Saturday November 13, 2010 - At the Baryshnikov Center, choreographer Brian Carey Chung presented his new work SUNRISE IN THE QUANTUM REALM. This large-scale piece was performed by the dancers of CollectiveBody|DanceLab. Kokyat and I had been at a studio rehearsal of the piece on a late summer day. Some of the dancers we saw at that rehearsal did not appear tonight, and some new and very interesting faces and forms appeared in their stead.
The highlight of the evening, and one of the most exciting dance performances in recent months, was a performance of Brian's duet LONELY HOUSE. I had seen this pas de deux in a studio setting earlier this year with different dancers. Tonight it was performed by Giorgia Bovo and Willy Laury, two beautiful and charismatic dancers who danced with restless sensuality, graphic physicality and hints of humour and self-indulgence that worked superbly in this setting of Abbey Lincoln songs.
The opening quartet READY for four women (Lauren Birnbaum, Jourdan Epstein, Katie Moorhead and Lindsay Fisher) was very well-danced though setting it to an innocuous tune lessened the impact of the choreography. Likewise the duet SURROGATE CITIES (performed well by Lindsay Fisher and Ariane Roustan) needed music that was more profound to underscore the dancers' movement.
The evening got off to an unpleasant start as we were asked to wait for the arrival of latecomers "stuck in traffic". It's unfair to ask people who have made the effort to get there on time to wait for a few people who for whatever reason are running late. But a worse miscalculation came mid-programme when we were all asked to clear the hall so the stage could be set for the second half. Herded into the small 'lobby' area where the heat and the din of conversation were very annoying, the "15 minute intermission" stretched to a half-hour due to technical problems. If I hadn't left my jacket on my chair I would have gone home. Having been put in a cranky mood, it is perhaps unfair to write about the second half of the evening.
The first section of SUNRISE IN THE QUANTUM REALM went for nought as it was danced behind a plastic scrim so that the movement and expressions of the dancers could not be read: the idea is interesting but in practice it simply didn't work. They eventually tore the scrim down and things improved with some interesting choreography and fine, committed dancing. However, the musical choices were uninspiring and each movement of the piece was a few minutes too long. If you want to create a resonant, inspiring dance work you have to begin with music that resonates and inspires. The power and appeal of the individual dancers carried the piece but if it is to really hold the imagination it needs to be pared down and re-thought to different musical settings.