Thursday April 15, 2010 - At the Chen Dance Center in Chinatown, choreographer Debra Wanner presented four works in a programme entitled CLOSE. Kokyat and I attended and found our enjoyment of the evening seriously compromised by the stifling airlessness of the small theater. In addition the seating arrangement for the full house (with a waiting list) had everyone squeezed in tightly, amplifying the feeling of claustrophobia. After each work on the programme we discussed whether to leave or not, but we stuck it out until we finally staggered out into the open air, breathing freely at last.
The evening opened with a quirky solo called Offering danced by Sam Ernst and performed live by trombonist Peter Zummo. Ms. Ernst was not given anything terribly interesting to do, but Mr. Zummo's music was fun as it explored the extreme lower range of the instrument. Since my grandfather, father and brother were all trombone players, I got a kick out if this.
Far more interesting visually were the two middle works: 2Parts Whole (a duet) and Bird Stick Lady (a solo danced by Ms. Wanner). In the first, dancers Alessandra Larson and Molly Lieber, wearing what appeared to be old tutu netting, danced to a tingling score by Galen H Brown.
Beautifully lit (by Kathy Kaufmann) and costumed (by Kate Hamilton), Debra's solo was the highlight of the evening and a beautiful portrait of her as a dancer and woman. Her red silk pleated skirt and black bodice were an integral part of the performance as she danced with calm, natural grace to music of Alfred Schnittke. Sometimes balancing a tree branch atop her head (it sounds odd but it was actually quite lovely), Ms. Wanner frequently danced in very close proximity to the audience and used intricate hand gestures as a communicative device.
The closing Interview/Innerview was danced by four women (Mlles. Ernst, Larson and Lieber joined by Fiona Evans) to music of Layne Redmond. Dressed in contemporary casual wear, they each had a folding chair which became part of the choreography. As with many dance works I have been seeing lately, there is a perfect ending but the choreographer keeps going, stretching the ideas too thin. There did seem to be a tantalizing sexual energy between the four women. I'm sure if the theater had been more comfortable that this - and the entire programme - would have seemed more appealing.
For all that, Ms. Wanner's solo lingers in the mind.
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