Thursday August 4, 2011 - The Latin Choreographers Festival, founded by Ursula Verduzco (above, Kokyat's portrait) opened their 4th season tonight at Baruch Performing Arts Center with a diverse and stimulating evening of dance featuring works by the following choreographers:
Benjamin Briones/Benjamin Briones Ballet
Alejandro Chavez
David Fernandez
Miguel Angel Palmeros/Momentos Corporeos
Tony Powell/Piel Morena Dance Company
Donna Salgado/Continuum Contemporary Ballet
Ellenore Scott
Antonia Urzua
Julieta Valero/Rastro Dance Company
Marcos Vedoveto
Ursula Verduzco
Aszure Barton (Non-Latin Guest Artist)
The danceworks ranged from solos and romantic duets to intense narrative, presenting a succession of beautiful, charismatic and vividly talented dancers as the evening progressed.
Two solos within the first fifteen minutes of the evening showed the range of creative styles, starting with WOKE UP IN BEIJING, chorographed by Ellenore Scott to a Patrick Watson song and danced by Ellena Takos. Ms. Takos revealed a plushy but athletic style, her gestures responding to the upward arpeggios of the music. Soon after, the petite and mercurial Maribel Michael performed a solo crafted by Miguel Angel Palmeros to music of Andrea Bauer. Entitled EL ESPACIO DE LO INTIMO, the work showcased the dancer to fine effect.
David Fernandez set his dramatic LA DANZA DEL FERNANDO to traditional Mexican tunes. Based on a true story, a young laborer (brilliant dancing and mime from Roberto Lara) is short-changed for his day's wages. His attempts to recoup lead to a dangerous encounter with the law, and to his sudden death. Ursula Verduzco appears as a Madonna-like figure, with Andrew Taft and David Fernandez as the corrupt authority figures who, in the end, turn on one another.
Choreographer Antonia Urzua chose to mix vocals by Tracy Chapman with Arvo Part's familiar Spiegel im Spiegel. for her quintet MARIA. It worked quite amazingly well, and her strong ensemble of dancers made the most of this vivid and haunting piece with its elements of domestic abuse and personal frustration and despair.
In the evening's only work danced on pointe, the dancers of Donna Salgado's Continuum Contemporary Ballet performed the sextet DIVERSIONS set to the captivating vocals of Souad Massi. Laced with elements of tango/ballroom style, the dancers move fluently through the changes of partnering. Cool on the surface, DIVERSIONS smoulders in its own quiet way. Excellent dancing from Ms. Salgado and her attractive Company.
Spine-tingling, eerie music by Fazil Say sets the stage for the darkly powerful TRIANGULO, a homoerotic menage a trois powerfully crafted by choreographer Alejandro Chavez. Holding his younger lover in his thrall, Chavez attempts to introduce a second young man into the relationship. The novice is drawn in and Chavez for a while seems to be having his way, but the boys form a mutual bond of attraction leaving the older man on the outside. This intense piece, which both disturbs and arouses, was compellingly danced by the choreographer with Mariano Aviles and Isaac Santana as the two handsome youths.
LIGHTS ON is a Benjamin Briones duet which depicts the bickering blame-game of a domestic relationship on the brink of collapsing but continually saved as one or the other of the couple keep it patched up. Ursula Verduzco and Dance Theater of Harlem's Fredrick Davis played the sparring couple, still deeply in love under all their quarrels. A familiar theme, danced with subtle touches of humour as well as impressive technical poise by Ursula and Fredrick.
Nicole Corea of Lar Lubovitch Dance Company performed the solo NOTHING TO HIDE choreographed for her by Ursula Verduzco to music of Yann Tiersen. Clad in the briefest of bikinis, Ms Corea danced this emotionally demanding solo with a sense of vulnerability that seemed to run counter to the her lithe physical strength, creating shifts in tension as she moved with a combination of sinuous grace and sheer animal magnetism.
Julieta Valero offered CANCIONERO, a suite of threes dances set to seemingly un-related musical works (Chopin/Jacque Brel) but held in unity by her appealing troupe of dancers. The only weak spot here was an unnecessary pause when the dancers all started talking. But the variety of faces and forms among the performers kept interest centered on the dancing.
Tony Powell's BELLO CORPO was danced by an all-female quartet clad in white; this attractive piece was enlongated by a coda which perhaps made it feel over-long, but again the dancing was just fine.
The Steps Repertory Ensemble looked super in Aszure Barton's BLUE SOUP; African rhythms made for a most enjoyable opening sequence but as the work progressed the disparate music chosen didn't really gel into a persuasive whole. The dancers, however, made it all worthwhile.
Two striking duets on the programme's second half were especially satisfying. Marcos Vedoveto's paean to the power of love, NO REGRETS, is set to music of film-composer Ennio Morricone. Dante Puleio, a young man seemingly lost and alone, opens his small suitcase and empties its contents - red roses - across the stage. He is observed by the white-clad Robert Johnston (lover? ghost? guardian angel?) who offers the younger man a single white rose. The simplicity of the concept, the expressive beauty of the two dancers and the poignant music combined to make this a highlight of the evening.
Similarly impressive was SOME DAY, Eloy Barragan's duet set to Maurice Ravel's String Quartet in F-major. Lovers meet, perhaps in a dream, and dance together in spacious combinations and tender partnered passages; they kiss as the boy whirls the girl into a floated motif...time seems suspended. But the dream fades, with the lovers seeking to hold on but now eluding one another. They retreat into isolated poses as the light fades. Superb dancing from Jennifer Pray and Steven Gray.
Despite some lighting that was too subdued to 'read' the dancers expressions in certain passages, and some distortion from the sound system in the second half of the evening, the evening ran smoothly..after getting off to a late start. It might be a good idea to have a 7:30 PM curtain for performances these days, what with the MTA service on the decline. Getting a train after 10:00 PM can be hit-or-miss.
I'll soon have some photos from the dress rehearsal of Latin Choreographer Festival 2011 to share. Congratulations to Ursula and everyone involved - especially the dancers - on a succesful fourth season.