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San
Francisco Examiner
Capacitor's balancing act by Rachel Howard
Jodi Lomask had always dreamed of dancing in nightclubs, and not just
on the floor with the rest of the crowd.
Since founding the hip, futuristic Capacitor Dance Company in 1997, Lomask
never had any trouble landing bookings throughout the Bay Area. But the performances
weren't quite what she'd envisioned. The company would be hired as one small
expendable piece of a nightlong dance party. They'd do their almost 20-minute
sideshow, with little control over lighting or music or staging, and be swept
aside by a wave of thudding bass. Clubbers loved it -- at least for the short
time they'd actually pay attention -- but Lomask felt her artistic intentions
were compromised.
"So basically I became a promoter," she says on a recent weekday
afternoon, taking a break from demonstrating how to work rapelling equipment
levers to a silver-Spandex-suited dancer during a run-through.
"And what's amazing is that this is the second rehearsal we've had in
this venue," she says, waving her arm at the black cavern that is SOMA's
Club Townsend, where the company will perform Friday night.
"In a club gig? We'd never dreamed of being here two weeks in advance
to hang our ropes and get the dancers familiar with the floors they'll be
performing on. It's a fully integrated event -- not (just) show up, throw
on your costumes and go on for a few minutes between DJ sets. It's a lot more
work, but it's a thrill."
(continued)
