Dance Review: DanceTracks NYC presents JOHN PRINZ AND FRIENDS

John Prinz presents a pleasant evening of dance featuring excerpts by choreographers who create classical ballet, musical theatre, contemporary, and contemporary ballet works.  Presented by DanceTracks NYC, the goal of this showcase is to provide opportunities for dancers to create and perform work that encourages the public to have a greater appreciation for both classical and contemporary dance forms.  Although the evening was quite lengthy with some time between pieces, each piece delightfully brings an entirely new concept to the stage.

Performed at Ailey CitiCorp Theater, both halves of the show consist of five pieces.  Fittingly opening the production with ease is Apposition by ballet choreographer, Melanie Cortier.  This piece features six dancers in different colored tutus nicely executing vigorous petite allegro combinations within various formations.

Next on the program, (one of the particular highlight’s of the evening), is a duet choreographed by Francis Ortiz.   Performed by Royce Zackery and Virginia Horne, this piece tells the story of a couple who seems to be in love but also expresses the complexities that relationships often have. The lifts are beautiful; these dancers show excellent command of the space and their interactions flow well together.  The beautiful duo almost always stays within close distance of each other masterfully executing Ortiz’s movement.  Influenced by an array of genres and styles, his choreography has the tone of a ballet/lyrical duet, but refreshingly, at times, demonstrates movement from more modern techniques as accented by their seamless transitions from pointed to flexed foot.

Sixteen year old Whitney Jensen performs the greatest “aaah” provoking piece of the night next.  She dances a contemporary ballet solo choreographed by Igal Perry which combines the accents, percussiveness, and spatial patterns of a modern piece with the technique and precision of point work.  This girl is on her way to great things as her flawless technique and amazing facility is equally balanced with her stage presence and interpretation of the movement.

An excerpt choreographed by Kate Thomas named Appalachian Suites Project, follows in the program.  Wearing long grayish and green dresses, the dancers perform Thomas’ movement portraying sadness and emotion in a very interesting interpretation en pointe. 

Closing the first half is a well-executed, classical duet, Marietta’s Song, choreographed by George Tomal.

The second half opens with an explosive opening choreographed by Broadway dancer, James Kinney to Another Hundred People composed by Stephen Sondheim and George Gershwin.  This musical theater number features dancers who, in fact have performed on Broadway as well and are definitely an example of how musical theatre choreography can embody the essence of dance especially because it requires the dancers to be at the highest level of expression.  Using Kinney’s dynamic approach to movement, dancers tell a story of the hustle of everyday life and finding love through their expressive characters.  They weave in and out of each other entering and exiting stage as the leap through the air, snap their fingers, or mime reading a paper or hailing a taxi cab.  Kinney masters the element of surprise as I could never tell what is going to happen next, and every now and then he adds a sense of humor to see if you are paying attention.  I could definitely see his work on the Broadway stage. 

Ted Thomas’ piece, For Love or Grace, is an interesting duet performed by two male dancers, Robert Fernandez and Mark Taylor.  Thomas’ choreography takes a unique spin on modern dance vocabulary and incorporates that movement into strong partnering combinations for the two men who dance a piece which seems to be about the complexities of love while maintaining religious practices.

Next, Temple Kemezis performs a lovely solo choreographed by John Prinz.  Called Just for me, this piece is about a character intimately exploring herself through dance.  

Ted Thomas and Frances Ortiz’s uses the music of Antonio Vivaldi, one of my favorite composers, to create, Un-Damely, a piece that utilizes both modern and classical ballet vocabulary.  The costumes for this piece are beautiful as the dancers wear cream colored corset tops, ruffled skirts, and ruffled pants underneath.  For the last section, the dancers remove the skirts and finally get down to business!  …They let loose, darting and jumping across the stage, expressing their true womanhood.

Lastly, the fabulous Whitney Jensen dances a classical restaging of Marius Petipa’s L’Harlequinade with her equally exceptional partner, Albert Davydov, to close the show with just the right touch.  The duet is restaged by Valentina Kozlova. 

All in all, by combining classical ballet, theater, and contemporary dance on the program, John Prinz and Friends provides a lovely way to spend a Sunday evening.  With a portion of the proceeds going to benefit the Actors Fund,  it is refreshing to see John Prinz and DanceTracks NYC making the effort to give back to the dance community in addition to helping carve opportunities for choreographers, veterans, and young dancers to explore their voices in new directions as times change. 

IDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by JoiLynn
Performance: DanceTracks NYC presents John Prinz and Friends
Venue: Ailey CitiCorp Theatre, NYC
Date: Sunday, April 5th, 2009
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