DANCE REVIEWS
Not Just Intoxicating but Deeply Satisfying: “Sauced” at Art Produce
Happily, “Sauced” is not merely fun; it’s smart, complex, and superbly danced. Choreographers Erica Buechner, Bradley Lundberg, and Blythe Barton pack so much substance into this suite of dances—the energy and speed of a jive number, quick shifts in level and direction, engaging dramatic tableaux, seemingly effortless changes in the cocktail bar set; there’s even a bit where dancers bring drinks to the audience.
Read MoreStrong Malashock Show Features Possible Successor
To a Michael Wall score that mixes crowd noises, breaking glass, and what sounds unnervingly like gunshots, five dancers advance warily, arms raised as if to ward off an attack. … The society Griffin creates onstage feels dangerous … and like an apt reflection of the present moment, in which the show took place outdoors on a chilly evening since we’re not yet done with COVID; and with a flag directly behind center-stage flying at half-staff in honor of the country’s latest mass shootings.
Read MoreFrom Sublime to Annoying: Litvak Dance’s “Border Stories”
Weinberg is laudably committed to showcasing a range of choreographers. Here, it was a very wide range, from the sublime Lux Boreal to a piece that put the focus on one’s experience as a viewer—in this viewer’s case, an experience of annoyance.
Read MoreRonald K. Brown/EVIDENCE Dances for the Ancestors
In the moment of watching “The Equality of Night and Day,” I found it frustratingly static. But as this piece marinates, it seems to me Brown is doing something remarkable—creating a metaphor for being imprisoned that I experienced viscerally.
Read MoreBalance, Beauty Captured by San Diego Dance Theater
San Diego Dance Theater’s show was titled “Capturing Balance,” and all three pieces, in particular a radiant premiere by Khamla Somphanh, involve searching for equilibrium … and often finding it elusive.
Read MoreDance Bonanza from Litvak, Malashock
We’re vaccinated. We’re masked. And we’re returning to theaters to see dance! Last week, I got to shows by two companies, Litvak Dance and Malashock Dance. Both featured work by multiple choreographers, making it a dance bonanza.
Read More