GRAY RAIN
GRAY RAIN is a sound score commissioned by Gus Solomons jr for his piece GRAY STUDY performed by the dance company PARADIGM with Carmen deLavallade and Dudley Williams in 2000.
The composer attended dance rehearsals and began to respond to the movement with her voice. With the exception of the drone and strings, most of the sounds are generated by the voice or body. For the 2002 performance at the Joyce Theater NYC she performed her "9/11" whisper text live with her recorded score. Engineer: Jim Poupoulis
The Critics Write
of Gray Study
Reviews of Judith Ren-Lay's Sound Score for "Gray Study"
Gus Solomons jr, artistic coordinator of the event, danced his "Gray Study" with life-long compadres Carmen de Lavallade and Dudley Williams. All three served a heaping helping of fierce diva, singeing the stage with understated charm while simultaneously poking just a little fun at themselves and at a certain school of deadpan postmodern high art seriousness. Solomons's brave composition initially limited itself to a simple walking pattern, but an occasional lifted eyebrow or pursed lip hinted at the charisma hidden under each of the trio's trench coats. Judith Ren-Lay's ululating score provided a separate layer of incongruity. The piece's final image of three oddballs letting loose and getting funky dangled as a dare to preconceived "proper" 40-plus behavior Chris Dohse DANCE INSIDER
"The strongest interpretation of the evening came in a piece by [Gus] Solomons jr, featuring Carmen deLavallade, the choreographer himself and Dudley Williams. In Gray Study, the three dancers ominously prowled and marched in long gray robes designed by Nancy L. Johnson, based on a concept by Eva Tsug. All three performers are experienced artists with wide modern-dance backgrounds and magnetic stage presences, and they made their characters' enigmatic actions hypnotic. A taped score of sighs and wails by Judith Ren-Lay contributed to the sense of mystery." Jack Anderson NEW YORK TIMES