| 15 August 2010
With six world-class American dance companies taking to the stage with Booking Dance's showcase, Beautiful, it's difficult to know where to begin. Fans of dance will be delighted by the smorgasbord of talent on show, while newcomers to the artform will be able to dip a toe in the water without being overwhelmed. First on to the stage at the EICC is Rebecca Stenn, presenting a piece she has choreographed herself, Drinking the Sky. To the accompaniment of Chopin, she contrasts elements of classical ballet with modern moves that could be pulled from today's street dancers, commenting on the past moving forward through the present and the future.
Next up is a more dense piece, Ocelot, part of an evening-long show called From the Margins by Philadelphia's MacArthur Dance Project. I found it hard to get to grips with this section, with its themes of conflict and power, but could see the germs of the ideas behind it, and felt that in a longer form these themes would be explored fully.
Dancer and choreographer Ingrid Graham next brought an extraordinary piece of work to the stage, Trinity, a segment of a far longer show on the subject of womanhood, Mujeres. Graham is a mesmerising dancer, and her themes of femininity are at once touchingly personal and upliftingly universal.
The fourth piece, however, was probably my favourite of the entire showcase. Four female dancers led a spellbound audience through a visual tale of romance, desire and the compromises we make for love. Bodystories/Teresa Fellion Dance have stepped bravely up to the mirror and refused to shy away from our most unpleasant characteristics, while unfailingly celebrating the potential for beauty within each of us. Through repeated movements, loving touches and some of the angriest dance I have ever seen women undertake on the stage, this group has created true magic.
From the brand new to the ancient, in modern dance terms, as Christine Jowers presents two pieces resurrected from history. The first is a work by legendary dancer Isadora Duncan, created all the way back in 1923. This, and the following work, 1993's Meditation by Margie Gills, give the audience a fascinating glimpse into how dance has changed over the decades, and it is a tribute to Jowers' abilities that these incongruous pieces don't look out of place in what is otherwise a thoroughly modern showcase.
Finally, we end with the powerhouse performers of Michael Mao Dance. Weaving is a strong, feisty work, combining pounding drums with a multicultural sensibility, driving towards a strong sense of conclusion. Mao's dancers move with a lithe assuredness, creating tension and drama as well as some beautiful shapes.
Booking Dance are committed to bringing the best American dance companies to the UK, and, in this exciting selection of performances, they have certainly scored yet another success.
EICC, 8-15 Aug, 4pm
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