Reviews
“Freaky Dancer,” heavily inspired by Indonesian gamelan music, is one of two tracks on the record to feature Scottish
percussionist Colin Currie. “That piece has a hypnotic sonic quality and an amazing energy,” says Kanengiser. “Once it
hits the fast section, about three minutes in, it just takes off. It has a minimal quality to it, but it also has an incredible
groove.”
Performance Notes
A colleague once said that every composer who has a child writes a piece about toys at some stage so I'm only too glad to
support his theory. Freaky Dancer is about an imaginary toy that behaves normally when on but then perhaps has a life of
it's own once it is switched off or closed. So in the opening of the piece (tempo I) the players imitate a music box ballerina,
which then in tempo II starts to have a bit of fun. The piece alternates between these two tempi throughout as if one is
tempted to lift the box just to check nothing untoward is occurring. Maybe it is. . .
Key Performances
World Premiere
21.2.2004
Venue: Freud Playhouse, UCLA, Los Angeles, USA
Performance
06.03.2005
Venue: Sanders Theatre, Harvard University, Boston, USA
National Premiere
20.07.2008
Venue: Museo de Antropologia de Xalapa, Xalapa, Mexico