“Lockstep” choreographed by Andrea Knowlton on the 2025 MADFest. (Photograph by Christina Massad)
In 1993, Douglas Scott created the Fashionable Atlanta Dance Fest (MADFest), meaning to showcase the variety and excellence of Atlanta’s dance scene. Throughout this 12 months’s occasion, the foyer of the Emory Performing Arts Studio was bursting with pleasure. Visitors mingled and picked up their tickets earlier than the doorways opened, after which they filed in and spilled into their seats.
About 20 minutes later, the stage lights dimmed, the gang bought quiet and Director Douglas Scott stepped onto the stage to share a bit in regards to the competition and program. This was my first time attending MADFest, and I used to be trying ahead to a brand new expertise.
Full Radius Dance carried out first — its dance Frost was choreographed by Scott. Watching them was like seeing our bodies in dialog with each other, all telling totally different components of the identical story. The usage of chairs and clapping to create extra sounds was compelling, and I discovered it each lovely and highly effective to witness a dancer utilizing a wheelchair within the efficiency. Full Radius Dance is a novel dance firm in that it options dancers each with and with out disabilities, creating inclusive and compelling performances that resonate with all who see them.
The second piece, Necromantic, was one in all my favorites of the night. Choreographed by Isa Newport, the duet started beneath a big, tan piece of cloth, instantly evoking the haunting stillness of Michelangelo’s Pietà. At first, the music was monotone as one dancer cradled the opposite, their actions subtly seen beneath the material.
Because the music progressively started constructing the dancers emerged in flesh-colored clothes. They revealed, of their dance, a strong exploration of connection, need and embodiment. By means of synchronized actions, punctuated by moments of closeness and kissing, the dancers created a way of intimacy that felt each tender and uncooked, like watching a non-public second unfold onstage.
I discovered the choreography to be mesmerizing with how in sync the dancers have been with each other. Because the piece reached its conclusion, one dancer’s physique went limp, suggesting loss of life or the top of one thing deeply felt. The material returned, gently masking the fallen determine, bringing the narrative full circle. It was beautiful.
A two-part efficiency titled Ritual and Prayer was choreographed and carried out by Haley Raye Schmitt of the Georgia Ballet, who was fascinating and commanded the stage with ease. The piece showcased robust classical approach — pointed toes, clear strains and chic lifts — blended with fast-paced, up to date motion. The efficiency was technically spectacular and visually hanging, particularly given its brief length.
Later, dancers performing Lockstep emerged in matching jumpsuits of various colours. The choreography employed ropes to evoke concepts of being tethered — to issues, folks, tasks and even our telephones. The efficiency, to me, spoke to a common need for connection whereas needing intervals of solitude as effectively. That stability might be onerous to strike in a world that’s always linked. The choreography for this efficiency was created by Kennesaw State College Affiliate Professor Andrea Knowlton and paired with a few of my favourite songs by Labi Siffre and plenty of archival voice recordings, which added to the general expertise of the dance.
Jodie Jernigan placed on an amazing efficiency in On Guilt & Clementines, which included an essay that she had ready and paired with choir music. It was fascinating to see how Jernigan was in a position to act and keep in mind each phrase whereas not lacking a beat with the dance strikes. I used to be very impressed by this one-woman present and to know that Jernigan choreographed and organized the efficiency on her personal.
The present concluded with Hope Horizon, choreographed by Gregory Catellier and Kristin O’Neal. This piece featured many dancers who have been at instances in sync and at different instances performing individually. Sometimes, dancers stared out into the viewers — or past — as in the event that they have been trying to find hope on the horizon
In my analysis, I discovered that MADFest is without doubt one of the solely professionally juried dance festivals within the Southeast. Since 1993, Full Radius Dance has introduced greater than 90 corporations and impartial choreographers on the MAD stage and has welcomed roughly 1,200 dancers and paid greater than $60,000 in honoraria to MAD contributors. The competition builds group for native artists and firms, providing joint courses and group occasions, and cultivates new audiences by way of a competition format.
Attending MADFest for the primary time felt like greater than merely observing a dance efficiency — it was an introduction to the depth, creativity and inclusivity that defines Atlanta’s dance group. I used to be completely impressed. From the emotional resonance of every efficiency to the considerate curation of the night’s programming, I left feeling impressed, moved and deeply grateful for the chance to see these performances in individual.
MADFest is greater than a showcase; it’s a celebration of creative voices and human connection. This will likely have been my first 12 months, but it surely definitely gained’t be my final. I already can’t wait to return subsequent 12 months. And subsequent time, I’ll be bringing pals alongside to expertise the magic, too.
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Jhazzmyn Joiner (aka Jhazzy) is a author, poet and artistic spirit with a comfortable spot for storytelling that uplifts group voices. She’s the editor-in-chief of Three Panels Press and leads communications at L’Arche Atlanta. With a background in gerontology, media and making that means out of on a regular basis moments, her work lives on the intersection of artwork, fairness and expression. A singer, traveler and lover of daring concepts, she’s usually deep in a playlist, scribbling a poem or wandering an artwork present, dreaming up her subsequent large mission.