[NEohioPAL] BERKO REVIEW: INLET DANCE; PREVIEWS AND REVISITS

[Roy Berko]

Inlet ‘REFLECTIONS’ impressive at DanceWorks ’09, ‘ I LOVE YOU
BECAUSE,’ ‘…no CHILD’
 
Roy Berko
 
(Member,
Dance Critics Association)
 
--THE TIMES
NEWSPAPERS--
 
Lorain
County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times  
 
It’s a shame that Inlet
Dance, which is one company performing at Cleveland Public Theatre’s DanceWorks
’09 program, only does several public performances a year.  Artistic Director Bill Wade’s dancers
are well trained, his choreography is focused, and the performances are always
filled with innovative concepts.
 
In ‘REFLECTIONS,’ their
newest offering, they repeated past successes and added several world
premieres.  One is from a guest
director, the other is based on an artist-in-residence experience they had in
the Easter Islands.  The Easter
Islands of the giant carvings of myth and wonder.
 
The program opened with
“DOPPELGANGER,’ which uses two male dancers to visually display the creation of
uniqueness.  The two bodies work as
one, much in the style of Pilobolus Dance, which uses strong elements of
physical interaction between the bodies of the performers, exaggerations or
contortions of the physiques of the dancers, and verges on gymnastics.   Inlet is fortunate to have two of
the best male dancers in the area.   Joshua Brown, thin and agile, floats as he dances.  He is perfectly countered by Justin
Stentz, whose sculpted body, is a mass of muscle power.    The duo is compelling as
they act as one, perfectly balancing, gyrating and twisting into fascinating
positions.
 
‘LEGACY,’ in its
premiere, was choreographed by Randall Finn, the founder of Ad Deum Dance
Company of Houston.  Consisting of
five movements,  which center on
how much people have given of self, and how it affects our lives, varying
staging devices were effectively used.  Chairs, which were sat on, slid under and balanced upon, solo pieces,
duets, and group segments, comprised the number.  Especially appealing was “Till Time Do Us Part,” beautifully
performed by Mikaela Clark with Justin Stentz and “Forget Me Not,” which was
superbly interpreted by Mikaela Clark.
 
‘THERE IS A FOUNTAIN,’ a
Wade piece, was nicely executed by Rebecca Inman and Andrew Leatherman.
 
‘MEMORIATE,’ honored the
aged.  Though it evoked emotional
response, it was less compelling as a dance  piece, than the other selections.
 
The cornerstone offering,
the world premiere of ‘TE PITO O TE HENUA, PHASE ONE,’ was dedicated to the
company’s visit to Rapoa Nui (Easter Island).  Following many of the traditions of the culture, Wade is
fashioning a suite of dances.  The
first movements explore the idea of a healthy interdependent community while
citing images of how people came to the island and displayed the strong sense
of community of the natives.   The five segments covered the traveling on waves to the island, the
traditional female  and then the
male trio of dancers, and a lava tubes dance in which the performers formed
mountains and valleys which were climbed and traversed.  The piece was creatively choreographed,
but needs work.  The waves segment
was a little too long. The complicated movements throughout take perfect
timing, and the dancers weren’t quite in control of all the movements to blend
into a unified unit.
 
Capsule judgement: In
‘REFLECTIONS,’ the Bill Wade’s inspired company again proved their abilities to
move and engage an audience.  Inlet
Dance is one of the area’s premiere dance companies.  Because they spend enormous amounts of time in outreach to
area schools and institutions, they don’t do as many public performances as
might be desired. 
 
COMING UP IN
DANCEWORKS ‘09
 
April 30 - May 3
Antaeus Dance
Directed and
choreographed by Joan Meggitt, the company presents Molt, which explores the transformation that results
from stripping away undesirable habits and patterns to reveal the essence of
the individual.
 
May 7 - May 10
Ohio Dance Theatre
Choreographed by Denise
Gula, Ohio Dance Theatre premieres Silent Witness, a multimedia work that reveals the darkness of
the human soul, by honoring victims of domestic violence.  Also presented is Spindrift, a contemporary ballet performed to the music of
Vivaldi's Four Seasons.
 
May 14 - May 17
Double-Edge Dance
XspanDis a series of solos and duets formed around the
spans of time, memory and relationships.  Choreographed by Kora Radella, Julie Brodie and Balinda Craig-Quijada,
the pieces are danced to  new music
composed by Ross Feller and  performed by violinist Dorothy Martirano and bassist Armand Beaudion. 
 
May 21 -
May 24
Open Window Dance Company
Choreography by Tammy
Metz Starr, Coloring Pagesuses IWDC’s unique approach to painting the stage with dances drawn from Asian
movement forms. 
 
For tickets to all
DanceWorks 09 performances, call 216-631-2727, x501.
 
STILL RUNNING AND
WORTH THE TRIP
 
‘I LOVE YOU BECAUSE’
 
I went back to see
Playhouse Squares, ‘I LOVE YOU BECAUSE, which is running at the 14th Street Theatre.  It is still as
engaging and enjoyable as when it first opened.  If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth the trip.  The show runs until May 17.  For tickets call 216-241-6000 or go to www.playhousesquare.org.
 
‘…no CHILD’
 
Nina Domingue’s  tour-de-force performance in ‘…no
CHILD’ has caught the city by storm.  Sold out houses have inspired Cleveland Public Theatre to add two additional
weekends.  Call 216-631-2727 to try
and get tickets.  You won’t be
sorry that you went.