Anchorage Daily News

It seems someone has finally taken Billy Idol seriously.

The rocker once sang about dancing with himself; Art Bridgman and Myrna Packer are doing it.

In their latest work, the New York City artists dance with video projections of themselves.

True, plenty of dancers have experimented with multimedia. But not like this, say critics, including those at The New York Times: "Video projections have seldom been used so adroitly or with such profligate imagination."

Sometimes, it's as simple as the illusion of spinning or lifting their own video images. Sometimes, they're in sync with dozens of images of themselves, as if they've suddenly gone from a duo to a full-fledged company of clones. This can require layering up to 30 video clips.

And then sometimes, it gets complicated.

In "Under the Skin," for instance, there's a moment when Bridgman lifts his white petticoat over his head and the skirt serves as a screen so Packer's torso can be projected onto his lower half. The effects offer a new dimension to the duo's 30-year body of work about identity, relationships and gender.

"We like the idea of magic ... but we don't want gimmicks," Packer said. "In working with video, it's very seductive to want to do every video trick available to us, but it's really about choosing the video techniques that serve what we want to say onstage."

The duo will perform their latest trilogy of dance/video creations Thursday through Jan. 27 at Alaska Dance Theatre. They'll dance to live jazz and avant-garde music by Grammy-winning percussionist Glen Velez and cellist/vocalist Robert Een.

LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP

Thirty years ago, Bridgman and Packer fell in love while creating their first choreography together at a small New York City dance company. They've shared a home and work ever since.

Packer said Bridgman is the ideal dance partner because he's athletic, creative and reliable.

"I can always trust him, and it's that inherent trust that allows me to have abandon when I dance with him," she said. "Sometimes performers need to let go of technique and feel the freedom of dancing. There's a lot of joy in that for us and for the audience."

Bridgman, who came to dance as a multisport athlete, said partnering with Packer brings out the best in him.

"I'm always surprised by the choices she makes and ideas she has," he said. "She challenges me to push my own physical and creative limits."

Long envied for their partnering skills -- including Packer's ability to lift Bridgman -- they quickly learned that working with video requires an even higher level of spatial awareness and precision.

"All dancers are trained to be in the right place at the right time, but this takes it to an extreme," Packer said. "We have to be aware of our own bodies, each other, the music and the video placement on our bodies."

VIRTUAL REALITY

The duo's multimedia trilogy has been six years in the making. Bridgman had recorded himself dancing and then projected it on a wall to critique himself. On a whim, he began dancing with his video image. He asked Packer to come take a look.

"It was one of those 'a-ha' moments," she said. "I saw then that this whole concept was really fertile."

Bridgman said their process begins with the choreography, inspired by their predetermined themes and commissioned music. After that, they collaborate with their filmmaking team to find ways that technology can serve the subject matter.

For instance, in "Memory Bank," the couple wanted to ask questions about the reliability of memory. They dance behind tulle fabric, which makes the real-life couple look more pixilated than the video couple, playing with the audience's perception of what is real and what is virtual.

To further make "memory" a visual concept, they employ time-delayed video images of movements they made just seconds earlier.

"Video has tremendous possibility," Bridgman said. "But you have to be careful that you control it and it doesn't control you."

Find Sarah Henning online at adn.com/contact/shenning or call 257-4323.

ART BRIDGMAN AND MYRNA PACKER will dance "Under the Skin," "Seductive Reasoning" and excerpts from "Memory Bank" to live music by Robert Een and Glen Velez at 7 p.m. Thursday through Jan. 27 at Alaska Dance Theatre, 550 E. 33rd Ave. There will be post-performance music jams on Friday and Saturday. Tickets cost $25 for the dance program, $20 for the jams or $40 for both. Buy tickets at www.outnorth.org. (www.bridgmanpacker.org)

Learn dance moves and vocal tricks

• Art Bridgman and Myrna Packer will present a modern dance workshop with an emphasis on partnering at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Alaska Dance Theatre. Beginners are welcome. Cost: $15. Registration required at 277-9591.

• Robert Een will lead "The Moving Voice," a workshop about how voice and body relate, at noon Saturday at Out North, 3800 DeBarr Road. Cost is $10, $7 for students.

• Glen Velez and Lori Cotler will lead a frame drum and rhythm voice workshop at 2 p.m. Saturday at Out North. Cost is $10, $7 for students.