The company is still a wonderful and workable mix of veterans and newcomers. But now, most of the company is under the age of 30, and they share a physicality and interpretation that reflects the current dance culture.
Change also exceeded expectation in the reworking of Zvi Gotheiner's "Bricks." Seeing a dance without the filter of judgment formed after seeing it for the first time can be difficult. But since its premiere in 2005, the concept of this piece has been clarified and the movement vocabulary expanded. Gotheiner's typically soft, swingy style now includes a wide range of dynamics and punchy, quirky dynamics.
Glass block props are central to the concept of "Bricks." Dancers use them to build walls, which become a metaphor for the things that separate or connect us as individuals and communities. In 2005, the bricks seemed like little more than a device. This time, the walls focused attention on specific places on stage, and brought to mind significant walls in our society: the Vietnam Memorial, the Berlin Wall, the Wailing Wall and most currently the fence along the United States' border with Mexico. Fortunately, what didn't change in the piece was the structure of overlapping duets, trios and solos that segue into group movement and is the glue that holds the work together.
Susan Hadley's 1998 piece "Blue Grass" is a creative look at traditional American dance, using Appalachian and Texas Swing music. Hadley remains genuine to the roots of folk and country dance, while placing them in a theatrical context.
Much of the piece was fast-paced, beginning with a simple idea and developing into clever spatial patterns. The men's section was a moving tribute to the weariness of men who work in mines and fields. A group of three men lift and cradle dancer Aaron Wood, supporting him physically and emotionally. The last section of the piece is set to heart-wrenching Civil War music. The dancers move in and out of a circle in a beautiful dance-design of relationships. They seem to be telling their own life stories as well as a memoir of the group.
"Lyric Suite," choreographed in 1954, was dance pioneer Anna Sokolow's first masterpiece. Keeping dance history alive is an important part of RDT's mission and they did it justice. Audiences should keep that historical context in mind, or they'll be left wondering at the stylistic contrast to the other works on the program.
RDT's 'Echo'
* WHERE: Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, 138 W. 300 South, Salt Lake City.
* WHEN: Thursday; repeats tonight at 8 p.m.
* RUNNING TIME: Two hours, with five minute pauses between dances.
* TICKETS: $30, $10-$15 students/seniors at 801-355-ARTS or www.arttix.org.
* BOTTOM LINE: Since change is good, audiences should see RDT's new dancers and the effect they have on the whole.
