As an antidote to the seemingly endless torrent of song and dance competition shows on television every week, parents should take their kids to see Ririe-Woodbury’s family program, "Kaleidoscope," featuring the work of Alwin Nikolais.
There’s nothing wrong with competition, but a balance couldn’t hurt. This is a performance where audience members gasp in awe of the performers, instead of screaming out their names for votes. It’s a performance enjoyed in the majestic turn-of-the-century architecture of a downtown landmark, the Capitol Theatre.
Review: Ririe-Woodbury’s ‘Kaleidoscope’
A performance families can enjoy that will spark conversations about art and dance.
Where » Capitol Theatre, 150 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City
When » Reviewed at dress rehearsal Thursday, Feb. 2; continues through Feb. 4; 7 p.m., with a 2 p.m. Saturday matinee.
Running time » 90 minutes
Tickets » $30; $15 students, seniors; 801-355-ARTS, arttix.org.
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And, honestly, how many American masters in any art form produce work accessible enough to mesmerize a theater full of kids?
The school show is 55 minutes with brief narrative interludes from Ririe-Woodbury co-founder Joan Woodbury. There’s no need for a script: She and co-founder Shirley Ririe were students and friends of Nikolais, and this material is so close to her heart it rolls quite naturally off the tongue.
Evening performances run 90 minutes, and each year Ririe-Woodbury adds a new reconstruction of a Nikolais work. "Gallery," circa 1978, premieres this season and includes all the shape-shifting illusions and technological effects the seminal choreographer is known for.
Nikolais, who was born in 1910 and died in 1993, is recognized in dance history and literature as one of the innovators who incorporated the drama and color of theater into dance works. Seeing this on a family outing or a school field trip offers an opportunity to discuss the changing world of art in the 20th century as well as enjoying an outing. On the other hand, the advantage of attending the Ririe-Woodbury full-length evening performance is recognizing the artistic arc in Nikolais’s choreography and experiencing it not as just spectacle.
I have always viewed Nikolais’ work from a seat on the floor of the theater. This time, I sat in the front row of the balcony and it was a pleasure to see patterns I’d never noticed before, and enjoy the reactions of the well-behaved and captivated children around me.
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