THE RELENTLESS JOURNEY

Jenny Peterson is eating an apple. They bite into the fruit while casually strolling the stage, reading a book and holding a clipboard. A set of cloth volcanos looms behind, with one large volcano haunting the right side of the stage. Dancers assemble in a line behind Peterson, weaving in and out of formation with deep pliés set to an alarmingly techno remix of a children’s choir song. They fist pump the air with enthusiasm.

We’ve entered the world of This Is A Drama Comedy, presented by RicketySticks Dance-Theater with Director/Choreographer Amy J Lambert. The show marks Lambert’s first production working under the name RicketySticks Dance-Theater, previously known as AJnC Dance-Theater. The ensemble performers, dressed in ruffly blue pants with layered shirts and vests, include Rosemary Adams, Rose Amlin, Lucie Baker, Kara Beadle, Ieva Braciulyte, Samantha Fabrikant, Aidan Hargreaves, and Dahlia Levine. The performance blends dance and theater, with a verbal script developed by Lambert and the performers. 

It is clear that Peterson is running the show. Clipboard in hand, Peterson selects dancers from the line. Tragically, Rose Amlin does not make the initial cut. Amlin and the other unchosen dancers grieve their outcomes, gesturing to Peterson that they would have been up to the job if selected. Meanwhile, the chosen performers climb the cloth volcano, saluting into the stage rafters before jumping into the highest volcano. They emerge at the base a few moments later. In the program notes, Lambert writes this of the scene “one day I had a vivid image of clowns jumping into a volcano, sacrificing themselves, only to crawl out from the bottom and start over again. The act of repetition, the relentless pursuit of a goal, working towards something, only to make no progress, to not have made a difference–and yet, choosing to labor again towards that same goal.” 

Lambert’s imagery is clear in the performance. The dancers make a big deal of the pursuit of the volcano, encouraging their fellow performers on their journey to the summit as though they are sending them off to a new life. The first time they arrive at the bottom it is almost surprising–the lackluster outcome of a great deal of fuss. Peterson appears to be the main driver of the volcano climbs, as the performers consistently seek her attention and to be chosen time over time.  

The Peterson versus ensemble relationship read to me as a choreographer/director versus dancer dynamic. At one point Amlin enters a verbal monologue, pestering Peterson for answers as to how she could improve herself while Peterson attempts to open a bag of take out food without being disturbed. Amlin details all the aspects about herself that could change, at one point offering to switch out her pants. Fed up, Peterson responds “Yes, it’s the pants.” Amlin then spirals into a speech about how maybe she in fact could not change her pants, as they are the only ones she’s ever seen (the cast is all wearing the same type of pants). Eventually the two come to the agreement that it’s not about the pants at all, and Amlin never learns why she is never chosen to climb the volcano like some of her peers.

We learn more about Peterson’s character when she later exclaims “I didn’t mean for it to be so lonely.” Even though she is in charge of the ensemble’s fate, Peterson does not appear to like her job. I think of a lonely choreographer missing the camaraderie that can come from being part of a larger group, her leadership isolating her from the whole. One of my favorite moments of the night is what follows–a solo where Peterson first experiences gentler movement. Instead of her former rigidity, she plays with softness, reaching a hand out to the horizon and palming the air. This movement serves as a lovely inverse of the cast’s earlier choreography, where they face the ground to perform a similar hand gesture to the floor. Peterson seems timid of this movement freedom at first. Eventually, she gives way to it while performing two forward and two back steps, circling the torso as her sternum explodes to the sky. It becomes a deep expression of letting go, and the cast collects Peterson’s belongings as a way to wish her well on her new journey. This solo is stunning in movement, but perhaps more impressive is Peterson’s ability to convey newfound joy as though she is truly experiencing it for the first time. 

Alongside Peterson’s solo, this performance contains many other flashy choreography moments. There are energetic hitch kicks. There is a jump with a sneaky jazz hand (just when you think the performer’s are going to do some run-of-the-mill arms, a playful splay of fingers pops out). Kara Beadle has a controlled roll over the feet to the floor, paired with a strikingly wistful facial expression. Rosemary Adams performs a fan kick-inversion-fan kick combo with commendable ease. Dahlia Levine showcases an effortlessly floaty attitude turn. And Samantha Fabrikant has many, many deep fourth position pliés (some with a bald eagle head on, some without). The dancing in this work is a true delight. 

This Is A Drama Comedy is a succinct work that has clearly been fine tuned over time. Lambert has an aptitude for both impressive choreography and engaging plot lines. Come for the dancing, stay for the bald eagle head, leave contemplating the choreographer-versus-dancer dynamics in your own life. 

This Is A Drama Comedy runs March 7-9 & 13-15, 2025 at the main stage at 12th Ave Arts. For more information, visit www.amyjlambert.com