Live! The Realest MC

Kyle Abraham and his company Abraham.In.Motion presented Live! The Realest MC at the Bates Dance Festival on Thursday evening. The above black and white picture is a great representation for the severity of the content that Mr. Abraham deals with. The evening length dance is a serious look at gender roles and norms that lead to bullying, nonacceptance and hatred.  And while the topic is severe this dance is beautiful, poignant, and important.

Abraham created a portrait of a man trying to fit in. He is different. He stands out. Even though he tries to be like the others in the group he isn't. The dance began with Abraham on the floor struggling to move. His hands and feet appeared to be crippled and distorted. He slowly stood and began to walk. The other dancers entered and they are street smart and urban. They moved with speed, power and style. The contrast was laid out at the start, the cool versus the underdog who barely stands a chance. The dance offered many scenes that depicted the ongoing separateness. The movement was subtle combining hip hop with contemporary. In one critical scene Abraham speaks and relives an encounter he had as a young boy. He is being taunted and he says "I didn't doing anything, we were holding hands" and then he cries and keeps repeating "they held me down, they held me down."

The soundtrack, costumes, set and lighting help set the mood. The soundtrack is mostly not music, it's industrial and noise, and it's dissonant and evokes what you hear in the city. The costumes all have sequins whether they are black athletic jackets and sweatpants, or shorts and tops. There was a wonderful backdrop made of sleek strips of fabric that extended from floor to ceiling. They changed colors and were used as a video screen as well, very striking. The lighting design by Dan Scully was gorgeous. And the very important prop used near the end of the dance was a microphone and stand that was placed onstage that the dancers approached and retreated from. No sound was heard from the mic. But they tested out their bravado at it. MC stands for both master of ceremonies and mic controller and is one of the four essential parts of Hip Hop. Live! The Realest MC ends with Abraham the downtrodden figure alone at the mic, his back turned, but he's got the spotlight.

Bravo.

Danced by- Brittanie Brown, Rena Butler, Chalvar Monterio, Rachelle Rafaiedes, Addison Sanford, Maleek Washington and Mr. Abraham.

Abraham.In.Motion at the Bates Dance Festival. Thursday July 19, 2012 in Lewiston, Maine

Rennie Harris Pure Dance Movement

Hip Hop Dance was in rare form at the Bates Dance Festival last weekend. Rennie Harris Pure Dance Movement showed the audience how the excitement of Hip Hop can be enhanced with skillful staging and choreography. Harris knows how to bring the level up to not only a fevered pitch, but he also has the skill to evoke subtle and quiet scenes that show off the full range of hip hop movement vocabulary. Oh yeah...also going for this troupe were eleven very exciting and strong dancers.

The evening consisted of eight dances choreographed from 1992 to 2010. Beginning with "Breath" we watch four b-girls moving in rhythmic and dramatic patterns. Each dancer brought a personalized style to the work. When they were working in unison doing the same steps, they each had a distinctive presence adding individual nuances to the steps. Harris showed the women's power in "Nina Pah-Tina's Troubled Man" where the guys just can't get an edge over the force of the b-girls. It's a light-hearted take on who gets an upper hand, and it's clearly the girls here as the strut and dance and over shadow the guys.

The second half of the show featured some of Harris ground breaking work. An excerpt form "Rome and Jewels" his modern day hip hop take on the Shakespeare classic, featured a performance by Rodney Mason who co-wrote the revised monologue with Harris. Using modern day phrases and words with a rapper personna he revisits Shakespeare and West Side Story using the world of Graffiti and MC's.



The show ended with the 1995 wow-er "Students of the Asphalt Jungle." Watching the six b-boys was breath-taking. Harris has crafted a dance that shows the sheer physical power of hip hop with brilliant staging and use of the intense music of The Good Men. The dancers show incredible strength and virtuosic dancing with tricks and moves that  had the audience cheering and clapping. You must watch some of this piece now from the YouTube clip.

Harris is a master craftsman and ingenious contemporary choreographer. Go see this company perform.

Rennie Harris Pure Dance Movement, Friday July 13 at The Bates Dance Festival in Lewiston Maine.

Allison Chase/Performance

An emotional response to the dance performance by Allison Chase/Performance included in the inauguration of the Portland Performing Arts Festival.

-Amazed.  Beautiful imagery that haunts because it is not quite familiar, yet very animalistic.

