press | caseboltandsmith

press

"casebolt and smith (the dance duo of Liz Casebolt and Joel Smith) recounted the myth first in entertaining patter, while a video behind the stage projected classic paintings of the characters. The dancers began portraying campy Greek myth, but once a video montage of clips from “North by Northwest” and “Psycho” were projected on a screen, the dance turned into a surprisingly effective Hitchcockian Daphne and Apollo chase scene among the Partch instruments." - The Los Angeles Times, 6/18

"Liz Casebolt and Joel Smith, a pair of California-based artists who perform as casebolt and smith, premiered a piece called (the) More i see, which reflects the gender expectations in male/female relationships, aided by a record player, a long row of album covers, and several interludes of slow dancing." - The Phoenix New Times, 1/18

"...in loose pants, they transitioned to Casebolt and Smith’s specific gestures and slack-armed hops that recalled Trisha Brown." - DanceTabs, 7/16

"It’s playful, humorous and the timing – comic and dance – is spot on...if I see another piece this year that’s as much fun, I’ll be doing very well indeed. The pair left you wanting to see the whole piece, which is about as good a recommendation as you can get." – SeeingDance, 2/16

"Liz Casebolt and Joel Smith, two amiable Los Angeles choreographers who have worked together since 2006, have a mission: to demystify the choreographic process and make dance accessible. They strive to appeal, as Mr. Smith explained to an audience on Friday, to “non-highfalutin dance communities.” - New York Times 3/14

“These two move and sing and make jokes with equal aplomb, targeting the pomposity and obscurity of modern dance.” – The New Yorker, 2/14

“Year in Review: Top 10 Dance Performances of 2013” –Allan Ulrich, San Francisco Chronicle, 12/13

"[casebolt and smith], while skewering conventional thinking about dance, glide through the space with a blithe, airy quality that sustains them through the evening, and they integrate the spoken word and the gesture as well as anybody I have seen since David Gordon a generation ago." - San Francisco Chronicle 8/13

"For those who’ve suffered at the receiving end of Casebolt and Smith’s target subject, it’s like a breath of fresh air and also side-achingly funny. But it’s the clever way the pair integrate themes of gender identity/stereotyping and pose questions about artistic appropriation and the very nature of “contemporary” that add texture to O(h) and leave lots of food for thought. It’s a dance fan’s must-see." - Michael Crabb, Toronto Star 7/13

"This likeable duo from L.A. are polished dancers, and there is a charming, playful energy between them that easily transfers to the audience. They clearly have thought seriously about dance, and present their conclusions to the audience with a cheeky nod to their influences." - CBC Manitoba 7/13

"The L.A.–based duo Casebolt and Smith combine talking, singing, and full-throttle dancing with a freshness that can delight or startle an audience—or make them laugh." – Victoria Looseleaf, Dance Magazine, 6/13

"The show’s best moments combine rapid-fire quips with beautifully executed moves, inviting your brain to fire on all cylinders." -The Los Angeles Times, 1/12

"casebolt and smith are a postmodern Agnes de Milles, superimposing their gestural vocabulary with possible interpretations – and the witty range of possibilities may surprise you. At the same time as casebolt and smith lampoon theatrical conceits of contemporary dance, their self-reflexive work finds clever new possibilities in each choreographic building block." -Stage and Cinema, 1/12

"The choreography is enlightening and witty… Exploring themes of personal expression through original song and dance, casebolt and smith give a sophisticated, coherent commentary on the multiplicity of genres in dance." –Flavorpill, 1/12

"Part dance, part theater and refreshingly light-hearted, casebolt and smith’s O(h) is a welcome alternative to the dark-hued worlds of melancholia, depression and manipulative violence in which so many modern dance companies and their choreographers languish." - (Go) LA Weekly, 1/12

"It's funny, sly, wonderfully staged, imaginative, and quite perfect—even when it isn’t perfect at all." -WeHo News, 2/12

"They're clever, sometimes silly, and not afraid to talk as much as they dance." – The New Yorker, 2/10

"[casebolt and smith]…create perhaps the most entertaining, engaging and explicative dance theater on the planet." -Minn Post, 8/10

"In fact, they’re downright funny, especially when they take you inside their highly verbal means of creating a piece." -Pioneer Press, 8/10

"What I especially appreciated was how sophisticated [casebolt and smith’s] foray into dance styles, issues, foibles, politics was, and at the same time how much it appealed to the broad audience the afternoon I attended" - Linda Shapiro, Dance Critic (Dance Magazine, Gay City News) 8/10

"casebolt and smith bring intimacy and directness, and a seriousness of purpose warmly wrapped in physicality, playfulness and humour. They have the rare quality of a light, but sharp political edge in their work, which entertains as it makes you think and re-think." -What's On Northern Ireland, 5/10

"…they seem to have carved out a highly personal niche: vest-pocket dace theater filled with quick-on-draw gestural movement, self-revealing talk and quirky humor with a sense of urgency." –Eva Yaa Asantewaa, Infinite Body, 2/10

"Their comedic timing was impeccable." -The Dance Current, Vancouver, Canada, 3/08

"…you can't help but mutter, ‘How do they do it?’ They fly through the space in lifts and frisky manipulations and prattle on with such ease, that you forget it’s a dance. You don’t want the physical conversation to end." -SanDiego.com, 5/08