Men's Dance II. Reviewed by Claire Cote
Dance Baltimore presented a compilation of works by local male choreographers this past Artscape weekend at the Theatre Project. It was reassuring to see that the house was packed. In fact, people were, unfortunately, turned away for lack of seating and subsequent fire code adherence. This showcase of male choreographers was Dance Baltimore's second production of its kind. The idea to compile works by local male choreographers grew out of the lack of their recognition in the dance community. Thus, the variety of works in the show highlight a male perspective that, together in context of the "Men's Dance", hold stronger and more varied than had each piece been presented outside of this context.
The themes varied from meditation to relationship dynamics to Cezanne. Coincidentally, two duets, "Fool" by Gary Dunn and "I Do...Not" by Algernon Campbell, both focused on the push and pull aspect as experienced in male-female romantic relationships. The works by Tony Byrd, Christian Murray and Vincent Thomas were the most impressive. Their male perspective was clear but not in your face. Their movement was stylized and original.
Tony Byrd performed his duet, "Melee," with Ian Anderson.The duet centered on a physical fight between the two men: Byrd, a petite black man, and Anderson, is a larger white man. Performed without accompaniment, the silence was heavy with the sounds of their effort. The movement harnessed the notion of male competition with impressive lifts and back and forth attacks and defenses.The interaction between the dancers felt conversational.The contrast of body types served well for lifts but also, coincidentally perhaps, racial stereotypes. One specifically interesting moment was when the dancers stood back to back, moving circularly as a unit as though looking for the other, but unable to find him, as they were connected and moving in the same direction.
Christian Murray's piece, "Transformed," was mostly hip hop fused with contemporary movement. The blend was harmonious. The contemporary movement did not stand out against the hip-hop. At times some of the gestures were literal, but unlike most literal movements, they succeeded in avoiding the cheese-factor. The music was excellent, as it mixed songs such as “Videophone” and “Jenny From the Block”, to name just a couple.
Finally, the performance by the trio of dancers was highly impressive as their unison, timing and dynamics were immaculate. Murray incorporated as well simple yet interesting group formations and partnering. It was refreshing in contrast to the rest of the more "modern" and serious works in the show simply for its fun and quirky style.
Vincent Thomas' solo piece,"Come Change," an excerpt from iWitness, was exceptionally powerful in movement and theme. He entered from the audience wearing a button-up shirt and tie with tattered pieces of fabric tied around his waste like a skirt over pants. He moved with intensity, force and fluidity, using fully his long and graceful limbs. His movement evoked urgency, and despite his gracefulness felt specifically "male" in its power. Again, this male perspective, along with his theme of revolution and change, came through successfully due to it's clear yet subtle imagery. One specific moment that stands out is a seizure-like movement that reverberated through his torso as a young African male's voice interrupted the music, speaking of another possible world. His ending was extremely powerful albeit less subtle, as he walked upstage away from the audience in silence with his fist in the air. However, his arm was not straight up as one imagines when thinking of this iconic image of revolution and power; rather, his arm made a right angle at the elbow. This stylized the iconic fist image to make it less cliché yet still very powerful.
It's wonderful to have Dance Baltimore organizing and presenting a concert of this nature here in Baltimore. The recognition of a male presence and perspective in dance in a city with limited resources for dance is an achievement
