A Modern 'Viewpointe'

For the Dance Program of Office for the Arts at Harvard (OFA), dance may be the universal language, but speech and images are the universal communicants. “Dancers’ Viewpointe VI,” a two-act recital that spanned styles from classical ballet to jazzy modern, interspersed informative film-clips and spoken introductions to serve the dual purpose of educating viewers on the show’s content and cleverly distracting them from pauses between numbers.

The vision of Artistic Director Elizabeth Bergman, the performance ran April 21 to 23.

The recital was divided into two acts, with the first act consisting of student choreographed works (by past and present Harvard students), and with the second act comprised of excerpts from famous works by dance icons.

The student pieces were to some extent influenced by modern dance, and two of the numbers were collaborations with Harvard music students—part of an effort to fashion completely original works, both musically and choreographically explained Bergman.

The second act featured a range of well-known styles in works by George Balanchine, José Limón and Martha Graham, and a tribute to Bob Fosse.

The concert opener of “Fallen Falling” by Larissa D. Koch ’08 was strong contribution to the show. The European-infused juxtaposition of graceful ballet and angular modern was noteworthy for its dynamic staging that compensated for the repetition inherent in the choreography. The climactic finish of falling bodies (for which the piece is doubtlessly titled) was moving in its focused and technically flawless execution.

Of the student choreographed pieces, the vision of “Undivided” was the most bizarre. The sound-effect score of Anna K. Grichting ’07 and Steven L. Pappas ’06 partnered with the instinctual choreography of Sonia K. Todorova ’07 to an equivocal effect. Todorova’s background in mime contributed to the work’s forte: although the dance’s choreography came off as too opaquely modern, the non-traditional use of pantomime conveyed human emotion through simple hand gestures and a variation on the miming rope trick.

The strongest of the student choreography was ironically the piece that started out the weakest. “Talisman” by Marin J. D. Orlosky ’07, who is also a Crimson editor, began with choppy and un-syncopated choreography that grew more emotive, cohesive and theatrical with the crescendo of the music, the mood and the progression of the story. The best moment was when the figures convened downstage left in a complexly interwoven and motive-driven formation. “Talisman” best utilized the intense musicality of its original score, composed by Inyang M. Akpan ’07 and graduate student Angela Liu GSE ’06.

Choreographed and performed by Learning from Performers’ visiting artist Rachel A. Cohen ’95, the last number of Act I used props in such a way as to depart from any previously identified form of dance performance.

Cohen forced a new spin on the mundane with her study of movement with household objects like robes and flowerpots. Cohen’s unabashed eccentricity speaks to her professionalism (as no current student piece was as daring), as did her acrobatic skill and stage presence.

The second act’s presentation of celebrated works built-up audience anticipation through the use of multimedia devices and speeches by the artists who trained with these dance world legends. Unfortunately, while well-constructed, the second act did not quite live up to the hype.

The best contribution to Act II was its opener, a restaging of Balanchine’s iconic “Apollo.” Danced in the Friday cast by Adam R. Singerman ’09, Kate O. Ahlborn ’07, Morgan P. Richardson ’09, and Molly M. Altenburg ’07, “Apollo” respectably matched the images of Balanchine’s originally epic scope. During the variations, Altenburg’s control and graceful extensions were especially noteworthy.

The excerpt from Limón’s “Suite from A Choreographic Offering” lacked emotional connection with the audience until too far into the performance. It engaged the audience as passively as a painting; in fact its visual aesthetics of brightly colored unitards and swiftly moving figures were reminiscent of “The Dance” by Henri Matisse.

“Night Journey” was a powerful example of Martha Graham’s choreography, with brisk, sharp motion propelled from the very core and breath of the dancers. Regretfully, the two-minute excerpt was too brief to be fulfilling as it seemed to preclude the full arc of the choreography.

In the heavily promoted tribute to Bob Fosse entitled “Inspiration: Fosse,” the most inspiring aspects of the piece had nothing to do with the choreography, staging or performance. It was the lighting (decorative and moving spotlights through a smoky haze) that perfectly embodied the traditional Fosse atmosphere.

The execution and choreography, however, were both far too influenced by the modernistic creativity flowing through the rest of the show. The dance itself had the wrong emotional texture, and the movements were too flowy and extended to lay claim to the crisp style of Fosse. By the end of the number, after the addition of bowler hats, canes and white gloves under blacklight, the piece was nearly a tribute, but the flirty theatricality of character was consistently lacking—except for in featured dancer Madelyn Ho ’08 and a few other individual performers.

Overall, “Dancers’ Viewpointe VI” was a unique exploration into the unknown studio dance culture at Harvard. The choreography and staging overflowed with creativity and effort and the dancers performed with admirable technique. But the modern and classical style of performance, devoid of theatrical emotion, felt so reserved that its relative unpopularity on campus is tragically no longer surprising.