Leslie Friedman starred in a solo concert, "Story Dances and Jazz," featuring the world premiere of "Meeting Brook Benton" on June 10 at 3 p.m., Veteran's Building, Green Room, San Francisco.

 

"Meeting Brook Benton" was a theatre dance piece in which Leslie Friedman shared her personal experience while intertwining story, dance and music in nine separate movements.  The dance was both abstract and personal, and the music was classical jazz.  Leslie wore a short red velvet costume and mixed several different genres--soft shoe tap, modern dance, ballet and jazz.  The audience was enthralled.

 

In "Merely Circulating," Leslie Friedman became Helen Humes in a blue wool dress performing jazz rhythms in a playful style.  She exhibited the passion of a supremely talented artist. 

 

In "He Needs Me," recorded by Nina Simone, Leslie wore a ballet costume with a pink blouse and white skirt, and performed in a satirical style with jazz dance music and became a cat in front of our eyes with a great deal of humor. Her playful cat was completely original and innovative.

 

Edward Elgar's "Concerto for Violincello in E Minor" provided the background music for Leslie's "Why? Because" which was divided into two separate parts to go with two different movements in the music.  In part one, Addagio, Leslie represented a memorial statue come to life carrying bouquets of red paper poppies made by veterans.  For this Leslie wore a black costume.  In part two, Allegro, Leslie was both a man going off to war and her Aunt Ida waiting at home.  She wore a purple jumpsuit. First Leslie represented the innocents--the eager, young who see horrors they can never anticipate.  Her imagery was vivid and her movement was inventive.  "I can never think of war again without recalling this dancer who knows how to move as though she has lost her leg"--a strong anti-war piece.  In this piece, Leslie touched the full range of human emotion. 

 

Leslie Friedman's final piece was the overture, a real tour-de-force in which she portrays all of the different characters represented in Verdi's "Luisa Miller." She was really imaginative and delightful and the audience had a great deal of fun.

 

Leslie Friedman was ably supported by Jonathan Clark's rich bass baritone and Kevin Kurth on the piano. Clark gave masterful performances of songs by Charles Ives, Alva Henderson and was particularly moving in "Dedication," the song by Richard Strauss.  Kevin Kurth gave a delightful performance of Ravel's Ondine. 

 

 

Flora Lynn Isaacson