‘Dancical Werks’ Captures the Mood

At times modern, political and energetic, the range of moods evoked by the Harvard-Radcliffe Dance Company’s (HRDC) whimsically named recital, “The Spring Collection of Dancical Werks,” was truly awe-inspiring. Co-directed by Mai-King C. Chan ’06 and Sonia K. Todorova ’07, “Werks” ran this past weekend at the recently completed Harvard Dance Center (HDC), and its performances were as sleek and modern as the new venue.

The opening dance, “Not Fire, Not Ice” choreographed by graduate student Marita L. Sheldon, set the evening’s tone. Five black-clad dancers took to the dimly lit stage and cycled through poses eerily suggestive of death throes as a solemn voice boomed lines from Robert Frost’s apocalyptic poem “Fire and Ice”. Odd mechanical sound effects and a metronomic beating heart underscored the poetry and contributed to the piece’s ominous air.

“In,” a jaunty duet performed and choreographed Todorova and Tufts freshman Bistra Solakova, was decidedly more upbeat than its predecessor, but not exactly carefree. The two strode onstage from opposing corners with newspapers pulled tightly against their faces; when they reached striking distance of each other, they dropped their pages and began circling and lunging at each other like punch-drunk prizefighters. The buoyant strains of No Smoking Orchestra’s “Bubamara” played in the background, giving the dancers’ aggressive posturing a cartoonish quality.

The standout performance of the evening was “Shelter,” a solo piece choreographed and performed by Marin J.D. Orlosky ’07, also a Crimson editor. Floating onstage in a rustic muslin skirt, Orlosky launched into a rapturous sequence of leaps and turns against a backdrop the color of the dawning sun. Antja Davelcot’s plaintive country-western ballad “Ravenland” played in the background, providing a perfect aural compliment to Orlosky’s passionate performance.

Things took a turn for the political in “My Angel Rocks Back and Forth,”an ensemble piece choreographed by Dominique M. Elie ’06 and Todorova, that played like a populist parable. A cadre of dancers in turn-of-the-century workers’ garb cooperated to execute a series of increasingly demanding contortions—which, at times, strained their ability to maintain form and move fluidly—before the “workers” ultimately collapsed onto the ground as if dead. The fallen workers were then “kicked” back to life by Annelisa H. Pedersen ’06 so that they might resume their labors by a soloist in a fuchsia bowler and iridescent business suit.

Julia K. Lindpaintner ’09 and Orlosky delivered the evening’s most avant-garde performance in their self choreographed and enigmatically named duet “Untitled #3.” The duo stomped onstage in outfits seemingly assembled at the local Urban Outfitters to The White Stripes’ “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground.” Their choreography was perplexing at first: the dancers frequently seemed out of sync, and their gestures were jerky and angular, but it gradually became clear that their movements were stylized interpretations of the unhinged dancing of rock concert revelers.

“Sparks,” an ensemble piece choreographed by Ruthie B. Birger ’06, was easily the recital’s most energetic performance. In this quirky number, the dancers stomped and leapt about the stage in perfect unison to the tune of Mongo Santamaria’s world-pop rave-up “Afro Blue.” As thrilling as these antics were, they raised troubling questions about the propriety of cultural appropriation that were not answered, or even addressed, in the context of the recital.

“Shadows,” choreographed by Brenda Divelbliss, a Harvard Dance Program instructor, conformed most closely to the stereotypical notion of modern dance. Unlike the other pieces, the abstract “Shadows” did not adhere to any particular narrative or seem motivated by an aesthetic originating outside the world of modern dance. While the piece’s thematic insularity and lack of narrative made it less engaging than the preceding dances, it showcased the dancers’ technical precision and perfect poise.

Surprisingly, considering the number of dances on program, “The Spring Collection of Dancical Werks” ran for less than one hour. But in that short amount of time the HRDC was able to perform a range of pieces that ran the gamut of styles and moods. “Werks” may have been billed as an evening of whimsy, but its commitment to variety was dead serious.



—Reviewer Bernard L. Parham can be reached at parham@fas.harvard.edu