Reviews
CrossCurrents Company, Delving Into the Abstract
ver had a toothache and, despite the pain, find yourself biting down on the sore spot? That’s the feel of Gesel Mason’s “Numb,” the best of four premieres CrossCurrents Dance Company presented Saturday at Dance Place. Mason’s work is part of the fresh choreography, plus some new dancers, that are reenergizing this local troupe.
“Numb” is loud and raw. It takes as its theme the desperate desire for human contact, even if painful, particularly when life seems empty. Powered by the screeching crescendos of Geoff Smith’s “Sparta,” Mason shapes the ensemble like twisted pieces of metal that clang and crash. Despite some awkwardly conceived moments that involved personally overwhelming situations, Mason generally translated her inspiration into abstracted choreography. The company rose to the task.
Less successful, but fresh nevertheless, was co-artistic director Debra Kanter’s new ensemble work “Code Blue,” which drew on her reaction to last year’s sniper attacks. She translated her reactions into a subtle mood piece, moving her dancers about the stage with contained energy.
Tapping into the opposite end of the emotional scale was a new, sugary-sweet duet, “Waiting for No One” by co-artistic director Helen Hayes, and the premiere of Sarah Scott’s belabored yet amusing solo “Unapologetically, Sentimental: Delivering Grace,” in which she lovingly describes her newborn as that “purple, wrinkly critter.”
Rounding out the program was Kanter’s so-so duet “Crevasse” and Dan Burkholder’s well-structured improvisation “Breath(e).”
© 2004 The Washington Post