-Enchanted.  Can bodies really move that way? I want to do that to because it looks so wonderful.

-Aroused Within. Movement so physical on stage that envelopes the audience, we can't sit passively.

-Spellbound. Two dancers hang upside down from a rope. It's hauntingly frightful yet serene.

-Invigorated. Dancers are diving in mid-air and tumbling to the ground with abandonment and strength. Oh to join them and feel the joy of a body moving with sheer physicality and strength.

-Touched. The music, lighting, and staging take the breath away, it's powerful theater.



Dance is a physical art. Gymnastics is a physical sport.  Allison Chase has mastered how to combine dance with sport and make theater of the finest kind. Chase was the co-founder and artistic director of Pilobolus from 1973-2005. In 2008 she established her own company which is based in Brooksville, Maine. The outstandingly powerful dancers  were: Mark Fucik, Jessica Bendig, Stephanie Fungsang, Rachel Kreiling, Ricky Kuperman, Jenna Liberati, Kenneth Stephen Neil, Shane Rutkowki, Jake Szczypek and Rebecca Anderson Darling. She brings all the unusual physicality that Pilobolus pioneered and continues to astound and help audiences experience unique storytelling through dance and the amazing human body.

Allison Chase/Performance - Saturday June 30, 2012 at Merrill Auditorium in Portland, Maine.

Huffington Post Dance Articles

Here's 2 interesting articles from the Huffington Post about money and being a dancer.

The first is written by Lightsey Darst, a critic and National Endowment for the Arts Fellow.

The Poorest Art: dance and money

And then there is a response by Jennifer Edwards, a cultural critic, consultant, choreographer and speaker.

Response to Dance and Money

New Book-"Body of a Dancer"

Renee E 'Aoust has written memoir about her time as an aspiring dancer at the Martha Graham school in New York City. A memoir offers an intimate look into one person's experience. The maniacal obsession that E'Aoust lays out as being her life in dance is a grim one. She takes the reader into her very disturbed world filled with shame and being putdown for not being good enough, thin enough, or suffering enough to make it to the top. She reveals how distorted her thinking was as she pitted herself against the many other striving wannabe dancers. It was cut-throat as they all vied to make it into the dance company, and D'Aoust was filled with insecurities and self-loathing. She writes rawly and holds nothing back. She writes that she honestly loved to dance. But the agony of her day to day existence, that she spells out in great detail, might make readers wonder how anyone would put themself through that kind of pain. Dancers may appreciate her stories, but I think non-dancers might think taking up this profession is insane.

Body of a Dancer, is a book that explores the psychologically of what happens when vulnerable people team up with other insecure people who are then lead by bullies. What D'Aoust went through was more shocking then you can imagine. She has many stories about her time in the studio taking classes, as well as auditioning and performing. She is a strong writer and a good storyteller.

D'Aoust also works as a dance critic, and at times her memoir strays into criticism. This part doesn't work for me. As a dancer she was filled with envy and bitterness towards others that succeeded. Her tone is nasty and snippy as she describes David Dorfman in Act One,

"he thinks he's a choreographer and writer, but really he simply used to be a baseball player so he knows how to squat real well."

I think D'Aoust was hoping to show pettiness to point out how insecure she was by needing to belittle others, but it was jumbled in it's many layers. The writing style here is an unhappy blend of poetic thoughts and, personal memories that just aren't clear in their intent.

Better suited were the chapters where intricate accounts of her day to day existence take the reader deep into the world of dance. There are many tragic souls depicted and D'Aoust writes with tenderness towards a few that struggled along with herself.

"control is always an issue in a dancer's life. Daniela's life was no different... dancer's have a necessarily complicated relationship to their body, known as the instrument"

Danielle weighed just 90 pounds and commits suicide. Dance training and the toll it puts on the body is what D'Aoust is addressing. It's a serious problem for some in dance. This is a worthy book, but please dear readers know that while dance is competitive and demanding this is one person's memoir and experience.

D'Aoust's book Body of a Dancer is due to be released next month by Etruscan Press.

