Dulcinea Langfelder & Co. just returned from its 4th tour to Newfoundland, opening the 24th edition of the Festival of New Dance with their acclaimed production Dulcinea’s Lament. During her stay in St. John’s, Dulcinea directed a professional workshop, followed by a « meet the artist » session with the public.
Like Watching Fire Being Born, by Gloria Hickey “With a powerhouse performance, Dulcinea Langfelder and her well-oiled machine of four conquered the audience’s hearts and minds. They were impressed with her sheer energy, the scope of the program and the visual impact of the staging. Make no mistake about it Dulcinea Langfelder is a force to reckon with. The audience leapt to their feet with a standing ovation and buzzed during the after show reception, “when can we see her again?” […] When I sampled the crowd post show for reactions I was greeted with enthusiasm all round. One man described the ravishing impact of the show as, “it was like watching fire be born””. Read the entire review.
Lament of Dulcinea, by Monique Tobin
20 years or more ago I was lucky enough to attend Langfelder’s Portrait of Woman With a Suitcase and I can vividly recall moments of that performance – resonant images of eloquence and pathos.
Dulcinea’s Lament, Langfelder’s quixotic rove, begins with the offering: “I will try to amuse you… we are, after all dealing with a muse.”
Indeed. Beginning with a ‘Greco-Bretchtian-Multimedia overture,’ amusements beget amusements, as do the lifting of veils, the animation of sacred idols, the ravelling and unravelling of silks in a maelstrom of narcissistic curiosity, the fetishism of idolatry, the elevation or reduction of the feminine to bawdiness or virtue in a dance of dream-like confusion. […] To Don Quixote’s translucent puppet frame Dulcinea declares: “To hear you talk, no one can believe I exist.” […] who am I then? A whore? A forbidden love? A star?… a symbol? And so Langfelder draws the performance to its inevitable confrontation – the heart-to-heart necessary […] Hers, not a conversation, of course, but a monologue of forgiveness.” Read the entire review.
Langfelder’s Complaint, by Emily Demming
“…an interdisciplinary work of art that not only takes on one of the most significant pieces of literature in the western canon (and much of the history of the world and the conflicts in it for at least the span of the life of that book) but also incorporates dance, singing, written text, poesy, puppetry, videography, animation, live music, and a shifting backdrop of silk and screens projected on by mobile and shifting projectors.[…] Visual Artists of St. John’s, Writers of St John’s, Film Makers, Musicians, Theatre technicians, Comedians, Storytellers, WHERE WERE YOU LAST NIGHT? You missed something large and small and visceral and fleetingly present in our town.” Read the entire review.
