Part of the APAP performances, Dance Gotham is a program that offers a wonderful array of works by contemporary dance groups from Canada and the United States.
[ZOGMA]
Collectif de Folklore Urbain Rapaille
This Canadian dance troupe rocks! Musicians perform alongside the dancers on stage and make people rock along in their seats, tapping their feet to the high energy beat of this outstanding performance.
This company effectively takes traditional dances and modernizes them without losing any essence of the culture. The style of dance seems to be the European equivalent of American hip hop in the way it combines rich rhythms with traditional European social dances. Even though this choreography requires intricate footwork with complicated rhythms, the dancers remain relaxed and playful as they sway and shuffle about.
The dancers wear stiff, upscale business attire (white collared shirts, black jackets and slacks) yet the movement quality is easy-going, organic and flowing. The dancers create a multi-layered conversation with the audience in which sometimes, they playfully tease and show off and other times, display a matter-of-fact just taking care of business cool. The debate at the end is: Who had more fun, the audience or the dancers?
Arena Dances
Run With Me
Turquoise and black is the opening visual. Blue represents female and black represents male. Beautiful and bright, the grandness of the women's dresses does not disguise the powerful dancing of the females. The classic black slacks worn by the males are simple and becoming. In this work, relationship complications between genders are explored. Seeing this group of dancers move in unison is like hearing a group of people sing with perfect pitch. It is very powerful to see a company of dancers alternate between soloing with unique individuality and dancing as a group with cleanliness and perfect harmony. Together, they successfully communicate their universal message of the importance of preserving a cultural identity.
BalletX
Broke Apart
This company embodies "fierce" in every sense of the word. This contemporary ballet utilizes interesting set pieces such as barres in t position over a cross to balance and support it on the floor. The story line is spurred along by the barres shifting into a new position, which leads to a new scene. Parallel barres are made to resemble a childhood playground, in which a female duet plays in as they manipulate, push and pull the barres.
The company is stunning in its capacity for athletic movement, which is on the verge of being acrobatic. Choreographically, I am fascinated by the pedestrian-like runs that are incorporated seamlessly into some of the movement that skims and sweeps across the floor. Noteworthy technical elements include chaine turns performed on the heels of flexed pointe shoes and clean triple attitude turns that impressively repeat throughout the piece. Thank you BalletX for bringing back classical ballet lines with a modern twist!
The ballet ends with a spinning man cradling a woman. Traveling like a hurricane, they continue to spin until they spiral out of control and bang into the barres. This leaves the dancer's characters in disarray, but leaves the audience's hearts in a mood to say "hooray" for BalletX.
EzDanza
Sada
This company has appeal worldwide, which the founder's Israeli origins may have helped proliferate. This dance depicts etymology and the origin of words. At one point, the dancers literally pick on another dancer in the group. The choreography is explicitly delicious with plenty of catchy moments all over the stage to entertain a wandering eye.
Montreal Danse
Fragil
Projections of light not only create all of the scenery for this piece, but also display the internal, biological workings of human impulses. This work is filled with interesting uses of verbal expressions intertwined with dance. For example, a female dancer says "hold" before falling from a stool and then safely being caught by the surrounding dancers. Each time this action repeats, it takes on a new meaning. Is the woman requesting assistance when she firmly says "hold"? Is this a desperate attempt at regaining human contact?
In another section, two women are preparing to sit upon a stool. They are told, "you can sit wherever you want". Interestingly, the two women repeatedly sit on each other and start to slide down toward the stool when they miss it and land seated on the floor. This piece provides an intense look at how, upon closer examination, simple, everyday actions may lead to profound discoveries on deep, interpersonal subtext.
CityDance Ensemble
Scorched
These confident women wear booty shorts and slinky red tops that drape across their chests and expose the dancers' graceful backs.
The beginning movements portray teenage girl angst. Groups of dancers resemble high school cliquishness as they reject the anguished, solo dancer by not inviting her in. The choreography is filled with skipping body language.
The dancers execute a certain passe strut, a move that becomes literal when it seems to say, "Oh, that is so passe! Get with the program!".
Notably impressive is the partnering. Equality between the sexes is represented as the women take on the man's role as they partner the men. At other times, the
women partner each other, as do the men. The chemistry of the company is in part due to the interesting diversity of races and genders.
Koresh Dance Company
Theater of Public Secrets
Once again, the use of a very simple stage element, one bench, becomes the foundation for an eloquent depiction of humanity through dance.
The bench becomes representative of various themes as it continues to be utilized as the main set piece. The male dancer sitting upon it at the start of the piece seems to be trapped in a jail cell or perhaps trapped within the torment of his own mind. Could he be waiting for a loved one in a hospital waiting room? Or perhaps he is the embodiment of a pianists' fingers dancing upon the keys.
Various percussive sounds in the music such as hollow cell block clanging and various styles of piano playing aid in the different interpretations. As the dance story unfolds, we see a woman and her relationship to a man. Beautiful imagery is intertwined throughout. Concluding the dance, the pair embrace one another in an intimate portrait of companionship.
In essence, this dance conveys the working class struggle that so many people can relate to today.
Helios Dance Theater
The Lotus Eaters
This is a facinating work inspired by the classic novel "The Odyssey" by Homer. The originality and funky expressivity of this piece make it a wonderful choice to conclude the evening's performance.
iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Lea McGowan
Performance: DANCE GOTHAM/APAP
Venue: Symphony Space, New York, NY
Date: January 11, 2009
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SYMPHONY SPACE
2537 Broadway at 95th Street
Tickets $10
Order tickets online at www.symphonyspace.org or call 212-864-5400
Box Office windows are open Tues-Sun, noon – 7:00 pm
FRIDAY - JANUARY 9 - 8:00 pm
Gregory Dolbashian
Camille A. Brown
Sara Joel / Kevin Gibbs
CorbinDances
Kyle Abraham / Abraham.in.Motion
The Chase Brock Experience
Gina Gibney Dance
Sydney Skybetter / Skybetter & Assoiciates
SATURDAY - JANUARY 10 - 8:00 pm
Battleworks Dance Compan
Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company
Keigwin + Company
nicholas leichter dance,
PARADIGM
Brian Brooks Moving Company
Kate Weare Company
Nicholas Andre Dance
SUNDAY - JANUARY 11 - 7:00 pm
CityDance Ensemble (DC)
Helios Dance Theater (CA)
Koresh Dance Company (PA)
ARENA Dances (MN)
BalletX (PA)
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