Bates Dance Festival - Different Voices

Nothing was too taboo at The Bates Dance Festival's annual showcase concert called Different Dances on Friday evening. Although there were some serene and light-hearted pieces, a surprisingly greater part of the night had a dark side featuring dances about oppression and violence against women. Unplanned coincidence. What really stood out wasn't the topic matter it was the incredible stage presence of many of the performers. Mesmerizing, So captivating in their portrayals, I found myself awestruck, and that doesn't happen very often. Many of the dancers had really solid stage presence as they tackled some seriously uncomfortable subjects.

There were 10 choreographers represented. The audience really got a chance to see a wide variety of work by the faculty of the six week long festival. Different Voices included U.S. based choreographers as well as International contemporary dancers from Africa, Thailand, and India.

Two outstanding female solos, Immaterial Sensiblity by Seattle based Catherine Cabeen and Isingqala by South African based Mamela Nyamza, both appeared dressed as men wearing suits and ties. In very unique ways they both took on a different part of the male personna. Cabeen presented a cocksure, in your face, look-at-me guy using precision and control with elaborate leg and arm extensions and contortions. Nyamza's guy was in trouble and literally trying to outrun his demons but instead ran out of steam. Facing backward and being seen by just a lone flashlight shone from the audience the drama was intense. Both women were outstanding, they embodied their characters with full bodied commitment, it was creepy good.

Next in intensity was Encounter, a dance theater by Aparna Sindhoor and Anil Natyaveda. A mix of classical Indian dance, song and music to tell a story about a women's fight against brutality. Sindhoor, a brillant performer used both small gestures and eye movement to convey the struggle. Her subtleness and stillness were eerie. Four male dancers added the physicality that showed power and might which culminated in a brutal scene of torture and rape that was difficult to watch.

The beautiful moments in the evening were provided by Sunon Wachirawaraken from Thailand and Lisa Race from Conneticut. More female misery was touched on by choreographers Onye Ozuzu and Jennifer Archibald.

The evenings most outlandish and full of surprises dance was an excerpt from Corresondences a 2009 duet by Kettley Noel and Nelisiwe Xaba. Dressed in incredibly short dresses and high heels the two talked and danced and had a good humored rivalry. They seemed like best friends or sisters that know everything about each other. It was great theater with some focused moment sections. The end was so strikingly beautiful as they stood atop a big heavy long table, as rubber gloves filled and bulging were lowered down from the ceiling. They each bit on one of the fingers/udders where water began flowing they drunk it in, then allowed it to rain down on them. Totally soaking wet, they got to the floor and began sliding across the stage in puddles of water.

Different voices indeed!

Bates Dance Festival performance Friday August 12, 2011 in Lewiston, Maine

David Dorfman Dance-Prophets of Funk

Please listen to this music as you read my thoughts on David Dorfman's Prophet's of Funk. I'm serious this music will get you in the mood.



Schaffer theater at Bates College became a 60s "happening" on Friday night as David Dorfman Dance presented a visual feast of rhythm, groove and love. Those are words Dorfman used in the program notes. He also stated that after seeing the Original Family Stone a few years ago he made a pledge to "dance to the music." And with this dance he successfully fulfilled this goal. His choreography moves to the music in such a deep grounded way that the dancers were the music. Their movements didn't just mirror the songs or act out the words, their bodies were visually interpreting the beats, notes, horns and drums. It was a very enveloping experience.

Eight dancers and Dorfman acting as a unassuming ringmaster entered the stage dressed in the 60s garb; colorful bell bottoms, fringe vests, and outrageous Afros. They began dancing using all the social dance moves of the era. It's as if it's a big dance party at Woodstock and the it's never going to end. Peace man - make love not war. The dancers made us believe we were back in that era. But Dorman took those familiar themes and exaggerated them into a complex and exciting progression. The entire work used the music of Sly and the Family Stone, who produced some of the most funky sounds of that time period. The music was really loud as if we were at a concert, the music surrounded the senses.

The dancers were superb. Kyle Abraham, Meghan Bowden, Luke Gutsell, Renuka Hines, Raja Kelly, Kendra Portier, Karl Rodgers, and Whitney Tucker all took on different persona's. We saw the hippy guy, the flower power girl, the stoner, the radical. They flew high across the stage with dynamic lifts, kicks and turns with such abandonment that we believed they were those kids that wanted to change the world. These dancers embraced the movement and performed with such skill and power, it was really beautiful. Dorfman's choreography pointed to free love, racial tension, drug use and most importantly a deep respect for the radical music. He is very skilled at crafting a world, and gathering the audience into it. We were there. At the end of the program the dancers went out and invited the audience up to dance with them. Seeing over 100 people jamming together on the stage was a fitting way to close a perfect evening.



