Those Darn Kids
Dance at Noon series showcases young talent
» 2002 Review found at: http://www.charlestoncitypaper.net/sp_reviews2.html

by Lyndsay Constable

The Dance at Noon series at the Physicians Auditorium at the College of Charleston presents a variety of local and regional dance companies as part of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival 2002. In addition to giving local talent a chance to shine, patrons can see dance without paying $25-$75 dollars a ticket. Unfortunately, the time (at noon) can be a bit difficult to manage for working stiffs.

The first of the two performances that I was able to attend was the Core Concert Dance Company, a pre-professional company from Georgia. Under the artistic direction of Bala Sarasvati, these talented young dancers had the opportunity to experience a wide range of experimental and interdisciplinary works. The first piece, The Call, by Bala Sarasvati, with music by LoJo and Simon Shaheen, was a faux audition/cattle call that began with the dancers coming up onstage disguised as regular folks.

Competing for the attention of the audience, they began an acrobatic struggle for center stage. The work ended with an archival film of different Core performances from the past. The movement throughout the piece was inventive and acrobatic. Another notable piece was Corevent #1 by Karen Elliot, a former Merce Cunningham dancer, with music by John Cage. Emotionally neutral, the dancers went through a series of movement phrases at different time intervals. Intensely cerebral, the piece served to showcase the performers technical abilities while experimenting with the elements of time and chance.

One of the most unusual aspects of this performance was the artistic maturity of these young dancers. Each one had a distinct, individual style and voice. Srasvati has obviously provided an environment where their individuality can flourish and not get lost in an impossible pursuit for uniformity.

The Virginia School of the ArtsÕ performance was also a group of talented young pre-professionals. Packing a whopping 12 pieces into about an hour-long show, these tireless performers exhibited beautiful technique and high energy. Two of the more interesting pieces were Passage Traume and Handel-ing, both choreographed by Ricardo Melendez.

Handel-ing, with music by Frederick Handel, was a playful interchanging of partners and roles. Sometimes the men partnered with other men and sometimes the women partnered with the men. In the end everyone was paired off with satisfaction in this quirky piece.

The finale of the performance was a high-spirited, high-kicking piece called Can-Can. As the name implies, this a pleasing romp with mile-a-minute dancing and frenetic can-can music by Offenbach. Nothing ends a show like a good old can-can line.

These talented young dancers could have benefited from a wider range of choreographic inventiveness. As the Core company proved, youth doesnÕt necessarily preclude artistry. Dancers of today need to have a wide range of abilities, possessing adeptness in many forms of dance. Globalization seems to be leading the world of dance into the uncharted waters of interdisciplinary works. In order for educational institutions to keep up, young performers need to be exposed to many different forms of choreography without sacrificing the importance of a solid foundation in technique.