Mary Ellen Hunt
Jun. 01,
2002
White Oak: classy caper
By Mary Ellen Hunt
TIMES CORRESPONDENT
Mikhail Baryshnikov's powerful attraction as a dancer is not the least in doubt, if the size of the crowd at White Oak Dance Project's opening on Thursday night at UC Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall is any indicator.
Audiences may have come to see one of ballet's bona-fide stars, but along the way they were treated to some fine performances by other members of White Oak Dance Project, all of whom remind us that classicism is not always a dirty word where modern dance is concerned.
Each of the eight dancers in the troupe has a strong grounding in ballet, and backgrounds that are likely to include such companies as New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company or Merce Cunningham Dance Company. It is the quality of their dancing in the end that makes these works a pleasure to watch.
As the savvy artistic director of the 12-year-old White Oak Dance Project, Baryshnikov seems acutely aware of his box-office draw and the appeal of his brand of clean classicism, even on a program filled with post-modern works. He appears in every piece on the bill and opens the program dancing "Largo," a solo choreographed by one of the original Judson Dance Theater members, Lucinda Childs, and set to the music of Arcangelo Corelli. Dynamic and elegant, this piece is as balletic as post-modern work can get. Childs' stripped-down, fluid choreography suits both Baryshnikov's Kirov Ballet bearing and the contemporary technique he has absorbed.
Childs is one of several choreographers whose work is a good fit for White Oak's eclectic talents. Her "Chacony," which closed the program, is just the kind of work that ballet companies love to acquire for their modern repertoire. It offers a solid construction with a satisfying visualization of three Benjamin Britten pieces for strings. Even beyond the strong ensemble work, Baryshnikov's brief solo at the end against a brightly lit backdrop makes for a fine punctuation to the evening.
Sandwiched between the bookends of Childs' pieces are two wildly different works: the austere and abstract "Early Floating" by the late, renowned modern choreographer Erick Hawkins, and the absurdist drama "The Experts" by Sarah Michelson.
The 1961 "Early Floating" is one of Hawkins' earlier works, typifying his languid, deliberate style. The attraction is not context or story -- these are bodies moving freely in space, making contact only rarely -- but rather the highlighting of the creamy movement qualities of the four dancers: Baryshnikov, Zane Booker, Emily Coates and Roger C. Jeffrey. In particular, Coates brings a carefully focused delicacy to her extended solo work, and a gentleness that contrasts with the percussive score that was written by Hawkins' collaborator and wife, Lucia Dlugoszewski.
In a sharp change of pace, "The Experts" is an attempt at whimsy that comes off as gimmicky and rambling. Part moshing on a bubble-wrap floor, part affected posing, it's as silly and disjointed as a Monty Python sketch, but about five times as long and much more pretentious. White Oak took an admirable risk in putting a more experimental work out there; however, with its wacky sense of humor, "The Experts" is the kind of piece that works in a smaller alternative theater but just doesn't translate well to a large stage like Zellerbach.
Throughout, White Oak's dancers navigate the choreographic vicissitudes beautifully, demonstrating wide-ranging technical abilities and making the company seem much larger than just eight people.
Baryshnikov obviously relishes the opportunity to present a more mainstream public with unconventional modern works, but he has hinted at retirement within a few years, after a career that has lasted decades longer than is typical for ballet dancers. With or without him, the company is top-notch, and we can only hope that audiences will continue to come to see White Oak Dance Project, whether his name is on the program or not.
REVIEW
• WHAT: White Oak Dance Project presents "Largo," "Early Floating," "The
Experts" and "Chacony"
• WHERE: Zellerbach Hall, Bancroft Way at Telegraph, UC Berkeley
• WHEN: 8 tonight
• HOW MUCH: $36, $48, $62
• CONTACT: 510-642-9988, www.calperfs.berkeley.edu
This review initially appeared on June 1, 2002 in the Contra Costa Times.
For questions or comments, please contact maryellenhunt@yahoo.com.