David Dorfman Dance, Bates Dance Festival, in Lewiston Maine. August 5 and 6, 2011

Nicholas Leichter- THE WHIZ

You gotta watch this first!

Okay, now that you've looked at the "trailer" see if my thoughts on Nicholas Leichter's The WHIZ makes sense to you.

The YouTube highlights really capture the outrageous, fun, over-the-top performance. The show performed at Bates Dance Festival showed a dance company that is at home performing both cabaret style dance as well as technical contemporary dance. I'll get to the serious dance later, but first let's talk about pulling off a in your face extravaganza. This adaptation of the classic story of the Wizard of Oz- story line: trouble at home, disaster, fantasy, who is your friend, trouble from a real witch, help from a real wizard, and finding out that there really is no place like home. Yikes- how to do this with movement and dance? This was rendered and brought to life by lots of short sections that used eight dancers and MC MONSTAH BLACK to take the audience along the yellow brick road. He was a campy guide that sang and danced, and, the outfits he wore are awesome.

Leichter is comfortable choreographing segments that vary from abstract to literal. He sets up a struggle for the audience, we get goofy fun followed by serious dance. He takes us inside and personal with a contemplative songs sung live, then to a rollicking group dance segments that offered grinding rhythmic motion that built to a jubilant frenzy. Or sections that dancers partnered and played with fierce attack. As an audience member it's tough to make the whole show cohesive, but we know the tale and it's actually refreshing to not have to have the whole story laid out in a decipherable way.

The whole production showed very strong performances by the entire ensemble. The cast were all skilled in Leichter's style that varies from embodying difficult movement done in a fluid seemingly effortless fashion. That's a real feat! His dancers also excel at fast-paced more theatrical style movements. And they are good storytellers with their entire bodies and faces. A very pleasing group to watch.

Outlandish Fun.

THE WHIZ at The Bates Dance Festival. Schaffer Theater, Lewiston Maine July 23, 2011

Merce Cunningham Dance Company at Dartmouth College

The Legacy Tour is the final performances of the MCDC. The tour began in 2009 two years after Merce Cunningham's death at age 90. On July 8 and 9th the tour came to Hanover, New Hampshire. What a treat to see the Cunningham dancers perform work from 1958, 1968, and 1976. They presented three of the seven dances that have been reconstructed since Merce's death. Reviving these dances without Merce has been made possible through an archiving process set up in called "Dance Capsules." It was decided over ten years ago by Cunningham that his company wouldn't continue after his death, but that his work would be preserved for future use by other companies. The dance capsules contain extensive notes by Cunningham himself, and from the dancers. They contain DVD's of performances and details about music, costumes, and sets. Reconstruction of the 3 dances presented at Dartmouth were overseen by company director of choreography Robert Swinson and dancers Sandra Neels, Carolyn Brown, Meg Harper, Gus Solomons Jr. and Jennifer Googins.

RainForest (1968) began with electronic sounds of clicks, beeps and buzzing that radiated throughout the auditorium and was created by David Tutor. The curtain opened to reveal dozens of large silver floating pillows designed by Andy Warhol. They filled the space and as the dancers started to move they kicked them with their legs or pushed them as their arms swept the pillows gently floated, slowly finding a new spot on the stage. All very strangely mesmerizing. The dancers seemed birdlike at times with long limbs perching on balance with total control. This helped convey the power of the creatures inhabiting a forest. It was magically danced by Dylan Crossman, John Hinrichs, Daniel Madoff, Krista Nelson,Jamie Scott, and Melissa Toogood.

Antic Meet (1958), a silly playful dance presented in ten short vingettes had the same kind of feel as Paul Taylor's 1956 dance 3 Epitaphs. They both are strange, funny, and goofy. Cunningham's dance featured music by John Cage that was performed live with sets and cosumes by Robert Raushenberg. Lots of history in this Legacy Tour. Squaregame (1976) ended the evening terrifically danced by 13 company members. This troupe is amazing to watch regardless of what you think of Cunningham's radical approach to dance and choreography. I always remember going to a concert of the MCDC in Minnesota in the 1970s and being amazed that people were walking out of the theater in protest. Nowadays when that happens I know the choreographer might be truly someone to watch. At the American Dance Festival in 2008 we witnessed French Choreographer Maguy Marin's performance of Unwelt as many in the audience left their seats in the middle of the dance. I, along with my fellow NEA dance criticism fellows felt differently, we were blown away by the piece.

