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Danca Nova Dance Company
2009-10-03

Quiet Simplicity: Danca Nova Presents "Kaleidoscope" - October 2 - 4th

"Small but mighty" is how one enthusiastic audience member described Danca Nova, which presented "Kaleidoscope" at Boulder's Dairy Center for the Arts this weekend. Indeed, the viewer's impromptu comment could have served as the evening's theme as the small, but mighty company presented seven uncomplicated yet powerful dance works choreographed by Don Atwood.

Opening the performance, "Now You See Me" featured a tender duet of women, lovingly exploring the disability of one of them. Upon entrance, it was clear that one woman was blind. Set to a pleasant Beethoven score, the two women stroked each other's faces as if trying to remember each other through touch alone. Gently, they began to dance together, swaying lightly and arcing through the space as if on air.

Atwood's self-choreographed world premiere solo, aptly titled "My Last Solo," was a lesson in restraint for both the dancer and viewer. The piece opened with a particularly striking image of Atwood standing dressed in red in front of a blindingly bright blue backdrop of lights, making him appear both weightless and grounded. Pensive and brooding, the movement included motifs of interlaced fingers and almost childlike gestures. While the movement logically contradicted a familiar and formal Beethoven score, the solo became tedious when repeated to a second electronic, percussive song.

Another premiere, "Qari," centered on a soloist whose character bared the weight of murdering countless women and children in Iraq. The children appeared as ghosts in black shrouds, haunting her. She struggled with conflicting feelings of violent entitlement and regret as she came face to face with each of the girls. While the four "children" in the piece mostly walked along paths of eerie light, the soloist's movement contorted and shifted in and out of the floor, mirroring her self-loathing and fear.

"Laudamus Te," a solo that first premiered in 2000 glimpsed at luxurious decadence in movement. Soloist Angela Delsanter reminded me of some of the great performers in the Graham Company with her mature, steadfast performance. Dressed in a long burgundy dress, she stretched and molded herself into sophisticated, goddess-like shapes. Elegant and poised, her interpretation of this solo stole the show.

Also performed this weekend were "Things Left Behind" (2008), a duet that dealt with childhood memories and tragedies, "Amadeus and Light" (1997), a rather undeveloped and abrupt interplay of light, music, and dancer, and "Gestures," the company's traditional closing piece. Choreographically, parts of the works were predictable as they all happened in the center of the stage with a spotlight over center, and most incorporated detailed finger gestures. Overall though, a diverse range of work and well rehearsed performances from the dancers led to a successful performance.

Ali Duffy MFA

© Copyright World Dance Reviews 2009

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