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Choreographers are always looking for ways to expand their movement vocabulary, and recently some have taken the direct route speaking on stage. Three of the four pieces on Repertory Dance Theatre's "Passage" program employ text and one even features songs. "Korya" by the recently deceased teacher/choreographer Susan McLain was the first piece on the program, and the only one to represent a classical sense of form.
The best surprise was how strong the company looked in performance. "Korya's" flattering costumes gave the company a fit, uniform appearance, and allowed us to fully appreciate the shifting lines, quick changes in direction and alternating patterns of McClain's choreography. McClain inherited the best of her mentor Martha Graham's clarity of space and tension but her work is in no way an imitation. Her specificity of movement and line, and the layering of bodies to create depth, is distinctly different than the mostly collage-of-ideas vocabulary that followed.
Range makes any performance interesting, and unfortunately, the next two pieces seemed curiously similar. Each explored text, and consisted of mostly gestural movement, and the energy quality didn't seem to reach out to engage the audience but seemed contained as it turned inward and downward.
The strength in choreographer Satu Hummasti's "Songs I Wanna Sing To You" rested in the community she built on stage, which included an obviously pregnant Chara Huckins and additional guest dancer Chris DelPorto. Connections between dancers were created, and when they touched, it felt real. But none of this was realized through the movement, which lacked a level of detail and refinement that would make it interesting. It's difficult to use such strong and highly referential music, by musicians such as Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, and not have it over-power what is happening on stage.
The premiere work by Nick Cendese and Notasha Washington, "What You Leave Behind," also had poignant moments and some strong movement motifs, but I was left wondering why they used a personal story to generate the material but then didn't tell the story through movement rather than talking. Text either needs to be edited into poetry or have a universal or profound insight to reveal. The recent touring performance by Joe Goode Performance Group at Kingsbury Hall (on Feb. 25) was a prism of ideas about attachment that spoke collectively yet seemed to have a message that touched many viewers on a personal level.
The difference is that Joe Goode has been doing this type of work for a long time and has chosen specific dancers who act, sing and dance equally well. Placing work on a group of dancers who aren't singers, and then asking them to sing on stage, or to perform as actors though they are noticably uncomfortable delivering lines, is unreasonable.
Closing the evening was choreographer Eric Handman's "Ghost Ship." Handman has moved beyond this as a dancemaker since he premiered the 2007 work. But the piece was well performed, and even though "Ghost Ship" contained that same energy that turns in on itself and doesn't leave the confines of the stage, I view it as a place marker in Handman's career.
Dancer Toni Lugo offered an outstanding performance. She has come into her own recently and is letting us see who she really is on stage. Her movement was crisp and clear, and she was fully paying attention all the time. It feels like she wants to connect with her audience so they are equally engaged. In addition, Nathan Shaw is a performer who accesses his emotions for performances that are always believable and touching.
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Review: 'Passage'
The overall program could have been more varied but Susan McLain's classic form, and Eric Handman's evolving style, made for an interesting contrast with two text-driven, gesture-based pieces.
When • Reviewed Thursday, March 22; through Saturday, March 24, 7:30 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday
Where • Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center's Black Box Theater, 138 W. 300 South, Salt Lake City
Tickets • $30, $15 students/seniors in advance; tickets are $5 more on day of show; http://www.arttix.org, or 801-355-2787.
Running time • Ninety minutes with one intermission.