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DANCE
REVIEW: Parsons Dance at PS21
Review by Robin Catalano - Berkshire
Living - July
11, 2009
Parsons Dance
Combined Program
July 10-12, 2009
 (CHATHAM, N.Y., July 10, 2009) – Of the five pieces in this combined
program by Parsons Dance, only one (Ebben, an excerpt from the full-length
Remember Me) is new, but that doesn’t prevent the performance from
feeling fresh and relevant. David Parsons, one of the more accomplished
American choreographers of the past twenty years and a longtime lead
dancer with Paul Taylor Dance Company, has assembled a “greatest
hits” of sorts, some of his most meaningful and innovative pieces
alongside ebullient party fluff.
The
opening number, Swing Shift, is billed on the printed
program as an exploration of the “journeys
that humans go through in life.” That might
be a bit of a stretch, but it is a high-energy showcase
of Parsons’s particular brand of dynamic, accessible
modern dance. The company relates exceptionally well
with each other and with the audience, performing
jazzy, syncopated, buoyant choreography in couples
and groups.
Ebben,
in which lead dancer Abby Silva performs an amazingly
controlled, muscle-burning solo around one of the
male dancers, is, in a word, gorgeous. Her heartache
and yearning, as she attempts to capture the man’s
attention, is palpable, and Silva is technically
excellent.
This
piece contrasts sharply with Nascimento Novo. Set
to an original score by Brazilian composer Milton
Nascimento, the work begins, literally, with a bang,
and doesn’t let up for a moment. It contains
many examples of Parsons’s outstanding group
choreography and fondness for unusual body shapes
and group configurations. The female dancers, particularly
Silva and Natalie Lomonte, are terrific here.
The
centerpiece of the evening is undoubtedly Caught,
created in 1982 and originally danced by Parsons
himself. Miguel Quinones is a worthy successor, performing
Parsons’s signature work with new vibrancy
and remarkable technical skill. When Quinones moves
in a series of leaps around the stage, each one caught
at its peak in a strobe light, he appears to be floating
through time and space. It’s a piece that not
only makes a statement about our perception of time,
but also about the timelessness of dance and art,
and its power to draw us together.
It’s
a shame, then, that Parsons chose Shining Star to
end the evening. While it’s a perfectly enjoyable
trifle, and manages to blend disco, jazz, modern,
and ballroom steps, it lacks substance and is an
obvious weak spot on an otherwise strong program.
Nevertheless,
this lively performance flies by. The dancers are
in near-constant motion, and they meet the challenges
of Parsons’s demanding choreography with youthful
energy. (The application for a Parsons Dance position
must also include a check box for gorgeousness; this
is one of the most attractive dance companies in
existence.)
PS21
provides an ideal venue, its “clamshell” tent
allowing for the confluence of nature and art, and
its you-are-there seating giving an up-close look
at every flexed tendon and pointed toe. The intimacy
of the space also permits the dancers to make direct
eye contact with and relate to the audience in a
way that’s not possible in larger theaters.
It’s a unique experience, and a must for any
art lover’s Berkshire summer cultural calendar.
Robin
Catalano is Berkshire Living's dance critic.
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