Modern dance is not necessarily for everyone, but it is certainly worth experiencing. Dance Place D.C. hopes to give everyone that opportunity.
On Sunday, Dance Place presented Carla & Company with BosmaDance and choreographer Amir Kolben as part of their Sunday Family Series. The purpose of the Dance Place Family Series is to make dance accessible to children and families. Some styles of dance very easily lend themselves to a vast audience, but modern dance is not usually one of them. The Dance Place did a relatively good job presenting the modern dance art form in a way that encouraged audience involvement.
For the family audience, there were several positive and simple pieces choreographed by Carla Perro, the founding director of the Dance Place. The two pieces by guest choreographer Amir Kolben had a more serious tone, and provided a contrast to the other pieces. The performance seemed to accomplish the goal of providing a palpable sample of modern dance to a family audience.
The two sections of Perro's "All Wrapped Up" were great introductory pieces to modern dance. Soothing music and the use of blankets as props contributed to the simple yet well-presented first section, "All Wrapped Up in Myself," which featured four female dancers. The blue-tinged lighting also helped to set the positive and reflective mood.
As the lighting and music changed, a large group of adult and child performers came out to do the next section, "All Wrapped Up in My Community." This section featured folk dance with very upbeat music and a very diverse group of performers. These pieces are works from Carla & Company's Concert in the Schools program, whose goal is to bring dance to children in a positive way.
Following this piece was an intermission during which audience members were encouraged to go to the stage and learn the simpler parts of the folk dance. The idea that everyone could get up and be a part of the dance was a unique feature of the performance and really achieved the mission of Dance Place.
However, it was Amir Kolben's "Bu(ty)lies" that really showed the potential for expression and creativity in the realm of modern dance. Set to Antonio Vivaldi's "The Four Temperaments", the piece explored the act of lying and incorporated spoken words and the use of cell phones and an umbrella as props. Each of the six dancers in the piece had a set repeated movement, as well as his or her own lie to be lived or told.
The choreography seemed to show how people battle themselves and others with the lies they tell. All the dancers were extremely expressive, their faces seething with emotion and their bodies illustrating the conflict within caused by lies.
The lighting was well utilized and very integral to the overall appearance as well as the emotions conveyed by the work. Kolben's piece was fascinating, and it was worth sitting through other less gripping dances to experience "Bu(ty)lies." Though a bit difficult for those not familiar with dance to fully appreciate, any dance veteran could admire the true exploration of the theme expressed in the piece.
The Dance Place is currently celebrating its 25th season, continuing its tradition of meeting D.C.'s diverse dance needs and providing a place where dance is accessible. The stage and lighting capabilities of the facility were excellent for dance, and the overall energy was one of encouragement and community. This season's series features many diverse and interesting dance groups giving performances, including tap, African and Spanish dance companies, like next week's performance by the Ziva dance troupe.
