Shawn Harper
Kanopy Dance launched its 2017-18 season Nov. 10 with Beautiful Isolation, which includes two signature works by influential modern dance pioneer Anna Sokolow, who began her career in Martha Graham’s company as a young woman in the 1930s. Co-directors Lisa Thurrell and Robert E. Cleary offer the other two pieces in this strong program, which runs through Nov. 12 at Overture’s Promenade Hall.
Sokolow’s solo, Escape (from 1955’s Rooms), with guest artist Samantha Geracht from the New York based Sokolow Theatre Dance Ensemble, opens the program. When the lights come up Geracht is in a party dress, and chairs are scattered across the stage. I’ve seen the solo performed many times and it’s a testament to Sokolow that it is always powerful; but Geracht’s portrayal of a woman exploring past love and longing is more spare and nuanced. Geracht studied with Sokolow and is now dedicated to maintaining her legacy; it’s clear she approaches this work with care and reverence. Little moments seem large — Geracht rubs her foot against the floor while slumped in a chair, and her dress hikes up to reveal a slip, evoking a raw sensuality.
Partita & Chorales set to Bach’s lovely Partita in D minor for Violin and Chorales for Four Voices reveals a more playful side of Thurrell. At times, it reminded me of choreographer Paul Taylor’s work, with the dancers’ jubilant leaps, energetic runs and their interaction on stage. But there are also more somber and reverential passages; it’s not all fun and games. Alaina Tae Keller excels in a solo that is subtly punishing. Her challenging assignment includes smoothly spinning on her knees and gracefully tackling some difficult floor work, moving diagonally across the stage. Again and again, the dancers stand before us, their arms high above their heads with their wrists crossed and their arms lower, elbows turning in, which is both elegant and improbable. The piece ends with Milo Sachse-Hofheimer slowly settling into this phrase in a spotlight after his fellow dancers have already performed it. Costume designer Amy Panganiban created new costumes for this latest iteration and hits the right notes, especially the puffy grey Tudoresque shorts for the two men.
Cleary’s This is Not America, the most restrained and thoughtful work I’ve seen from him, has Juan Carlos Díaz Vélez returning to perform with Kanopy, as a man captured and falsely imprisoned. Díaz Vélez is always magnetic, but his persecutors, Zada Cheeks and Brad Orego, hold their own. As Díaz Vélez, who is bound by black rope, struggles, Cheeks returns to perform a tender pas de deux with Alyssa Jendusa. The two are both very forthright and clear as performers. While there are some satisfying lifts (Cheeks carrying her on his back with her dangling feet gently pedaling through the air), it struck me as a dance of reciprocity and mutual care. The two would often take turns completing the same movement. For the most part, they ignore the prisoner, sharing the stage with them until they approach him cautiously. The Ahn Trio’s instrumental version of David Bowie’s titular song is melancholy, especially as its title resonates as many Americans find their country harder to recognize.
The program closes with Sokolow’s groundbreaking 1953 Lyric Suite, which guest artists Jim May and Geracht set on Kanopy dancers. Lyric Suite is as unflinching as its score (Alan Berg’s Lyric Suite for String Quartet). Cheeks performs the first solo and sets the bar high. He lets the movement be the star while maintaining a riveting presence. Sarah Wolf, Erica Pinigis and Brad Orego also perform their solos well. The section that pleased me most was a pas de deux with Cheeks and Emily Shelton, both in blue, and completely in tune with each other, heads nestled in each others’ necks. A quartet of women in long red dresses with their long hair flowing was radiant in a pure and unfussy way. It seems possible that some dancers might perform this work in a disingenuous fashion, making it appear overwrought, but Kanopy avoids that pitfall and keeps things spare. In a pre-show talk Geracht revealed that not everyone in the cast initially embraced Sokolow’s style, but that they were dedicated to learning — which is evident.
Once again, Kanopy shows a commitment to the future of modern dance by exposing audiences to its important past. As Thurrell pointed out in the pre-show talk, when something is a classic, it doesn’t look dated; it remains fresh and relevant.
