Artist leaps from Romania to Riverdale

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At a recent dress rehearsal for the Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance’s (BAAD!) “The Blockage WILL be Killerized,” choreographer Filip A. Condeescu turned his attention toward the lighting.

“You have to give more light here, right now, for when he falls,” Mr. Condeescu told the lighting director perched on the opposite side of the room.

He wanted the area brighter so the audience could see one of his dancers better when he was on the floor.

“Adjust the brightness,” the choreographer added.

Mr. Condeescu, who lives in Riverdale, also dances in the production. It debuted Saturday as part of BAAD!’s 16th annual “Out Like That!” series, which celebrates LGBTQ pride month.

In the course of an hour, Mr. Condeescu’s show blends music, dance and spoken word to celebrate the overcoming of life’s trials and tribulations. The artist describes such events at “blockages and stuckages,” opposing them with love, loss, isolation and guilt. His work combines modern dance, tango and folk-style movements inspired by his Romanian heritage. The sound track comes from Iggy Pop and Goran Bregovic, a Serbian-Croatian composer.

“I want to make work where the audience has in front of its very eyes women that are as powerful and strong as men, emotionally and physically; intimacy and companionship,” Mr. Condeescu said in an email. “That is universal, whether the couple is gay or straight.”

The performance made an impact on audience member Lamar Harris. “It was just a joy to watch,” he said. “You could feel so much even without [the dancers] saying anything. It was a really great experience.”

Yi Chen, whose friend danced in the production said, “It was a combination of the spoken word and the dancer. It’s almost like someone is animating his mind or his poetry. It was really beautiful and very emotional. It was about realness and love and passion.”

Mr. Condeescu’s work debuted a week after the shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando in which 49 people died. Charles Rice-Gonzalez, cofounder and executive director of BADD!, said the gay community gets scared after an incident like that and it is important “to find community and find other people to connect and be with.”

Mr. Rice-Gonzalez highlighted the diversity of Mr. Condeescu’s production, from the makeup of the cast to the dancing styles.

“Tonight’s concert provided people an opportunity to come together again,” the director said.

Born in Bucharest, Mr. Condeescu began studying dance at age 21 while a student at Connecticut College, where he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in dance and sociology. He later earned his MFA from California State University in performance and choreography. In 2002, he received an award for his choreography from Dance Magazine/American College’s Dance Festival.

“Through my art, I want to touch, to teach, to soothe, to heal and to enlighten. If I can achieve any one or more of the above, my purpose as an artist and as a human being has been fulfilled,” Mr. Condeescu stated.

Filip Condeescu, BAAD!, Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance, the blockage will be killerized, Lisa Herndon

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