Yi-Chun Wu
Li Chiao-Ping's "Gó Redux."
I’ve always known that choreographer Li Chiao-Ping is smart (and clearly I’m not alone in thinking that because last spring she was awarded a Vilas Research Professorship — one of UW-Madison’s top honors). But at the opening night of armature: in medias res at Overture’s Promenade Hall I learned more about what informs and shapes her as an artist.
For those who haven’t seen her work, it’s an excellent overview. This final show in a series celebrating her company’s 20 years in Madison is a look back to the past and a glimpse into the future.
The program opens with the Wisconsin premiere of “Cline,” which has Li’s signature athleticism, challenging floor work and stylized gestures. But it is also more tender, gentle and unabashedly pretty than a lot of her choreography: A dancer cradles the cheek of a castmate, and a pair of dancers rely upon each other for support, one dancer winding around another.
Excerpts from the choreographer’s critically acclaimed 1991 “Yellow River” are particularly compelling. It’s obvious why this very personal work, which delves into her Chinese heritage and affinity for mathematics, helped launch her career. Li emerges, running in place and doing a cartoony little jig, explaining, “I’m running as fast as I can to get away from superstitions” before reciting a litany of superstitious beliefs (many familiar, some new to me). Susan Lee dance the next solo, “I can feel the rings…” in a silky gold and red robe. Lee is initially restrained (or perhaps constrained) before expanding into bolder sequences, punctuated by a wagging index finger and a series of pronounced heel-toe walks.
In “Exact and Precise,” standout Liz Sexe performs an impossibly hard solo exactly and precisely, as the title suggests, tackling the relentless demands with virtuosity. Sexe is clearly a very different dancer than Li, but they both convey fierce drive. Mozart’s music dictates the action here (more bossily than most scores in Li’s works), but Sexe rides it out, pausing to tick off the counts 1, 2, 3, 4 on her fingers before launching again into a whirlwind of movement.
Closing out the “Yellow River” section Li perches on a huge dictionary in the appropriately titled “Tome.”
“Aqueducks,” lifted from Li’s quirky The Knotcracker, has Emily Janik, Brianna Z. Kauer and Rachel Krinsky clad in vintage swimwear and flippers cavorting to the familiar strains of Strauss’ Blue Danube waltz. Kitschy and whimsical, it is satisfying to hear the thwacking sound that flippers make. The dancers gracefully combat the challenges of navigating space while encumbered.
Li premieres her latest solo, “in medias res” (taking its name from the literary device where the narrative begins in the middle), and this piece neatly sums up so much of what I admire about Li — her enviable strength, love of wordplay and ingenuity. Li dances on, around, under and cantilevers (sometimes precariously so) off a table. She departs and then returns, wrapping herself up in a glowing strand of lights. In each piece, I felt like I was seeing more of her than usual, and not just because of the quantity of dancing. She’s always a striking presence and formidable technician, but here she is more engaged with the audience, more comfortable and more revealing. It’s good to see this artist celebrating her history and resilience.
For me, it would have been fine to end the evening with “in medias res.” That’s not to say that the final two pieces weren’t well danced, but they appeared more dated and less relevant when compared to selections preceding them. Megan Thompson’s unfortunate and unflattering costume in “Refrain” is distracting, and the work is as heavy handed as Wagner’s music. “Gó Redux,” with its cast in black sports bras, short little trunks, clunky boots and white tutus, tries too hard to be edgy. It’s initially amusing to see the dancers as a punky corps de ballet from a debauched Swan Lake, but it gets tedious.
However, just as I was thinking I’d had enough of the proceedings, Li gives the audience a stunning ending to the piece, demonstrating that she is never out of great ideas.
