Rachel and I had dinner at Portalis before heading to On The Boards for the Boyzie Cekwana show. Ballard is a bustling place to be and to be seen in Seattle because of new business like Portalis, a restaurant and wine shop. The restaurant space is beautiful… it feels cozy and quaint with it’s exposed brick wall and an inviting bar. The racks of wine for sale in back add a nice touch to this space.
We shared the Warm Yukon Gold potato salad w/ pancetta & watercress, the Roasted free-range chicken sandwich w/ pesto, fontina & fresh spinach, and the Charcuterie plate featuring their house pâté, salami, and proscuitto. I really love restaurants that include mustard on their charcuterie plates. No fuss preparation or presentation with simple ingredients resulted in perfection.
My glass of Hartford Court 2000 Seven Bench Vineyard Pinot Noir from Carneros, California was exactly what I wanted. It’s softer and fruitier than the most Oregon Pinot Noirs that I’m used to. Rachel also enjoyed her glass of the Ben Marco 2003 Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina.
The only let down of our dining experience is the service. The service wasn’t necessarily bad – it was missing. I waited 5 minutes for one of the 2 bartenders to take notice of me before I finally approach one for a drink. It wouldn’t be unusual if the bar was packed but it wasn't. Both bartenders were hanging out pushing wine glasses back and forth. I was a bit surprised considering patrons that sit at the bar do so because they want quicker service and often like to chat up the bartender.
Off we went to On The Boards for The Boyzie Cekwana. The show consisted of two dance pieces, Rona and Ja’nee.
Rona traces the roots of African spirituality. It’s a haunting piece performed by three dancers that blend Butoh, classical dance and South African rock art.
Completely different from Rona, Ja’nee is a powerfully charged piece addressing the issues that plague post-apartheid South Africa, including AIDS, rape, violence and child abuse. The eight dancers yell, stomp, and dance across the stage creating a chaotic yet controlled piece. I was hypnotized until two dancers fully undressed to revel naked bum. Then I wondered… are we going to see a naked dick jiggle? And yes we did. I still don’t understand why we had to see naked dick jiggle across the stage in Forced Entertainment’s Bloody Mess. I do understand why naked dick is incorporated in Ja’nee but is it necessary? Or do contemporary male dancers secretly enjoy being exhibitionists?
