Top 10 Dances With Complexity of 2012

Sharon Marroquín, The Materiality of Impermanence

Photo by Todd V. Wolfson

In chronological order:

1) 'INVASION OF THE NEW GRRL ORDER' (Fusebox Festival) Allison Orr's sweaty crush of girl-rockers and disparate groups thwarted attempts to approach it from a single perspective.

2) 'SOUL PROJECT' (Fusebox Festival) Ferocious, colorful representatives of imaginary geography stretched contexts of culture and significance.

3) 'THE MATERIALITY OF IMPERMANENCE' (Sharon Marroquín) A dance about breast cancer, but also a remarkably thorough work about life, crisis, joy, family, change, and grace.

4) 'CATALYST' (Dance Repertory Theatre) University of Texas students were, intellectually and artistically, up to the challenge presented by works from David Justin, Yacov Sharir, and Ohad Naharin.

5) 'UNTO LOVE' (American Repertory Ensemble) Poignancy skyrocketed when choreographer and retired ballet dancer David Justin dusted off his technique and artistry to dance with Oren Porterfield in this moody duet.

6) 'TWO TO ONE' (Tapestry Dance Com­pany) This duet between New York tap genius Michelle Dorrance and Mishay Petronelli was superfresh and thrilling.

7) 'SOMEBODY ELSE' (Big Range Austin Dance Festival) Ellen Bartel's ensemble piece reminded us of the inevitable and our responsibilities to each other.

8) 'MARE CRISIUM' (Shay Ishii Dance Company) Amanda McCorkle's devastating solo was sandwiched between samples of "Moon River."

9) 'SOLO SYMPHONY' (Forklift Dance­works) Incidental moments of disconnect between conducting, or movement, and music presented a dark side – like a loss of a language once possessed – thereby underscoring the exceptionality and magic of music-making and physical response.

10) 'BOUNTIFUL' (Kathy Dunn Hamrick Dance Company) Vibrancy and depth were sustained in works by Hamrick, José Luis Bustamante, and Lisa Kobdish and Mariclaire Gamble.