Attack Theatre's 'Locating Lucidity' takes on the impact of trauma

Samuel Long / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Christian Warner has taken on many dancing roles with heavy themes, but in 2019 he decided he wanted to create a work with himself at the forefront. He proceeded with the recognition that “our bodies hold everything for us,” including deep emotions from which the human mind sometimes protects itself.

After six years of fine tuning, he finally feels satisfied with the content.

As part of Attack Theatre’s “Locating Lucidity,” this weekend the 31-year-old artist-in-residence is presenting “WHITE HOT ROOM,” a piece that exemplifies his experience with trauma and personal journey to healing.

“Locating Lucidity,” named after Warner’s creative practices that make performers feel grounded and safe, is the culmination of the artist’s two-week residency with the company featuring nine dancers, including himself. 

Performers will greet the audience with site-specific solos developed with Warner’s practices, followed by a performance of “Beginnings,” a 2014 work choreographed by Attack Theatre’s owners and reimagined through a collaborative process with Warner. 

“To be able to open up our creative process and for Christian to be able to step into this creative process together has been really quite engaging and quite fantastic,” Michele de la Reza, co-founder of Attack Theatre and co-artistic director of “Locating Lucidity,” said. “I think what I love about the concept of ‘Beginnings’ is that we give ourselves permission to start to act, but without having to end and it opens up an opportunity to re-enter that piece.” 

The site-specific solos were envisioned as a way to celebrate and expose the process of “Locating Lucidity,” de la Reza explained. 

“They are really each performer inhabiting that creative method, diving into the little microscopic moments of what the audience will see in the next two pieces,” de la Reza said. “It’s kind of like getting a microscope and going deep into one of those moments.” 

Warner said creation has “always been with him in some way, shape or form.” When he was younger, he performed for his church in Houston, where much of his early inspiration came from the communicative aspects outside of performance. 

In 2005, Warner performed in “The Lion King,” in both East and West Coast tours, eventually joining the Broadway cast in 2007. 

“I think that’s when the gears really started turning on what the power of production can mean and just the power of storytelling,” Warner said. “Now that I’m more in the concert dance-theater world, I still hold these approaches to how our relationship to what the story is can be reflected in production, no matter what the scale is.” 

And the culmination of those approaches impacts the artists Warner works with as well. Isabella Bergamin, a company dancer at Attack Theatre performing during “Locating Lucidity,” said Warner’s methodology helps prepare the body and mind in finding entry points to creating art. 

“It’s so useful as an artist because it takes more than just a flip of a switch to turn those on and having those tools and practices to help you bring yourself into that brain space is so imperative,” Bergamin said. 

Performances are at Attack Theatre Studios, 212 45th St., Lawrenceville at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $45; $25 students and seniors; attacktheatre.com.