The evening opens with Drowntown.  Amazingly athletic and energetic, this is a powerhouse.  The dancers weave and dodge one another without missing a beat, yet join each other to prove a point at different times.   It is inspiring…  Imagine walking through Time Square at rush hour.  Watch out or you will get left in the dust!

Next on the program is Wraith. Danced by Michelle Pellizzon and Danielle Schulz, this piece is hauntingly beautiful.  With costumes by Tonatiuh Otero, they look like beautiful red Nymphs.  Showing their clean and pure technique, they dance in tune with each other ever so effortlessly.  Nymphs in a time of loss, they are still, however, hopeful for what is to come…  Beautiful!

Moving on to The Polarity, danced by Gierre Godley and Dillon Honiker, all I can say is WOW!!!!  Showstopper.  They both dance with power and masculinity; it is refreshing.  Throwing themselves on each other without a care in the world, they are out to kill!  I am immediately put in to the frame of thought of watching “The Matrix”, a wonderful fight scene with all the special effects coming to life right before me.  This (The Polarity) is wild abandon at it’s best!

The Missing, danced by Michelle Pellizon, is next and what a shocking surprise…  She is a revelation in this piece shaking, twisting, and contorting her body into oddly beautiful positions.  It’s really amazing. Merging her beautiful technique with the oddest of moves it is like watching a drug addict fight through withdrawal.  Happiness, sadness, longing, and cravings she is going through all the emotions right before your eyes.  I am happy to report she wins in the end!  Congrats!

And finally, Terminus, wraps up this wonderful evening.  Danced by the company, they save the best for last taking complete command of the stage and not being afraid of it.  The power of the dancers fill the floor bringing the audience to the edge of their seats.  Their movements are faster, sharper, and clean, as if to put the final stamp on the evening.  Wearing costumes by Keiko, they leave the audience wanting more and ready to stand up and join in!   Eryc Taylor Dance is one company not to be missed.

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Devin Pullins
Performance  Eryc Taylor Dance
Venue:  Joyce SoHo
Show Date:  November 13, 2010
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In a triumphant return to the New York stage and Broadway, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake is a feast for the senses that sends you into the sky!

Mr. Bourne has introduced the great tale of Swan Lake in an innovative, inspiring, and entertaining new way.  No longer the stuffy and reserved version, Bourne’s production is refreshingly hilarious.  With tongue and cheek jabs at classical ballet, it feels strangely okay.  You almost feel as if you are watching a great John Waters film (Hairspray, Cry Baby, or Serial Mom).  Excellently balanced with his comedic side, Bourne’s choreography for Swan Lake is a brilliantly creative, demanding piece of work, a wicked challenge every dancer on that stage grab holds with committed fervor.  The dancers are extremely talented and strong, and don’t lack in technique in the least bit.  They are completely comfortable and capable in all the roles, which makes the tongue and cheek aspect so believable.

The lead characters, Dominic North (The Prince) and Richard Winsor (The Swan/ Stranger), are mind-blowing.  With their beautiful and fluid technique, these men give a commanding performance and convincing display in the portrayal of their characters. They would definitely get my Oscar for best actor of the year.  Equally amazing in their roles are Madelaine Brennan (The Girlfriend), completely hysterical, she would be a perfect match for Nathan Lane in a New Broadway Show, and Nina Goldman (The Queen) who is regal and beautiful!  However, once the Swan’s make their appearance, all bets are off and sign-me up to join the flock!!!! The Swans are all amazing and believable.  They lift the roof off of City Center, with the flapping of their wings, and soar right out of the theater!

This production is equally visually stunning; with costumes and set by Lez Brotherston, you immediately fill as if you have just walked into Dylan’s Candy Bar and can’t wait to dive in and try all the flavors.  An utter feast for the eyes, I am already hard at work trying to sample every morsel watching the ballet unfold.  Of course the score by Pyotr llyich Tchaikovsky is beautiful and does not disappoint.  It compliments Bourne’s version surprisingly perfect, like a great bottle of wine at your favorite Italian restaurant.  You very quickly forget you are listening to one of classical music’s most beloved ballets and it sounds so current!

Overall, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake is a complete revelation.  It is a great introduction to the dance world for anyone who would like to take a peak.  Absolutely better than a movie on a Friday night, head over to City Center and see live performance, dance, and theater at a level that is simply brilliant.

Photography by Bill Cooper

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Devin Pullins
Performance:  Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake
Venue:  City Center, New York City
Show Date:  October 15, 2010, 8pm
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Opening the program, No, No…Yes, Yes… (New York Premier), this piece is a feast for the senses.  Energetically athletic and disturbingly perfect, this dance shows off their masterful technique and ability.  They enter and exit the stage as if they are “The Secretariat” attempting to achieve the Triple Crown.  Well, I would have to say, break out the history books and take note…  It’s a success!

