ODC
Theater, San Francisco
April
25th, 2014
Company
C Contemporary Ballet opened its spring season Friday night at ODC
Theater in San Francisco's Mission District. A mixed repertory
evening, the program expressed and captured the chamber company's
dynamic twelve year history. “Aposiopesis” (2002) and “Partly
Cloudy Suite” (2005) were joined by three 2014 works - “What's
Behind Door #3” (which had its first performance earlier this year)
and two world premieres, “New Country” and “Rise”. Aptly
subtitled 'Adjusting the Lens', the five pieces on this program led
the viewer on a journey through the genres, techniques and styles
that makes up today's contemporary ballet scene.
Charles
Moulton's “New Country” (world premiere) opened the program with
high energy and enthusiastic vigor. Choreographic fusion filled the
stage - ballet meeting up with a unique brand of country dancing. The
resulting hybrid style conjured the culture of the Appalachian
mountains, and with it brought a narrative of tradition and community
through the stories of the people. Next up was an excerpt from
Charles Anderson's ode to abstraction, “Aposiopesis”. In the
third and fourth movements of this ballet, a circular theme was
pre-dominant in both the larger stage patterning and the individual
choreographic sequences. Upper body port de bras and renversés
revealed the circle's expansive arches and broad curves. Edilsa
Armendariz and Isaiah Sumler were absolutely sublime as the lead
couple; when they were onstage, you couldn't take your eyes off them.
Their pas de deux personified total abandon and complete trust. And
as Sumler lifted Armendariz behind his back in a repeated attitude
motif, “Aposiopesis'” circular focus reached new heights. Closing
Act I was Anderson's “What's Behind Door #3”, a completely
contrasting, concept-based ballet. Having been respectively preceded
by a deconstructed narrative and an abstract work, “What's Behind
Door #3” brought mechanics to the table. The piece was an
exploration of how doors function and a translation of that mechanism
into contemporary ballet and modern physicality.
Onto
Act II and Patrick Corbin's “Partly Cloudy Suite”, an ensemble
work for five women and one man. Chairs bordered the perimeter of the
stage; an air and sense of casual-ness permeating the space. Dancers
would take turns moving to the center and cycling through an
assortment of variations, while the others sat calmly and watched the
technique. It was a little like observing a dance class. Perhaps it
was this casual nature or the lack of dynamics, but “Partly Cloudy
Suite” seemed a little stale, and it was also very curious to have
only one of the women wearing flat ballet shoes. Last on the docket
for Company C's spring program was the world premiere of Maurice
Causey's “Rise”. The ballet began with a sense of the expected
and the predictable and quickly morphed into a gorgeous expression of
the surprising and unforeseen. Conventional contemporary ballet
suffused the opening moments, almost like Causey was setting a
base-line. One that he would challenge and dissolve over the next
thirty minutes. Quickly and with intensity, the movement ventured
into off-center balances, parallel legs, atypical positions and men
in pointe shoes. The score similarly shifted to include changing
meters and complex time signatures. “Rise” was an essay of these
delicious deviations. An otherwise flawless example of modern
choreography, the lighting in the early segments was tough. Over and
over again, a spotlight appeared on the stage floor and then floated
upward to the backdrop. While the intention behind this particular
effect certainly made sense for the piece, in reality, it distracted
from what was actually happening on stage.
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