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Mixed Repertory and Results

CrossCurrents Dance Company
Dance Place
Washington, D.C.
May 13, 2006

by Naima Prevots
copyright© 2006 by Naima Prevots

CrossCurrents Dance Company presented a mixed repertory program with equally mixed results. Co-directors Helen Hayes and Debra Kanter showed ability as choreographers and performers. Particularly captivating was the last piece, where twenty-four youngsters from Joy of Motion Youth Dance Ensemble danced their hearts out in a beautifully choreographed work by Hayes. Kanter’s Converge had strong poetic moments, and Daniel Burkholder’s staging of an improvisation with four dancers, Unmapped (4x4), allowed for strong visual and dynamic explorations. Swing Set, choreography by Emily Crews with assistance from Helen Hayes, was a piece with standard and uninteresting somewhat jazzy movements. Sarah Scott contributed Pacemaker Homemaker, as soloist with her own text, an amateurish and somewhat indulgent monologue about her illness and the trials and joys of motherhood. Alvin Mayes was represented by Missive from Spillville, where uninteresting movement and unclear motivation were overpowered by Dvorak’s stunning music. Kanter’s Reunion suffered from overuse of symmetry and intense emotional gestures that were not clearly motivated.

Hayes and Kanter should be given credit for trying to provide a broader scope than just their own work, even though this did not fully succeed. On the whole, the evening was characterized by a good sense of pacing, professionalism in performance, and an overall satisfying use of dynamics and music. If the choreographic ventures were not always successful or satisfying, CrossCurrents is a company that could contribute increasingly to the local D.C. dance scene by presenting other choreographers and honing in on their own work. Both artists move with maturity and clarity, and their dances are characterized by a fine sense of dynamics and musicality. In the case of Kanter there is an overemphasis on intense emotional representation, which is not necessarily organically motivated or illuminating in terms of relationships being explored. But she does have a good sense of creating visual images and satisfying phrasing, and allowing for silence instead of incessant activity. Hayes has a fine capacity for flow and energy, as well as
spatial patterning and musical phrasing.

Swing Set (2005), with music by Moon Mullican and Willie Bronzy, was not at the level of the other works. Performed by Emily Crews and Donnie Walker, it  used the music superficially and tended to cuteness. There was very little sense of swing, and the movements were obvious and ordinary. Possibly intended as a cheerful opening, it did little to advance the evening. Reunion (1996) by Kanter, utilized four dancers: Allison Feierabend, Helen Hayes, Katie Nesmith, Jennifer Schwartz, with Hayes providing the strongest performance. The music by Clannad and Northern Lights provided background for what seemed to be intended as an exploration of either mothers and daughters, or younger and older women. There was a great deal of reaching, leaning, embracing, moving away from and towards each other, but the emotional components were melodramatic rather than coming from within the relationships. The choreography tended to have all four dancers in symmetrical formations, doing all the same movements. The most successful moments occurred when one couple at a time more fully explored who and what they were, and this generated more clarity in performance and intent. Since this is an earlier piece by the Kanter, it is possible she might want to revisit both motivation and design.

Pacemaker (2006), performed and choreographed by Sarah Scott, started out as she sat on a bench and told us about being in Hawaii for six months with her family, and how this usually generated positive responses from people. She then went on to tell us that it was a dreadful time for her, as she had two young children and discovered a serious heart condition. We learned about her time in the hospital, the support of her husband, and the difficulties her illness posed for her as a mother. The monologue was interspersed with movement, as Scott illustrated the nature of her heart problem and her conflict with taking care of herself and also the need to take care of her children. The literalness of both movement and text as well as the lack of any depth in the emotional content made this piece seem empty and indulgent. There could have been a poetic sense of illness and loss, but these were never conveyed.

Kanter’s Converge (2006) had music by Meredith Monk and Kronos Quartet with performance by Julia Buergler and Helen Hayes, and was a strong choreographic venture, although not totally successful. The mature and sensitive performance by Hayes contributed significantly to the piece, as she imbued every moment and movement with depth. It is clear that Kanter wanted to tell us something about the relationship of two women, as they came together embracing and then went apart in what seemed to a mixture of conflict and hope. While there were times of poetic intensity, this viewer was confused about the meaning and context of this relationship, and what constituted the core of these two women emotionally and psychologically. Kanter’s musicality was a plus, as well as her fine use of dynamics, and the good sense that the dancer’s needed moments of silence.

Daniel Burkholder is credited with staging Unmapped (4x4), and the dancers gained immeasurably from the live improvisational music by Jonathan Morris. Debra Kanter stood out as a performer, while Allison Feierband, Katharine Mardirosian and Michelle Williams showed a nice sensitivity to each other and the music. It was a welcome contribution  to the program that this piece emphasized pure movement, and four people moving freely through space. All four dancers exhibited fine control in their ability to interact with the music and also in their ability to know when to stop, and when to start again. There were lovely moments of individuals on their own, as well as nice interactions within the group.

Alvin Mayes chose music by Dvorak for Missive from Spillville (2005). Hayes again stood out as a performer, and her partner, Donnie Walker, could not match her projection or skill. This was another piece about a relationship, and took place with the couple moving on and off a chair as they came together and apart. The power of the music overwhelmed the choreography, and the couple’s movements moved away from a clear focus on the relationship and the emotional intent. It was hard to know what this was all about, and after a while all the activity between the two dancers became confusing.

The last piece, created this year for the twenty-four dancers of varying ages, was exactly what the title said: Joyful Motion. Set to music by Douglas Yuell, the dances were students of the choreographer Helen Hayes, and they were members of the Joy of Motion Youth Dance Ensemble, listed as Senior, Junior, Prepartory I and II company members. Rarely does one see young people so well trained performing with such joy and abandon. Rarely does one see choreography so full and rich in spatial design, movement invention, and integrity of intent and execution. Groups came and went with abandon and clarity, and individuals floated, turned, and leaped through space. These youngsters danced their hearts out, and knew what they were doing, and looked splendid. The choreography was sure and inventive and rich in variation.

CrossCurrents would do well to follow this idea of mixing their repertory, and bringing in other choreographers to work with them. It will be interesting to see what they put together for their next concert, and what directions Kanter and Hayes take in their own choreography. 

Volume 4, No. 20
May 22, 2006

copyright ©2006 Naima Prevots
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