In A Pebble In The Field, a commentary piece about the senselessness of war with music by Simon & Garfunkel and Jimi Hendrix, Jose Limon Dance Company member and Purchase alumni, Kathryn Alter, is simply delicious. Showing off her ability to convey a story, I’m ready for popcorn, a soda, and skip the previews, on to the main feature.  Watching here, I am embraced in a nice warm blanket!  Boy, do I like this feeling.  I am totally engrossed in this epic performance.

Next on the bill, is Chrysanthemum And The Sword.  A a rollercoaster of excitement, this piece explores Japanese actor, playwright, and poet, Yukio Mishima, who is most remembered for his ritual suicide after taking over  Tokyo’s military headquarters in order to restore his nation’s prewar imperial glory.  With an equally exciting score by Philip Glass, this is a true revelation.  Intense, heart wrenching, EMOTIONAL, a runaway train of beauty and precision…  I want more!  Dressed in beautiful costumes by Elena Comendador, the dancers are fine-tuned, like a baby grand piano, all in perfect pitch.  Leading this performance is Daniel Madoff (courtesy of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company) who performs like a meticulous craftsman wielding a Samurai sword with impeccable musicality.  Bravo! 

Saving the best for last, a real dance legend takes the stage.  In Haiku, Sarah Stackhouse (Jose Limon Dance Company) is an absolute vision.  Her mature, tender, and gentle approach is what all dancers should strive to achieve.  Like watching clouds on a perfectly warm summer day lying on a beach with a warm ocean breeze gently engulfing you, her performance quality makes you forget all worries of the world.  …Oh why can’t all days be this beautiful?

Overall, Kazuko Hirabayashi Dance Theater shows off their maturity and precision with welcomed detail and seasoned grace.  I leave this performance as if I have just seen the most amazing movie of all time.  With mature and youthful characters in all the leading roles, KHDT most definitely sweeps my Academy Awards!!!!

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Devin Pullins
Performance:  Kazuko Hirabayashi Dance Theater
Venue:  Ailey Citigroup Theater, NYC
Show Date:  October 10, 2010, 3pm
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Waking into Joyce SoHo for the performance of Deacadance Theater, I am immediately massaged by the sounds of Hip-Hop beats.  Creating the vibe on the ones and twos is DJ Henry C, spinning the joints that hype everyone to get crunk.  Finally the house lights dim and the crowd erupts into thunderous applause, and we are ready.

The first piece on the bill, choreographed by Jennifer Weber, The Cage (inspired by Jerome Robbins), takes hip hop dance soaring to heights as high as the Empire State building!  Brilliantly danced by the ladies of Decadance crew (Ann-Sylvia Clark, Lucile Graciano, Nadia Lumley, & Taeko Koli), these X chromosomes take complete control of the stage like a well-oiled machine.  Their movements are fluid and smooth, a hot knife through butter, and I am ready to be SLICED!  I watch with awe in suspense as they move from slow to fast with ease like waiting for a YouTube video to buffer and load.  Once they get going…   oh how satisfying it is!  These b-girls are highly athletic and strong, flipping through the air and spinning on their heads as if they are Olympic gymnasts.  I score them a 10!

The next piece, The City Breathing, also choreographed by Weber, is an imaginative triumph.  The dancers are on stage dancing in jogging suits, the lights go out, and then, out of nowhere, their costumes light up!   Immediately, at first I think,… hmmm…  "Walt Disney World’s Main Street Electrical Parade."  However, delightfully it turns out to be a piece I only WISH they’d march through Walt Disney World!  They seem to disappear and reappear out of nowhere, floating through space.   These dancers are amazing doing steps you would only see men doing and at a speed that would make anyone shout,  "WORK!"   Overall, another perfect score 10.

The next and final piece on the bill is a total slam-dunk:  the world premier, When The Sky Breaks.  For Weber, this is the most ingenious and ambitious piece on the bill that even I would want to get up and join.  All I have to say is “Step-Up 3D”…  That’s right, folks, put on your 3D glasses and pop some popcorn.  With an integrated 3D video created by multimedia artist, Holly Daggers, you feel like you actually are in the middle of the dance.  Weber incorporates a little house dancing, more awe inspiring moves, and the most intricate, isolated, fast-hand choreography I have ever seen.  Weber almost seems to take a page out of The Matrix and Madonna’s Vogue video.  So, I guess you can call this a little Vogue Matrix 2010…  The Decadance dancers are athletic, musical, and beautiful, and I am very pleased with the final product.  Once again I’ll give them a score of 10!

Wow!  Just like the Olympics, 3 perfect 10’s….   And the gold medal goes to…  DECADANCE THEATER!   All the evening’s pieces are masterfully directed and choreographed by Jennifer Weber.  Watch out “So You Think You Can Dance” Decadance is HERE.  A must see!

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Devin Pullins
Performance: Decadance Theater
Choreographer:  Jennifer Weber
Venue:  Joyce SoHo
Show Date:  July 17, 2010
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