It was a bittersweet show for many in the Dartmouth audience who first saw the Cunningham company perform at the college in 1973. MCDC returned to perform again many times after that year. Former dancers, university professors and students, and devoted fans filled the auditorium and at the end of the performance they stood and thanked the company for coming one last time to this small college town.

Merce Cunningham Dance Compnay at the Spaulding Auditroium, Dartmouth College July 8, 2011

Ends and Edges

Ends and Edges- A professional dance showcase presented by Terpiscore Dance. This is the second year that Maria Tzianabos has gathered together many artists and performers from all over Southern Maine and New Hampshire. Why does she organize a showcase instead of performing just her own work? Tzianabos is continuing the legacy that Maine dancer Lisa Hicks began many years ago when she created Modern Feats- a showcase performance hosted by her studio called New Dance.

For many small dance companies it's prohibitively expensive to put together a concert, so offering dancers a chance to perform in a showcase without incurring the expense is very popular. Interestingly, I think many audience members enjoy the variety of seeing many groups with divergent dance styles. On this bill eight distinct modern dance groups were featured.


From Terpiscore came three pieces. A sweepingly lyrical duet Not By Choice choreographed by Tzianabos and performed with Jill Eng, brought together two skilled dancers whose quiet strength and control were compelling to watch. A trio Deluge by Wendy Getchell featured three technically strong dancers, Robin Behl, Emily Getchell and Robyn Nast. And the third piece was a wonderful dance performed by the Terpiscope Repertory Class that featured nine dancers.

From New Hampshire-choreographers and dancers Patricia Harms and Christine Simes used three versions of the classic song "Que Sera" that Doris Day made popular, to highlight their choreographic vision in Feminine Mystique. Moving between rivalry to quirky tenderness the dance showed the strong chemistry between the dancers. The versions of the song they danced to were by Pink Martinis, Wax Tailor and the Holly Cole trio.

Collective Motion performed Swept choreographed by Joshua Robinson. I reviewed this company last year and this dance was my favorite piece from that concert. I checked back on my notes form last year - "The standout piece of the evening was "Swept...(Section 2)" by Josh Robinson for six dancers. Robinson used the lively music of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra and wonderful costumes by Douglas B. MacDonald to cast a joyous background for the dance. The dancers moved effortless with fluidity, strength and grace to highlight this companies exceptional technical skills. I loved that it was pure movement without storytelling. The dancers shined as they performed very demanding steps. There were no awkward moments, it was sheer delight."


Portland dancer Jill Eng presented two dances, a solo that was a study or an exercise as she titled it, and a duet co-choreographed with Ron Botting. The solo showed off her technical skills as she moved as if in a ballet class where dancers tackle demanding movements in studied and composed ways. Then her duet featured the opposite; a dynamic, breezy character that convinces a reserved Botting to partner and dance with her. The duet Lancaster Street was sweet and fun to watch. Above photo by Arthur Fink.

Maine veteran performers Karen Montanaro and Debi Irons as well as new comers Sonar and IndieDanceWorks rounded out a very dynamic, eclectic and well performed evening of dance. Bravo!

Ends and Edges, Portland Stage, June 11, 2011

Doug Varone and Dancers

Last night the audience at the Merrill Auditorium witnessed a dance performance that captured the depth and soul of contemporary dance. Doug Varone and Dancers presented a concert that embodied the core of what makes contemporary dance unique. What a rare treat to see dancers that move fearlessly and gracefully. With strength they throw their bodies onto the floor but then flow effortlessly back up into a turning spin off balance that defies gravity. Their bodies are as strong as ballet dancers but have a humanness that is rarely seen in classic dance. Varone's movement is sinuous and so unpredictable. He finds ways to assemble his company of seven dancers into patterns that surprise with unexpected beauty. The compositions are very complex because he builds so much movement into each moment.



