[NEohioPAL] Berko review: GroundWorks @ Cain Park

[Roy Berko]

Sold out GROUNDWORKS program varied and interesting at Cain Park



Roy Berko

(Member, Dance Critics Association)



With the ever increasing popularity of reality television shows like SO YOU
THINK YOU CAN DANCE and DANCING WITH THE STARS, the interest in dance is
expanding.  Local evidence was the large enthusiastic audience at Doug
Elkin’s ‘FRÄULEIN MARIA, recently presented by DanceCleveland at the Hanna
Theatre and the sold out Cain Park run of the Groundworks DanceTheater’s at
Cain Park.



With that increased interest, as was evidenced by the comments made at
intermission and after the Groundworks’ performance, has come a higher
awareness for the quality of the dance.



It’s impossible to watch SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE and not gain
appreciation for both the dancers’ skills and the abilities of the
choreographers like Mia Michaels to tell stories and create visual
beauty.  People
in the Alma Theatre courtyard sounded like Nigel Lithgoe and Mary Murphy,
the reality show’s judges, as they commented on the performance.



The opening number, BOOK OF WATER, choreographed by David Shimotakahara,
the company’s artistic director, was a multi-sectioned piece which
dramatized substance in its many forms, as a metaphor of the images of
dance.  In this selection, “each image is part of a journey touching on
memory, chance legacy and ultimately the ways we are joined together.”  Joining
together is a Shimotakahara signature theme.  Using gymnastic moves,
flowing hands, and strong lifts, each segment mirrored the varied sounds of
the music, which ranged from digital, to jazz, to atonal, to vocal.  Though
well performed, the piece was somewhat long.



SWEET, staged by Shimotakahara, was a compelling selection danced to the
mellow sound of Bobby McFerrin’s *Sweet in the Morning*.  The always
precise and engaging Felise Bagley and the dependable Damien Highfield
melded together, flowing to the musical sounds, in movements reminiscent of
Heinz Poll’s poetic choreography.



CURRENT FRAME, getting its Cleveland Premiere, is the work of Amy Miller,
former Groundworks dancer and its Artistic Associate.  Miller was a
powerful and athletic dancer.  Her choreography mirrors her dance
form.  Exploring
the dramatic interplay between the formal structure of Baroque composer
Heinrich Biber’s *Passacaglia* violin solo, brilliantly performed by
Hanne-Berit Hahnemann, and the emotional undercurrent found in the music’s
themes and cadences, the piece mirrored intertwining sounds with
intertwining bodies.  Filled with strong lifts, no facial expression, and
effective intensity, Kathryn Wells Taylor and Gary Lenington well carried
out Miller’s design.



The highlight of the evening was BRUBECK, getting its Cleveland
premiere.  Dedicated
to Jim Branagan, an active Groundworks supporter who recently died, the
involving dance was everything Brubeck.



Combining seven of Brubecks’ lexicon of compositions, including, *Take Five*,
*Bluette*, *Pick Up Sticks* and *Unsquare Dance*, Shimotakahara has given a
snapshot of the sounds of the American jazz icon as physical movements.



Each section highlighted a different side of Brubecks’ experimentation with
 moods and time signatures.  His style has been epitomized as “motion and
commotion” as “creating infectious melodies and dynamic rhythms,” and this
was well reflected in the dancing.



The dancers switched gears as the moods of the music changed from
plaintive, to sassy, to happy, to sensual.  Noelle Cotler added a special
presence with her ever reflective appropriate facial expression.



Kristine Davies’ costume design was confusing.  The female short
shirt-waist pink dresses and then the varying styles of bathing suits
didn’t parallel to the musical moods.  Lenington’s white tank top and
belted brief shorts accentuated his increased bulk and, as with the women’s
costumes, did little to create the needed visual image.



*Capsule judgement:  Groundworks DanceTheater is one of the area’s finest
small dance companies.  Their recent tenth anniversary concert at Cain Par,
again highlighted their versatility and proficiency.*



Next up:  On October 26 and 27 GroundWorks performs at the Allen Theatre in
PlayhouseSquare, in a concert which inaugurates the company’s cooperative
work agreement with Cleveland State University.  The program will include a
premiere of a new work by Doug Elkins, the award winning choreographer.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.neohiopal.org/pipermail/neohiopal-neohiopal.org/attachments/20120821/5e7b6cec/attachment-0004.htm>