MOMENTUM FOCUS:
EVERYONE’S FEELING GOOD ABOUT THE RETURN OF THIS STYLISH, JAZZY FAVORITE
Erika Overturff remembers exactly where she got the inspiration for Feeling Good.
“I first heard the song ‘Feeling Good’ in a TV commercial,” she said. “I instantly loved it, so I did a little research and found out that it was sung by Nina Simone. And then I thought, ‘Wait a minute – I have choreographed to Nina Simone before. I love her!’ It turned out that one of her songs – ‘Love Me or Leave Me’ – was the music for a solo that I had choreographed when I was seventeen! I thought, ‘Well, there’s something to this – I’ve loved it before, I love it now, let me learn about more of her music.”
The result was Feeling Good, set to a portfolio of songs made famous by Simone [1933-2003]. Erika premiered it in 2007, and in 2010 chose it for the metro debut performance of Ballet Nebraska, the company that became today’s AMB. Since then, although often requested, it has not been seen – until now, as Erika brings it back to the stage in celebration of AMB’s fifteenth anniversary season.
CAPTURING THE MOODS
“Nina Simone’s voice is just so powerful and captivating,” Erika said. “I just loved the different moods that she evokes through her music. I tried to reflect the mood of each song.
“Of course ‘Feeling Good’ was the inspiration for the whole piece. It really creates a feeling. It may not be happy-happy, but it’s joyful. I think it feels like the sun on your skin or the breeze, almost a physical feeling.
“‘My Baby Just Cares for Me’ is a little bit tongue-in-cheek. The lyrics are all about the significant other’s devotion, but then you see in the piece that it’s not quite so – so there’s a bit of humor, of playfulness to it.
“‘Love Me or Leave Me is based on the solo I choreographed when I was seventeen. Kelanie Murphy is doing a fabulous job with it. It’s very, very musical – a lot of different notes and rhythms and syncopations. We try to play with all of those in the piece, and it’s just a joy to watch her do it.
“And then we have ‘I Put a Spell on You’. It’s very moody, and in my telling, it’s a dance for man and a woman – but she’s in control and has the power in the relationship. There’s partnering, but it’s handled a little differently than we might typically expect in a ballet pas de deux.
“In ‘Sinnerman’ there’s a sense of desperation, of struggle. The four men that perform it bring a strong athleticism to the piece, but just as important is their intention and their approach to it. They really make you feel an angst and urgency. I hope that it does justice to this incredible song.
“‘Mood Indigo’ is just very playful. There’s a jazzy sense to it, and also a kind of stylized movement. It brings all of the dancers back together in a way that’s very celebratory. It reminds me of that feeling of when you hear a song you really like, and you just have to move in your seat.”
Bringing Feeling Good back to the stage has been rewarding, Erika said.
“I loved reviewing the performance videos from 2007,” she said. “I loved seeing those dancers – people that I worked with closely and had a strong bond with. The piece was created for those individuals, so it’s kind of nostalgic for me.
“At the same time, it’s also for these dancers now. Dance is a living art form. I like to learn from the wonderful things people did when it was created – and at the same time I want the dancers to be themselves, because they’re fabulous artists too. We start off emulating what was created, but then we let it be alive.”
Performances of Momentum will be at 7:30 pm Friday and Saturday, October 18 and 19, and at 2 pm Sunday, October 20, all at the Hoff Family Arts & Culture Center in Council Bluffs. Good seats are still available if you act now.
All programming is subject to change.