Dance Review: SENSEDANCE, Impending Visit- Short, Sweet, and on Pointe!

On Saturday evening, as I sit in the Jacqueline Kennedy Oasis Theater, I skim through the program to try and get a sense of what I will see onstage.  There’s always a weird feeling of anticipation when you’re about to see work from a choreographer you are unfamiliar with.  You just don’t really know what to expect.  In this case, my initial reaction after opening the program is thinking “11 pieces!  Geez it’s going to be a long night.”  However, on the contrary Henning Rubsam manages to fit in eleven concepts into a show that lasts a little over an hour.

Henning Rubsam creates work that is short, sweet, and on point(e)! You have to give it to the choreographers who don’t waste their time or yours for that matter.  Just when you’re about to get comfortable the piece comes to a peaceful close.  In this show, with a cast of just six dancers, I am able to really get a clear perspective of each dancer as an individual over the course of the show rather than trying to digest both the choreography and the dancers in a few minutes.

Merciless Beauty, the show opener, is a fitting title to describe the dancers performance quality for the entire evening.  The dancers of SENSEDANCE have a sound classical technique that Rubsam is not shy about showing off.  What I find to be most outstanding in both Merciless Beauty and Inter-mez-zo is the sweet interconnectivity of the dancers.  Victor Gonzalez and Maria Phegan are just a delightful pair in Intermezzo as they partner alongside Erin Ginn and Ramon Thielen, another lovely duet.  Although most of the choreography comes from a classical ballet vocabulary the dancers individual execution of the movement alongside their natural response to what’s happening around them is what makes these pieces interesting to watch.  Also, the chemistry between the dancers during the pas de deuxs is similar to what you would expect to see in a performance of Giselle or Sleeping Beauty.

It’s always a treat to see the choreographer in action in his own work and to see how the movement translates on his own body.  I believe that if you got it, you should flaunt it until you can’t anymore.  Based on Rubsam’s appearance in two of the pieces Merciless Beauty and Gottingen, it’s apparent that he definitely still has it!

We get a break from the ballet world for a few minutes in Final Bell.  Heidi Green, in her fiery red unitard, changes the tone of the evening with a sensual contemporary solo.  Heidi Green dominates the stage and demands your focus as she performs with precise articulation running through every movement in her body.  We see these same qualities in her performance of The Secret in the second half of the show.

Rubsam takes us from one extreme to the next as we move on to Innocence, another solo with a completely different feeling.  In this solo, Erin Ginn mesmerizes the audience with her extreme flexibility and beautiful use of focus.  Although the encounter with innocence is brief Erin Ginn definitely leaves a lasting impression.

And now, for my favorite duo of the evening:  Maria Phegan and Dartanion Reed!  These two are a perfectly matched pair of fierceness and grace.  Phegan and Dartonian give showstopping performances in Caves and Amaranthine Road.  Again in these two pieces, I see characteristics reminiscent of a story ballet mixed with a contemporary concept.  There is only one word to describe Maria Phegan: stunning!  Beyond the fact that she is a gorgeous dancer she is absolutely enchanting as she moves through space with such clear intention and endless lines that seem to extend way past the ends of her limbs.  Dartanion is the perfect partner for her with his athletic physique and charming character that he brings with his movement.  I really enjoy watching these two move together!

Ramon Thielen brings to life another completely different style of Rubsam’s choreography in Dinette.  This piece is more of a shocker than anything but also a great display of Rubsam’s versatility in his choreography.  This piece is pure fun Broadway jazz!  No better person to perform this other than Ramon Thielen.  Again, another beautiful mover but with that added ingredient that makes it hard to look away.  In his case, this ingredient is his natural charismatic nature.

The show closes with the New York premiere of Impending Visit.  In Impending Visit, Rubsam moves beyond the safe zone and dives full force into a whole new element of movement.  Rubsam shifts gears and takes the audience to a new place in this new work with tricky balances, daring duets, and an eclectic style mix of contemporary, salsa, and even the Charleston.  If this piece is a foreshadowing of a new direction for Rubsam’s work I am looking forward to his next show!

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Simone Sobers
Performance:  SENSEDANCE
Choreography:  Henning Rubsham
Venue:  Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Theater
Show Date:  November 7, 2009
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