Varone's newest work Chapter's from a Broken Novel was co-commissioned by Portland Ovations and the Bates Dance Festival, giving this Maine audience a sense that we held a stake in the dance. The company danced 14 of the 21 chapters. Intentionally designed to be seen in parts or as a whole, it was curious to wonder what the missing chapters contained. Furthermore Varone has been mixing up the order in which the segments are presented, thereby changing the narrative intent. This dance is rich in many ways. The movement is lush as the dramatic scenarios unfold. This dance had a strong sense of storytelling without being too literal, another elemental component of contemporary dance. But the stories reveal some tender and some very troubling scenes or "intimate portraits" as the program notes called them. The original music score by David Van Tiegham was both overwhelming at times which actually suited the dance composition but then also beautifully refined and gentle.

The other dance on the bill was Varone's 2006 LUX. The dancers- Julia Burrer, Ryan Corriston, Natalie Desch, Erin Owen, Alex Springer, Eddie Taketa, and Netta Yerushalmy moved nonstop in sweepingly beautiful displays of sheer physicality that grew along side as the mesmerizing music of Phillip Glass and The Light intensified. The dancers embodied the music: propelling spinning, swooping, lifting and diving as it built never resting until near the end when Eddie Taketa became alone on stage, slowly turning and reaching overhead pointing to the sky as the light faded and went out.

Doug Varone and Dancers, Wednesday February 16, 2011 at the Merrill Auditorium in Portland, Maine

Designing Dance Audio Documentary

Here's a 30 minute audio dance documentary I produced in 2007.

It's called Designing Dance and I present it here in 3 parts.

Part 1 features Liz Lerman and Rennie Harris (10 minutes)


Part 2 features Bebe Miller and David Dorfman (10 minutes)


Part 3 all four choreographers (10 minutes)

Jump Rhythm Jazz Project

On Saturday, October 2nd, my favorite dancer of all time performed in Camden, Maine. Billy Siegenfeld, the founder and director of the Chicago based dance company Jump Rhythm Jazz Project performed with his entire company. I first took classes from Billy in the late 1970's in Minnesota when he was dancing with the Don Redlich modern dance company. I later moved to New York city in hopes of dancing with Billy one day, and....it did happen. I love this man.

This posting is an appreciation of what he does, not a review.



Think tap dance without tap shoes, it's got all that exciting syncopation. It's drumming without the drum set and sticks. The beats are within the arms, legs and torso, it all combines to make a lush rhythm. There is vocal sound without songs. The dancers are doing a sort of scat singing while they dance. It's quirky and complex and it doesn't quite make sense but it moves you because of the power of the rhythm. On top of it all it's cool modern dance movement and skilled choreography with all that rhythm. Sigenfeld is a great storyteller. He and his dancers show a great amount of joy when they perform, it's the kind of full bodywork that exudes electricity, vibrancy and humanity. These are performers who look to connect to the audience, they are not removed or aloof they are really showbiz without the dazzle.

If you get to Chicago check this company out or take a dance class with Sigenfeld if you're ready to find your rhythm mojo.

Jump Rhythm Jazz Project performed at the Camden Hills Regional High School Strom Auditorium

Review-Different Voices at Bates Dance Festival

A diverse collection of dancers presented their work Friday night at "Different Voices." This annual show at the Bates Dance Festival is a way for an audience member to sample many artists in just one evening. Presented were highly skilled movers, with a range of experience as choreographers making the overall program uneven. But one of the festivals mission is to provide a place for artists to take risks and festival director Laura Faure states that "we showcase new works as they come to life on the stage. In doing so, we honor the central role the creative process plays in art making while acknowledging the risks in the creative journey." We saw new work from emerging artists that will surely evolve over time and get refined and edited to be more coherent. But we also saw some outstanding dance from experienced choreographers.
Donna Mejia performed and choreographed "Homage." In this belly dancing solo she wore a beautiful golden traditional costume that was highlighted by the exception lighting design of Bryan Nydegger. Mejia danced with fluidity and control luring the audience into her hypnotic spell until she sharply changed by accentuating and isolating body parts with a dynamic force. Is this the origin of hip hop's popping moves? Exquisite command of the dance form that moved from hips shaking to chest undulating. Mejia also presented another solo, a work-in-progress that used her Near Eastern dance movement vocabulary in a contemporary way. This dance was striking in it's successful dramatic conveyance of violence against women. Omar Currum is a contemporary dancer with the dramatic force that is more commonly associated with ballet or broadway dance. His presence onstage is big and commanding. In a duet with Surasi Lavalle the dancers strong technical prowess excelled. And in the solo "Joan" choreographed by Michael Foley, Carrum's subtle body nuances shown throughout. Standing still in the middle of the stage facing backwards he was bare chested and wearing a long enormously full skirt. Slow gestures built into moves that made the oversized heavy skirt dance. Beautiful visual imagery and powerful storytelling. Carrum is a member of Mexico's Delfos Danza Conemporanea as well as co-founder Claudia Lavista who performed "From Certain Deserts." Lavista possessed all the same strong dance qualities as Carrum and added a wonderful video-animation element to her piece. Changing from children's images to nature at the end she walked slowly towards the back of the stage and was enveloped into the image and disappeared, very cool effect.

