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Amaranth Contemporary Dance Company
2009-10-16

Amaranth: A Jewel Hidden(?) in Virginia

Once again a Denver, Colorado audience was treated to a performance made possible by a residency of the Amaranth Contemporary Dance Company (based at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond) at the Denver School of the Arts (DSA). On Friday, October 16, 2009 that company presented three works set on company members, and two set on DSA students. All five works were well crafted, and the two set on students - "Lift," choreographed by Paige Norton, and "Equalizing The Lines," choreographed by Scott Putman - never exceeded the abilities presented to the choreographers and read well with large student casts.

All of the works Amaranth presented in this concert, and it seems presents in general, come from deep, intellectual places and complex processes. The results are easy for audiences to view, but true appreciation requires understanding that process, and maybe even multiple viewings. That is a luxury most audiences never enjoy, nor will they always take that opportunity when offered. All the works used movement phrasing rich in variety - from stillness, something Amaranth choreographers use often to frame movement, to gigantic whole body movement that gobbled up huge bites of space. In between were delicate walking and/or floor phrases that required a careful eye to appreciate. Scott Putman's self choreographed solo, "About The Lost Language of Space," was an example of such a work. Inspired by his thoughts about languages in space and a sound track of tones and verbal recitations of numbers, which seemed to depict part of our digital technology "lost" in space, the work was a visual and sound delight. That was largely due to Putman's presence, movement abilities, and phrasing choices. But, it was most difficult to truly appreciate what Putman was "saying."

Jill Brammer Ware's "Tangled Hierarchies" was, by her own admission, so complex in movement hierarchies and how she weaved that movement into Zoe Keating's sound score, that one gave up trying to really see it in one showing. But, it was apparent that such understanding is the key to enjoying the work. Not finding that understanding this audience - largely a student audience with ages from 14 to 18 - "checked out" even though DSA audiences are quite sophisticated. This despite stunning performances by Ware, Putman, Paige, and Charli Brissey.

Ware's "Imprint," as set on Norton evoked a similar response. Ware set this work with mostly floor phrasing, during which Paige tried to move what was "in her heart" (or Ware's heart) into the space. The choreography was exquisite, with many carefully crafted phrases repeated in different orientations and in retrograde. The work was short, but with a contemplative sound score similar to others used in the concert the audience struggled to keep it alive for themselves. In fact, all the sound scores for the concert bordered on those of Steve Reich and Philip Glass, i.e., scores not really appreciated by young audiences.

However it is important to realize what this "concert" was really about. It was largely an academic exercise designed to educate DSA students. It fulfilled that mission admirably. just maybe teaching students that not all dance need be "kick ass" dance to "kick ass" music - even if that is what we love to do.

Donald K. Atwood MFA, Ph.D.

© Copyright World Dance Reviews 2009

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