River North Dance Chicago offers arts and entertainment
River North dance Chicago concert – March 2010 – St. Louis
‘A poem should not mean but be’
Is ‘art’ justified if it is simply loved? Lots of people love twilight, but I’m pretty sure most English or serious writers across the country hate it, or at least hate the success it gets, why does everyone insist on being served an inferior art form? ?
About a month ago, the River North dance Chicago jazz company came to my hometown of Saint Louis. I had seen them perform once before and they were pretty amazing so I had high hopes for the show. It opened with a piece choreographed by Sherry Zunker, who has had a diverse career choreographing for everything from contemporary companies to cruise ships. The piece was a good wake-up call for the audience, with many dancers on stage all dancing together to an energetic pop song.
I didn’t dislike it, I would just call it more ‘entertainment’ than ‘art’. What followed was a solo work of structured improvisation that didn’t move around the stage much but was dynamic and surprising. I have a pretty good handle on dance ‘steps’ and while I did catch things like a perfect quadruple pirouette in the middle, it looked much more (I hate to use this hackneyed word) organic rather than choreographed and was only more appealing for it.
The third piece was three men displaying strength, rhythm and versatility in almost primitive movement to loud Taiko drum music. This seems to be a big trend among jazz and contemporary companies these days. I don’t know who it originates with, but my guess is Alonzo King or maybe Cedar Lake. I have a feeling the audience appreciated the obvious strength and stamina the men had, but perhaps it made the mostly Midwestern crowd a little uncomfortable.
Honestly, sometimes the choreography was so stylized that even though they still looked great doing it, with three scantily clad men it reminded me a bit of the SNL parody of Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies’ video where Justin Timberlake and two other guys prance around. . in leotards and heels imitating the pop icon. The most impressive piece of choreography and dance I had seen in a long time was ‘Forbidden Boundaries’ choreographed by RNDC Artistic Director Frank Chaves.
The piece consisted of three movements, opening with what I can best describe as a creepy, melancholy ‘Tim Burton’ feel. The dancers were intricately associated in duets involving stretchy fabrics attached in some way to their otherwise very simple costumes, sharing virtually no visual communication. To me, it seemed as if each pair was representative of a single being struggling with their own fears or limitations, holding back (in this case, often with the cloth). The second movement was a trio of two men and a woman centered at all times between the two and carried, overturned, manipulated by the canvas.
It had a touch of cirque de soleil antennae but managed not to appear ‘gimmicky’ or acrobatic. The three dancers managed to display beautiful lines, lyrical movement quality, strength and grace through unconventional choreography and the use of props. The effect was impressive. The third movement ended the piece and the first act with a sort of ‘battle’ between couples that contrasted the flowing quality and more balletic feel of the second movement with a more aggressive finale that showed the dancers a strong jazz workout. It was incredibly moving and ultimately empowering. Finish the first act.
Begin the second act; the effectively 60-plus population of the Saint Louis audience shuffled back from the restrooms, and the curtain rose for three more pieces on the bill. I think there is little to say about any of these three. The opening piece was well danced, very contemporary and had a very appropriate title, ‘Suppose’, aptly named because I can only guess what, if anything, the choreographer was trying to SAY (and if I did I would probably be wrong). . The next piece was a tango-style pas de deux (dance of two). Very good, I’ve seen things like this before. Closing Piece: A large Cuban number complete with dance team whips (the most common trick for competitions) which I didn’t find challenging or all that exciting. I would have preferred just the second, third and fourth piece and would have called it a night.
Why was what I thought was the best piece sandwiched between more accessible pieces, with a progression of challenging the audience to leave us alone at the end? It felt like the routine of parents trying to slip vegetables into their picky kids by coating them in cheese or peanut butter. It really frustrated me that what I found to be communicative, technical and innovative was not presented as the last impression of the experience.
It seems smart for dance companies to include a variety of works in a given show, like a buffet where the audience can choose what to wear. Some can be overly analytical (like me, sometimes to my detriment) or just enjoy the pure entertainment factor. River North did an excellent job of providing a little bit of everything and it all danced well. Everyone has the right to be their own critic, and I stand by my judgment: Twilight is badly written, fast food is bad for you, and whips don’t add much artistically. Feel free to disagree.