Also of interest were dance artist Panaibra Gabriel Canda from Mozambique. His "Time and Space series" was a work-in-progress and was performed with live music by Jesse Manno. The remaining artists on the bill presented heady works that brought up images and ideas but didn't quite translate into a cohesive whole. But as the program notes suggest, Bates is about supporting the artist's journey. And that is becoming a rarer event in concert performances these days.

Different Voices, Friday Aug 6, 2010 at the Schaeffer Theater in Lewiston, Maine

AXIS Dance Company

Dancers have the power to remind an audience just how many ways the human body can move. Part of the wonder of dance from an audience member perspective is that we know our own bodies could never do such things, but we marvel at such skill. Then comes along AXIS Dance Company and they take the notion of skill-dance-and able bodied to a whole new level. Saturday night at the Bates Dance Festival, a display of exceptional strength and artistry was presented by dancers with and without disabilities- this is AXIS dance.

Dancers in wheelchairs, a dancer with prosthesis, and a few dancers without disabilities shared the stage. Watching this company was at first surprising and confusing. It was hard to get past the notion of a disabled person dancing so rigorously. And, for gods sake... in a wheelchair, shouldn't they be more careful? But as the evening proceeds we come to realize it's okay and all the dancers are skilled trained professionals who work at their craft and have such control over their bodies, no matter what state their bodies are in.

It's hard to describe the feeling of exhilaration of watching a dancer in a wheelchair doing a duet with a dancer on her feet where they move together with such grace and passion. Why is it so unnerving? Is it because we usually think of people in wheelchairs as unfortunate and limited, unable to do many things? So here on stage, we see the person in the chair moving with the same intensity and huge range of artistic mobility as the non-disabled dancer and it's disconcerting. It takes awhile to settle in but then it's pretty cool and we start to see them all as dancers instead of as some regular and some disadvantaged people.

Next, what about the dancing and choreographic skill level? The program featured three dances by guest choreographers that all offered complex ideas with challenging dramatic and physical demands. In the program notes of Joe Goode's 2007 "the beauty that was mine, through the middle, without stopping" he wrote "is seeing somehow limited? Does it imply an unneccessary separation between viewer and viewed?" This question is so in your face because it's hard to avoid "seeing" a person dancing who is missing part of a her limbs, yet she IS dancing, and she's dancing along side a person who looks like a traditional dancer who has all four limbs in tack. They move at first as if seeing each other through the frame of a mirror and then as one as their bodies melt together as the reach, roll and lift their legs in unison. The dancers speak saying "this is me."

Alex Ketley's 2008 "Vessel" began with two dancers lying on the floor with an empty wheelchair off to the side. Shonsheree Giles and Rodney Bell move together with alternating tender and angst filled moves as equals with the support of the floor. As Bell moves into the chair his power now comes from the chair and Giles uses her legs. Yet, as they continue it becomes obvious that they are still equals in their abilities to dance with incredible strength and speed. The wheelchairs get turned over with dancers inside them and they get tipped to the point of falling and we have to let go of worry. Next, David Dorfman's 2009 "Light Shelter" showed how adept these dancers were at quick and intricate movement. At one point, as five dancers moved in unison, the two wheel chaired dancers blended seamlessly with the undisabled dancers, so all five people were dancing the same moves, the chairs disappeared. That was a WOW moment. The lighting by Heather Basarab was superb and the original music by Albert Mathias and Michael Wall was hypnotic.

The arts always have the incredible power to move us, but this company inspires awe in the human body to a whole new level.

AXIS Dance Company, at the Bates Dance Festival, Lewiston Maine, Saturday July 31, 2010