"Simply Marvel" by Regina van Berkel opened with Oscar Ramos making quiet waves with his arms to the gentle introduction by Paganini. Wearing a crinkled top and knee length smooth pants or smooth tops and crinkled skirts or shorts, designed by Ms. van Berkel, the texture of the costumes matched perfectly with the choreography, providing a layered effect. Soojin Choi and Matthew Rich, danced a duet of soft spirals, displaying exquisite control. Acacia Schachte stood out for her facile pointe work and serene presence. The dancers formed moving sculptures, building to a section of 'shaking'- paroxysms of joy and musical acuity.

Alexander Ekman's "Tuplet," is an 18 minute exploration of sound, rhythm, and gesture combined with film projections, perpetuated by the cast of six. It was performed to strong effect as we hear the dancers -" ka, ka voom, pa pa, schwak, ta, ta ta dah" - expressing their version of the sounds of their choreography. The open stage and visible stagehands setting up didn't add very much, but once the dance began my 12 year old companion and I were spellbound!

The evening concluded with the enigmatic choreography of Jo Strømgren in a piece called "Necessity, Again". Set to music by Charles Aznavour and Bergman Slaslien, and text by Jaques Derrida, the piece juxtaposes the intellectual with the emotional. The dance becomes a physical expression of the songs relating to the emotions of desire, relative to the rational nature of daily life. Two dancer drag twine hung with letters across the stage, eventually suspending them like a clothes line.....perhaps to dry, or to be re- read, shared?

The lively Navarra Novy-Williams, Joaquim de Santana, Vania Doutel Vaz and Ms. Schachte were notable for their clear characterization and musical sensitivity. A stunning pas de deux sensually danced by Ms. Choi and Nickemil Concepcion involving a table, turned into a pas de quatre, when two men joined, creating even more possibilities. Mr. Rich and Ebony Williams performed a charming duet where she attempted to escape his "literally beating heart" which pulsed so vividly we saw it!
EYE ON THE ARTS, NY -- Elizabeth Sherlock-Lewis