Quirky Works VI

The Houston Metropolitan Dance Company

with Eisenhower Dance Ensemble

November 14, 2008
Wortham Center, Cullen Theater
by Nancy Wozny

Quirky Works came into being when Michelle Smith decided it was a lonely world out there for an artistic director of a small dance company. So she came up with a concept that shares the production with others to put on a grand show at the upscale Wortham Center. This year The Houston Metropolitan Dance Company's buddy was Detroit-based Eisenhower Dance Ensemble (EDE), a well known contemporary dance troupe.

This year's quirk fest proved to be more of a celebration of fine dancing than engaging choreography. Diversity was also in short supply as there seemed little separating one dance from another. All that said, the evening did not come up short in the polished performance category. In fact, The Met looked more whipped into shape than ever. Kate Skarpetowska, in the most fully realized piece of the evening, employed angled shapes and brute power in her ode to Eastern European chutzpah, Folk Tales, set to the Warsaw Village Band. Tight unison amplified Skarpetowska's dynamic choices, which precisely matched the company's set of strengths. Priscilla Nathan-Murphy's thoughtful work, Relentless, played off subtle partnering and highly nuanced movement. Dressed in translucent blue jackets, the piece moved more into the meditative zone and was danced with a razer sharp attention to detail by Lauren Garson, Lynzy Lab, Jocelyn Thomas, and Marlana Walsh-Doyle. Relentless looks like it could be a seed for a longer work. Brock Clawson's world premier The Yawning transformed The Met's dancers into somnambulists—a curious notion that never really moved beyond the idea stage. Caleb Mitchell's Stirring Simple Gifts in Shades of Blue served as a show off vehicle for The Met's troupe of technicians, starting off with Walsh, sporting a new blond mop and a sexy blue jumpsuit, slicing the airspace with great aplomb. With a rare ability to attack without losing flow, Walsh possesses the kind of virtuosity that connects with the audience. Katie Heintz stood out in her busting loose solo and Thomas' sweeping gestures also created an allure. Unfortunately, even these stirring performances did not rescue the piece from its muddled structure. Also performing with The Met were Christopher Cardenas, Kiki Lucas, Terrill Mitchell, and Lisa Wolff.

EDE made for a well chosen companion for The Met and offered three contrasting works that also highlighted the gifts of this small but sleek company. Kiesha Lalama-White evoked an earlier time in modern dance in Vicious Cycle with her abrupt and jutting movements. Eddy Ocampo conjured Paul Taylor in his elegant, albeit derivative, romp Orion. Tom's Songs, choreographed by Laurie Eisenhower, showed the Detroit troupe in a gutsier and somewhat nostalgic (for this boomer) vein, revealing a string of strong solos and robust group work. Demetrius Tabron embodied a portrait of fluidity, while Mary Bischoff delivered a riveting rebel with a cause solo. Dressed in jeans and T-shirts the company demonstrated a more daring quality while dancing to such classic rock icons as Neil Young, The Band, and Van Morrison. The other fine dancers of EDE included Bethany Blanchard, Alicia Cutaia, Jessica Reimer, and Gerald Barrett.

Review commissioned by Dance Source Houston. For more dance reviews and Information, visit www.dancehunter.blogspot.com or www.houchron.com