Summary
Jonathan Wolken's Megawatt and a yet-untitled world premiere by Michael Tracy presented the company's first works in years that didn't seem wholly preoccupied with flashy displays of ain't-it-cool weight-sharing maneuvers and acrobatic tricks. A work in progress by Alison Chase explored a storyline far removed from recent, easily digested, consumer-friendly narratives. And if slapstick comedy and affiliated gimmicks weren't entirely absent from the proceedings, they had been arguably pruned back to supporting roles.
As things developed, each one became in turn a stone the other stepped on to proceed. Then Macavinta's character froze and did not change back. After a striking passage in which Minniefee lifted Macavinta's statue-like form, the characters devolved into a disappointing inverse of the relationship until then, a far-too-pat retreat into more predictable company aesthetics. Even so, the terra nova we'd just visited was subtle and intriguing. To some, it hadn't been entirely clear that Pilobolus was still capable of getting there.As mentioned above, Paul Taylor spans just under 50 years over three nights, Thursday through Saturday, June 17-19. Thursday's highlights: the lyrical Aureole, and a Piazzolla Caldera that reportedly sizzles once again with Annmaria Mazzini in the lead. Friday, the mystery of Runes presages the blissful closer, Mercuric Tidings. And if the critics have been divided on Saturday's Le Grand Puppetier, they're all but unanimous on Taylor's moving post-September 11 meditation, Promethean Fire.See the full content of this document
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Surprises, Before an Empty Room
A Pilobolus concert that doesn't look like one starts ADF--before the lights go out...
It's in the job description: Modern dance must always have the capacity to surprise. So it's entirely fitting that the surprises started early this year at the American Dance Festival, in an opening weekend program by Pilobolus.Yes, you read right: Pilobolus, those perennial crowd-pleasers whose recent works have far too frequently come as anything but a surprise to knowledgeable dance-goers, actually tried something new before an o...See the full content of this document
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