Modern Romance

by Mychele

The first piece, "Miscible," was created by BAZ alumni Clair McHugh-Shahani. The title, Miscible, means "capable of being mixed; Soluble in each other." Clair does a nice job of applying that definition to her work.

In the first scene, five men are standing on futuristic chair-type pedestals. The women play mostly on the floor. All are wearing reddish/orange unitards. While the dancers do mingle, many of the women's movements show subservient behavior. Most of the dancing is side by side, rather than couples dancing together. When they do, Chair portrays the power struggle with romantic lifts and drags.

The second scene has a pas de due with Britt Juleen and Dmitri Kulev. While Clair mentions that in this piece the men have the power, it is the women that we are focused on. Britt appears with a light gauzy dress covering her unitards. This provides for very pretty, flowing lines and a very romantic feel. We end with Britt standing alone on a pedestal.

In the final scene, the women and men emerge and mingle. The dancers are coupled together and dance in very tight proximity. There are more lifts, but fewer drags. The final tableau shows the couples in various states on the pedestals: one pair sits together; one pair are leaning on various parts. There are different couples in the world, and each one has a different dynamic. I liked this fresh answer instead of the obvious ending we were expecting - the women on the pedestals. I would have liked to see the dancers hold the final tableau longer. It was hard to remember exactly what each couple was doing.

As for the overall work, I found it very pleasing to the eyes and ears (music by Enigma, Dead Can Dance, and B-Tribe), but not as much for the imagination. It would appear that Clair is a dancer's choreographer. The movements are pretty, and are ones that dancers enjoy performing. However, this piece is simplistic and superficial in story as it stands. I'd like to see her stretch this ideas and find more original devices, like the ending tableau, instead of relying on basic representations, like standing Vs sitting to symbolize power.

After the intermission was David Berkey's "Sentinel" a poignant piece that is known as his swan song. The composition regards two older Sentinels who are leaving and passing on their duties to two younger men. At the start, the four men stand at attention. They proceed with very athletic actions: mimicking bodybuilder poses, quick turns and high jumps. Mere technique is not the highlight, it was the underlining emotions. Anguish was quite lovingly portrayed by BAZ veteran Miguel Garcia. Mariusz Ostrowski appeared to have a harder time showing his emotion on his face, but was outstanding, as always, in his athletic ability.

All the men had a chance to shine and every one took advantage of it. It is nice to see pieces where men are not just mere workhorses, lifting the dainty ballerinas. Artistic Director Michael Uthoff warned in a lengthy pre-curtain speech that some people in Arizona might be a bit taken back to see four men dancing together. While Berkey's piece included lifts, they certainly weren't dainty. The audience, even in Phoenix, could see the genuineness in this piece. The dancers were all rewarded richly at the curtain call.

The piece that followed was performed by four women, however it was quite different. Victoria Marks created a piece that might fall in the realm of Dance Theatre. In "Dancing to Music," four women are standing in a close line across the stage. They appear to be looking for something or someone. The music begins, a haunting piece "Casting No Shadow" by Wim Mertens, and one by one, the women look up and then away, disappointed. This is repeated with little variation. As the piece progresses, small hand movements, a slight lean, the tiniest suggestion of movement captures our attention. The most important body part in this piece is the face. Britt Juleen was outstanding. We saw each unique emotion expressed to the fullest, even as the quick head movements required her to change them from expectant, to sorrow, to compassion. While Uthoff had warned this would be the most challenging piece to view, I completely disagree. "Dancing to Music" is a beautiful, minimalist piece.

The closing piece, "Transitions" by Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, garnered most difficult to watch. The story line behind this commissioned piece was supposed to be this: a young couple were about embark on another level of development in their lives. Six other "mentors" were trying to get them to go for it by pushing them to it, "like tough love" said rehearsal director Katharine Frey. If that is what Zollar was trying to convey, I never saw it.

The first act begins with the young duo performing movements similar to native African dance (Zollar is the Founder and Artistic Director of the NY City based Urban Bush Women). They begin with out music. For the novice audience member, nothing is more unnerving than watching dancers begin a piece with no music. While this might sit well with the New York audiences that Zollar is used to, most audiences don't like to be left wondering "is the tape stuck?" "Did they start too early?" Music is introduced when the first set of mentors arrives.

The second scene brought out all the mentors who continued with the very brash, flamboyant movements. One in particular that I can remember is the men jumping in a running stance. They seemed to hang forever. While the eclectic movements were exciting to watch, I didn't see them help connect the audience with the story. The accompaniment in this section included cuts of Zollar breathing. Again, very avant-garde guard though I'm not sure where it fits.

In the final scene, the duo appear to have expired. Two of the mentors lift them up, as an offering to a god. Then the mentors move there limbs, as if puppets, and eventually the duo complete the movements alone. Zollar's voice emerges in sputterings that we eventually hear as "sur en der". We end with troupe repeating hand gestures that seem to suggest meaning, like sign language, though this is never explained.

It is always interesting to see what happens when one steps out of what is comfortable and tries something completely different. Zollar has created a dynamic piece that is challenging. If conveying the message of the piece is important to her, I think the piece needs more work. If one watches the piece as "dance for dance sake", this work can stand on it's own.

The dancers also tried something new. Their dance discipline is completely contrary to the foreign moves that Zollar choreographed. Newcomer Whitney Shulman, the female part of the young duo, was outstanding. She really seemed to capture the emotion and essence of the piece. Jeremy Raia, her partner, was also good, but Shulman really seemed to be the most comfortable. Britt Juleen was the most obviously uncomfortable. It could be that her tall frame, which worked wonderfully in the first piece, was a hindrance here.

While you may have missed your opportunity to see these new works, I would hope Ballet Arizona continues this program in future seasons. As Uthoff admitted, these works help to inspire him, to rekindle his desire to create. As an audience member, it awakens our imagination as well.

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