Since its inception, CBDC has been on track to conceive and create work that is produced at the highest possible quality. CBDC is following a vigorous and specific trajectory in which full-evening concerts, festival participation and consistent rehearsals with the company keep the organization in constant pursuit of excellence. Ms. Brandle has garnered four consecutive glowing critic’s choices from the Chicago Reader’s Laura Molzahn for her previous evening-length concerts, “In the Eye of Stillness”, “When Water Falls” , “The Numb Project” and "The Relationship Project".
CINDY BRANDLE DANCE COMPANY~ Cindy Brandle says she often sits up at night holding her two-year-old child and thinking. Or, more accurately, worrying--about the state of the world and her daughter's future in it. Brandle's hour-long In the Eye of Stillness presents an abstracted view of what she sees as the chaos of contemporary existence. Divided into eight sections, it isn't nearly as chaotic as you might expect, often coming across as a sort of ritual: candles are lit and extinguished, and the seven dancers are dressed in flowing black like priestesses. The "chaotic" sections are actually quite exciting, set to electronic music that seems to include the buzzing of machines and the hissing of steam heat. Brandle--who was co artistic director of the Chicago Moving Company for five years but recently formed her own troupe--has a good feel for movement on or close to the floor, and she makes imaginative use of the proscenium stage at the rear of the Hamlin Park space. The song she sings in the seventh section, "Chaos Sleeps," about breath being restored, gives the piece additional structure and sets up the mysterious but hopeful ending. (December 2005)
CINDY BRANDLE DANCE COMPANY ~Cindy Brandle's new hour-long piece, When Water Falls, begins on a melancholy note: standing in the dark, seven dancers sing a dirge like variation on "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." But it ends buoyantly, with the performers leaping in and out of colorful kiddie-style life preservers. Brandle--who dances, wrote the work's two original songs, and does most of the singing, expertly shifting keys--says that though each section is devoted to a different body of water, she didn't aim to reproduce the movement of each type. The section called "The Falls," for instance, uses a short set of stairs, but the choreography is measured, not rushed, and ultimately conveys a sense of serene, cyclical renewal. Using repetitive electronic music in addition to live singing, When Water Falls has a meditative effect and emphasizes the continuity and interdependence within and between the natural and human worlds. (December 2006)
CINDY BRANDLE DANCE COMPANY~ Six dancers stand quietly, and then each brings a hand to her shoulder, the fingertips floating up as if beckoning us. Moving in unison, they slowly rotate from the waist to look behind themselves -- in effect retreating after inviting us in. This is one of several thoughtful motifs in Cindy Brandle's new hour-long The Numb Project, in which she asks, "How much can we absorb before we become numb?" Questioning our humanity and compassion in the face of horrendous global and local events, the dancing feels remarkably calm -- though Barry Bennett's score elicits plenty of anxiety with its traces of moaning wind, labored breathing, and urgent whispers. The most measured movement of all comes from the seventh dancer, Brandle herself, who's often physically distant from the others: at times she seems a magisterial presence, blessing or guiding the others. Yet she says that she "is the numb." The piece also features video by Greg Gerhard, photos by Peter Holderness, and elegantly raggedy costumes by Jamie Breeck. (January/February 2008)
CINDY BRANDLE DANCE COMPANY ~Dancer/choreographer Cindy Brandle has a great feel for slow, solid, grounded movement. It's revealed in the brief, retrospective video on her five-year-old company that opens this performance--and also, fittingly, in The Relationship Project, her farewell to the city after 16 years here. The new, 50-minute quintet is filled with such moves, sometimes repeated verbatim from earlier works and often intricately passed from one dancer to another to create a sort of domino effect. Integrating her movements as seamlessly as a tai chi master, Brandle sets herself apart from the other four dancers; she develops a mature, melancholy persona whose gravity contrasts with their sprightly solos. Cello music by Zoe Keating and Joan Jeanrenaud adds to the seriousness of Brandle's heartfelt, often sorrowful good-bye. --Laura Molzahn (June 2010)
Here is what our audience had to say about The Relationship Project (2011) at the Boudler Fringe Fest....
Ashay says:
I love how you open the show playing your guitar and the video is beautiful. Amazing choreography with beautiful strong dancers. A must see show!
This was Amazing! I can hardly believe the amount of effort & grace & attention obviously poured in to it..and the groundedness & presence of you and your dancers was moving. Thank you so much. Beautiful. Congratulations!…
Now Everybody go check it out!
You know how after you’ve seen a magnificent film or attended a great concert you can’t sleep because you keep replaying it in your head? This performance was hauntingly beautiful like that. It transports you to another place. The choreography, dancers and the music were incredibly lovely. This show–and Cindy Brandle Dance Company–have just landed Boulder on the dance map. Chicago’s loss is now Colorado’s gain. The only disappointment was the minimal attendance. Could be because it was Sunday. Could be because “Fringe” sounds too out there? I don’t know. I just know that this performance was gorgeous and meant to be shared. Go. Then tell your friends. What’s next, Cindy?
Cindy’s vision is a heartfelt, visceral and very well put together piece. It kept me wanting more and more! I didn’t know how to clap at the end, I was in such awe! The choreography was thought provoking, well executed and felt!! I love the video that was shown in the beginning!! I think it was the best dance performance I have ever seen!! I am a modern dancer myself and when I got home I was filled with its essences so much that I danced in my front lawn for quite some time!! A MASTER PIECE!! I wish I could give it 10 stars **********