I can't remember the dance alone. I need an extra body to dance with." february 28–march1.citishubert theatre,270tremontst.,617- 482-9393;citicenter.org BC Shiny happy SymphonieS Groupmuse's house concerts remix classical masterpieces and audience expectations. In the era of the Billboard Hot 100, it has become de rigueur to assume that the death of classical music is near. Hang up your harps: Katy Perry is the new Prokofev! Only it's not true—in Boston, anyway. Case in point: The Museum of Fine Arts recently released a commissioned report titled Culture Track 2014: Focus on Boston, which takes stock of the city's cultural audiences. It turns out we surpass the national average in cultural attendance—espe- cially for classical music. That's no surprise to Groupmuse founder Sam Bodkin. His organization, which the Newton native launched in 2012, uses online social networks to connect classical musicians with eager ears. A Groupmuse concert is a mash-up of cham- ber music and house party, with 20-somethings bringing the booze and the Brahms. Here's how it works: A Groupmuse can be hosted by anyone with a space and a Groupmuse account. The evening begins with a reception, followed by a performance. After the music, guests can donate to and meet with the musicians, who are almost all conservatory- trained. "By utterly reforming the scene surrounding classical music," says Bodkin, 24, "we can turn its social character from its greatest liability into its greatest asset." Groupmuse hosts events across the country and has teamed with major institutions like the Boston Symphony Orchestra and WCRB. While the organization has yet to turn a proft, it has a group of eight working for next to nothing except love for spreading the gospel of classical. "We want to encourage people to rethink the way they spend time together," Bodkin says. "And we want society to reappraise the role that great works of art can have in our lives"—all, he adds, while "partying like pros." groupmuse.com Descent, another piece by Brooks, explores the paradoxical relationships between bodies. 46 bostoncommon-magazine.com CULTURe hottest Ticket