‘Signatures’ strikes resounding chord
By Mareesa Nicosia
LIFESTYLES EDITOR
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By Nicholas Serrata, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER |
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Five accomplished choreographers. Five unique suites performed by 44 talented dancers. In the simplest terms, this was DANCE/Hartwell: “Signatures in Motion,” which was presented March 29, 30 and 31 in the Hartwell Dance Theater. But the essence of the performance was a culmination of several years of work by MFA candidates in the dance program, namely, Courtney Andrews, Sarah Gullo, Kim Knieriem, Kylee Pike and Heather Roffe.
The quality of artistic design and production was evident throughout the performance in the subtle but certain shifts in lighting and sound that occurred several times within each of the five sets of dances. This combined with just the right amount of ambiguity — an integral part of modern dance — made for an inspiring program.
“Gold and Through Thread,” choreographed by Gullo, incorporated a large group of mostly senior dancers. The quality of the choreography encouraged the audience to interpret the dance any way they wanted to or, as Gullo stated in the program, “Please allow your imagination to run with it ... this is where the meaning lies.”
An effective mood shift occurred in No. 2 on the program, “Mode,” choreographed by Knieriem. The first part showcased Knieriem herself in a lyrical duet with Roy Harrington Tracy. While they seemed to have less chemistry together than Tracy and his other female partners throughout the evening, they managed to portray a relationship that was both friendly and, at the end, bittersweet.
In the transition to part two, the lights changed to green, yellow and then orange as four young dancers (all coincidentally blonde) took the stage for a joyful romp. The dance was like taking a ride through the countryside on a spring afternoon — playful, carefree, and kind of boring after awhile.
However, the use of contemporary music by artists like the Barenaked Ladies and the Goo Goo Dolls fit perfectly with the dancers’ youthful faces and movements. It was also a small but recognizable variation from the dance department’s repertoire of classical music sans lyrics, which the audience most likely appreciated.
One of Knieriem’s strengths was her ability to choreograph for dancers of varying skill levels, as was evident in parts two and four, where the latter group showed a more practiced and expressive technique.
Roffe’s exploration of gestures and poses in “Missing Signs” was beautifully done in all parts of the set, including Roffe’s opening solo, the mesmerizing duet performed by Catherine DeAngelis and Tracy, and the powerful ensemble piece that seemed to be an interpretation of Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy in choreographic form.
Roffe’s solo, performed to the operatic “Chanson de la Pluie” included sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic poses or everyday gestures, such as admiring oneself in a mirror or glancing coquettishly at a stranger. Roffe’s form was balletic and controlled, and her soaring leaps from a dead standstill were breathtaking.
In “Hurry Up and Wait: A Rhythmic Calibration,” choreographer Courtney Andrews led her dancers through a series of flawless shape patterns and group shifts. The piece came full circle because of the repetition of dancer placement in the beginning and the end: Two dancers in red posed with their backs to the audience, barely moving for minutes; a larger group in brightly colored pants made good use of space in diagonal lines across the stage, and Andrews herself set the meditative mood throughout as a compelling soloist. Her physical strength and emotional consciousness literally shined.
“Hurry Up and Wait,” according to Andrews’ statement in the program, “investigates many facets of rhythm that are seen, heard and felt.” With composers Greg Ketchum and Mark Olivieri providing original music on drums and xylophone (Ketchum), and on piano (Olivieri), the entire ensemble worked in harmony, each group acting as a different section, or instrument, of a rhythm band of choreography. The only disappointment was that the “Rhythm” theme wasn’t made as clear in the calm middle section of the piece, in which a group of dancers moved in circles.
Last in the lineup was Pike’s piece, entitled “Ella Transcending Blue.” She describes it as “a transcendence from pure jazz movement to a blending of jazz and modern dance.” As such, the dancers wore blousy, high-necked, deep blue gowns that were sleeveless and backless — perfect for showing off their frequent shimmying, but loose enough for them to leap and kick in sync throughout the piece.
In part three of the set, Pike performed a solo to “Comes Love,” in which her ability to jump right into character was entertaining. She dared the audience to just try and look away from her seductive gaze as she stretched and turned in front of the merlot-colored backdrop and smoky blue lights.
The engaging choreography performed by the nine confident and charming dancers was the figurative icing on the cake of an all-around impressive evening.