[NEohioPAL]Berko review: INLET DANCE THEATRE (Cain Park, 7/27/07)

[Roy Berko]

INLET DELIGHTS AUDIENCE AT CAIN PARK

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News
Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times	

Bill Wade, founder and artistic director of the six
year-old Inlet Dance Theatre must have been a happy
man after the company’s recent (July 26) Cain Park
performance.  In spite of a rainy night, the Evans
Theatre was packed.    

Contrary to many local dance concerts, the
enthusiastic audience was mostly young and racially
integrated.   They were treated to an eclectic program
which featured not only Inlet’s company, apprentices
and trainees, but students from the Summer Dance
Intensive.

Inlet’s mission is “to create and perform innovative
dance and movement theatre at a high level of
artistry, speak creatively about human life issues,
and bring about personal development in the lives of
individuals through training and mentoring.”  

Wade, a master teacher and motivator, believes that
dance is a “vehicle for personal transformation.” 
With this in mind, he brings in 12 to 20 year-old
students from all over the country to study with the
company.   They learn release work (The Erick Hawkins
technique which is the basis for Inlet’s
choreography), nontraditional partnering, the
collaborative creative process (invented by Pilobolus
Dance theatre), hip-hop and improvisation.  The
six-and-a-half week program culminates in the yearly
Cain Park free program.

As has been the case in the past, both the students
and the Inlet “regulars” displayed creativity,
discipline and enthusiasm.

Though every section was interesting, highlights of
the ten-segment program were:  “For Margaret and Dan,”
“RubeWreck,” “Performance Improvisation,” “A Close
Shave,” and “BALListic.”

“For Margaret and Dan,” a duet piece, with music by
Lifehouse, was performed as part of company member
Margaret Ludlow’s wedding ceremony a week before the
Cain Park concert, as a present from the company.  The
public debut was beautifully danced by Mikaela Clark
and Justin Stentz (who I consider to be the area’s
best young male dancer).

‘RubeWreck,” which was danced to music by Animusic and
the Beastie Boys,  featured the twelve males of the
dance intensive and the company.   A total delight, it
portrayed a young video gamer, creating a vision
complete with human Rube Goldberg contraption-like
machines which morphed into the concept of the new
film “Transformers.”  The action brought many laughs
from the audience.

“Performance Improvisation” demonstrated the ability
of the dance intensive students to ad lib to music
they had not previously heard.  As a starting point,
the corps was given two distinct gestures to use
throughout the piece.  The ability of the youngsters
to stay in character while creating various stories
and images was impressive.

A company staple, “A Close Shave, inspired by Patrick
Morley’s “Man in the Mirror” featuring Joshua Brown
and Justin Stentz, “centers on a man confronting and
wrestling with the proverbial man staring back at him
every morning when he shaves.”  Brown and Stentz
displayed both superb strength and consistency while
performing the audience pleasing gymnastic piece.

“BALListic,” another staple in Inlet’s repertory, uses
1960’s pop art to probe into what happens when a group
of dancers are given a number of huge red physio balls
and let loose.  With contemporary music by the very
talented Ryan Lott (who has written for many local
dance companies), the dancers slid over, cavorted
under, and bounced around the stage with precision and
energy.  The Pilobolus-like piece was a fitting
closing number for a well performed and creatively
programmed evening of dance.

Capsule judgement:  Bill Wade and his Inlet Dance
Theatre are a unique company.  They go outside the
square by incorporating previously uninitiated dancers
into company performances with positive results for
both students and audience.  

Side note:  The company raises one-quarter of its
funding from individual donor support.  It deserves
our support.  Send a tax-deductible contribution to
Inlet Dance Theatre, 3921 Mayfield Road, Suite 6,
Cleveland Heights, OH  44121 so they can continue to
be a community asset!




Roy Berko's blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews from 2002 through 2007, as well as his consulting and publications information, can be found at http://royberko.info
      
Roy's theatre and dance reviews appear regularly on NeOHIOpal, an on-line source.   To subscribe to this free service via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal.  His reviews also appear on www.coolcleveland.com


       
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