November 11, 2006
Dance Chicago 2006 -- the 12th annual monthlong showcase of the vast
array of dance activity being generated in this city -- is in full
swing at the Athenaeum Theatre. And Thursday night's program of "New
Moves," the first of several devoted to "all new dances
in all forms," demonstrated once again that there is a whole
lot of movement going on in this city, and that it reaches far beyond
the big, glitzy, high-priced sort of dance companies.
The 11 works presented by almost as many companies or solo artists
ran the gamut from highly polished to college dance-studio level in
terms of both basic choreographic interest and performance skill.
But when the program was good, it was exceptionally good. Here's a
look at the highlights:
• • "Riot in the Heart," Van Collins' thrilling
work for his own RASA Dance Chicago -- 11 female dancers strong --
is set to exotic music by Anoushka Shankar, with beautiful costumes
(skin-tone leotards laced with black, vinelike designs) by Collins
and Shaun Ricks, and terrific lighting by Jared Moore. An intriguingly
ritualistic work, with a touch of "The Rite of Spring,"
it has great propulsion and wonderful patterning. The piece seemed
to end twice, but this work is a real "keeper," and was
danced with tremendous verve.
• • "Remake," Winnifred Haun's work set to a
starkly atonal score by Anton Webern, was created for modern dancers
in 1993, but now has been reworked for Paul Abrahamson's Chicago Ballet
so that it could be danced on pointe. It, too, has a ritualistic feel
-- like Balanchine's stunning pieces to Stravinsky -- with the quartet
of female dancers stepping across the stage in a handsome promenade.
• • "Vignettes: Pulling Concepts From a Canvas"
is choreographer Tracy Marion's contemporary relationship tales set
to songs by the clever, rhythmically quirky songwriter Regina Spektor
and danced with panache by members of Giordano 2 and Giordano Scholarship
students.
• • "On the Rise," Chloe Jensen's work for two female acrobats and
a trapeze, features Jensen and Allison Hall as the incredibly strong,
shape-shifting performers. But the piece would benefit from smoother
transitions.
• • "Everything's Not Water," Christopher M.
McCray's work for himself and three other intense male dancers (Kyle
Terry, Chris Courtney and Brian Hare), has blistering sequences full
of a mix of macho heat and competitiveness, though it could use some
sharper overall focus.
Works by Dustyn Martincich, Valerie Alpert, Wilfredo Rivera, Brock
Clawson and Carlos Gonzales also were on the program.
The remaining "New Moves" performances are at 3 p.m. Sunday and 7:30
p.m. Thursday. Two "Director's Choice: New Moves" programs (8 p.m.
Nov. 17-18) will reprise the strongest works, as selected by Dance
Chicago's artistic director John Schmitz. For more information, call
(773) 935-6860.
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hweiss@suntimes.com
© Copyright 2006 Sun-Times News Group
