Old standbys and new standards

Basements can be full of surprises, especially the one in Joe Chvala's magical little house in the Lyn-Lake neighborhood of south Minneapolis.

On a recent evening his was like a bustling Bohemian club, packed with past and present members of Flying Foot Forum, all furiously living up to the dance troupe's name. John Munson, Chan Poling and Steve Roehm of the New Standards jazz trio jammed in the corner, keeping the beat on piano, stand-up bass and vibraphone with their sly versions of familiar pop tunes. Costumes, set pieces, ersatz chandeliers and surplus tap shoes filled the rest of the charmingly worn red and purple studio.

Although the swirl of energy was directed toward preparing this weekend's Flying Foot Forum 20th-anniversary celebration, the raucous gathering of personalities was also like a family reunion/artistic convergence. By the time the curtain rises at the Cowles Center, nearly two dozen dancers, singers and musicians will share the stage, thanks to a longtime or newfound affiliation with artistic director Chvala, the Minneapolis maestro of percussive dance.

Among them are "fairy godmother" Zoe Sealy, who taught many of the dancers jazz and tap, plus two sets of spouses first united by Chvala's choreography: Megan McClellan and Brian Sostek and Joanne Spencer and Joe Spencer. "I should start a matching organization," Chvala said before rehearsal. "I also have a couple in Sweden that met when I was doing a show over there, so I'm good at that."

While Chvala's knack for love connections is undeniable, the native of Madison, Wis., who came to Minnesota after stints in New York City and Gothenburg, Sweden, is best known for bold dance-theater projects inspired by Nordic mythology, antic fairy tales, circus spectacle and historic events.

"His work is so varied. I'm singing and dancing and chanting," said Karla Grotting, a company member since its inception. "He's dripping with creativity. I slave over everything I craft, but it just pours out of him with no effort at all. I tease him that if he's got a cup of coffee and a chocolate croissant then he's got a show."

It's tough to capture two decades' worth of imagination-run-wild in one show, but Chvala has hit upon a fresh way to merge old favorites with new perspectives: a revue with the New Standards accompanying each dance work as well as playing on their own. Flying Foot Forum repertory selections include Chvala's classic stylized combat ensemble work "Berserks," and the opening number from "Fireball," based on the Hinckley fire disaster of 1894, set to music by Peter Ostroushko (who also will perform).

In addition, Chvala invited several choreographers (including Grotting, Sealy and Tamara Kangas Erickson and Jeremy Bensussan) to create work using the New Standards' songs. "I wanted this to be about the company and, to showcase all their talents, reacting to [this] music was the perfect way to go," he said. Chvala has performed in the trio's Christmas shows, and his association with Poling goes back several years through collaboration on a theatrical work about the Bosnian war, "Heaven," which was staged at the Guthrie and won a 2011 Sage Award.

"We cook up these kind of elaborate arrangements of pretty simple songs," Munson said, "and seeing them dance, I feel like that's what we were thinking all along. It totally comes alive -- it feels like this movement is spilling out of your fingertips."

"It's like we've got little magic wands and we're playing a video game," Poling said. "Omigod, we hit a minor chord and they jump over there! It's really fun."

After the Cowles program, Chvala, 56, will turn his attention to a new project: an "Alice in Wonderland" with audience participation. The "Jabberwocky" section, featuring vocalists Natalie Nowytski and Peter O'Gorman, will be seen this weekend, while the entire work will be developed in Northfield at Carleton and St. Olaf colleges with a Twin Cities premiere by 2014.