Review Fix Exclusive: Gus Solomons, Jr. Talks ROLY POLY PRODS.

Review Fix chats with Gus Solomons, Jr. who discusses his role as choreographer in Janet Bentley’s Roly Poly Prods.

About the Production:

ROLY POLY PRODS. RIDES INTO PLANET CONNECTIONS THIS SUMMER WITH HORSE, RUNNING JUNE 17 @ 9:15 PM; JUNE 18 @ 8:15 PM; JUNE 23 @ 5:00 PM; JUNE 25 @ 6:30 PM; JULY 1 @ 1:45 PM; AND JULY 3 @ 7:30 PM AS PART OF THE 2017 PLANET CONNECTION THEATRE FESTIVITY (JUNE 12 – JULY 9) AT THE CLEMENTE, 107 SUFFOLK STREET, NYC. FOR TICKETS, GO TO PLANETCONNECTIONS.ORG.

ROLY POLY PRODUCTIONS takes us on a wild ride in HORSE, written and directed by Janet Bentley with choreography by Gus Solomons, Jr.

Skin care products work on your skin … what about a “life care product?” In HORSE, a new client brings more to the table than just a unique skin care formula. The stage is set for a product testing experiment that morphs into a hallucinogenic journey redefining reality and identity.

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Solomons: For my career to date (60 years) I have been a dance maker, usually working from movement first, and adding sound/music somewhere along the way. Like the work of John Cage and Merce Cunningham (in whose company I danced), for me the music and the movement are merely simultaneous events, which the audience will relate to each other in their own minds. Thus, most of my dances have been abstract, non-objective. More recently, I have been training myself as an actor and incorporating more of the principles of dramatic tension into what I make.

Review Fix: What makes this different or special?

Solomons: Making movement for a play with actors, not dancers, refocuses my possibilities; the movement must be based in characters’ objectives and not require the technical skill of trained dancers. I’m interested in the process of modifying and adapting my movement vision to the alternative movement skills of the actors and the available rehearsal time.

Review Fix: What did you learn about yourself through this process?

Solomons: Although I no longer have a burning need to make dances, movement is ingrained in me, both as a performer and a creator. I’m enjoying the process of working with these terrific actors, who are so willing and appreciative of what I am giving them.

Review Fix: How does it feel to be a part of something like this?

Solomons: It’s always desirable to expand the possibilities of what I do and learn new ways of deploying my kinetic experience in new ways.

Review Fix: What are your ultimate goals for this production and for the future?

Solomons: My goal for “Horse” is to create a movement palette that enhances the expression of the play and makes it visually and kinetically more dynamic.

Review Fix: What do you think your audiences will enjoy the most?

Solomons: I generally try to create something that’s true to the material, making it resonate with watchers. I never try to predict what the audiences’ responses will be, since they’re made up of individuals who will bring their own experiences to the piece and interpret through that lens — those lenses.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Solomons: In July/August, I will be dancing in a major work by Richard Siegal in Germany; in September, I’ll be dancing a new, short solo in the DanceNow Festival at Joe’s Pub; and in December, I’ll reprise my performance as the Grandfather in Isaac Mizrahi’s production of Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” for the fifth year at Guggenheim Museum’s Works & Process.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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