Dance Carousel
Three years ago, Spank Dance Co.’s Ellen Bartel conceived of having 10 choreographers each create four one-minute dances, which would then run in a round, like pretty posing horses at a county fair flashing fast by your delighted eyes. I was fortunate to see the third installment at last year’s Long Fringe, and I’m quite pleased to report that this year’s entry is as joyous and original as the last.
First out of the gate is Chell Garcia-Trias’ “Earth,” in which two women grieve for a lost loved one, who eerily returns to life dancing in her shroud. Next up is the athletic and dynamic Khoi Le, using Vivaldi as his muse and wowing the packed house with his graceful yet powerful physicality. Other standouts include the Elsewhere Dance Theater/Sheep Army, who perform amusing, mechanized dances that gradually build to a frenetic crescendo, and Sharon Marroquin, strikingly beautiful in black and white, accompanied by her own recorded voice praying in the background. But the highlight of the show is Travis Lockwood in four dances by Michele Owens-Pearce. Saying that Lockwood suffers from Down syndrome would be accurate, but he didn’t appear to be suffering in the least as he danced to the themes of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. While it’s possible that, in a longer format, Lockwood’s simple yet deeply felt and stunning dances might not hold up, on this evening the audience was riveted each time he took the stage, and Lockwood all but stole the show from the many gathered professionals.
The Austin arts scene has more than a few unique traditions, but few are as unique and special as this: 40 works of art that leave you yearning for more. What lover of the arts could wish for more? – B.P.
Saturday, Feb. 3, 2:15pm; Sunday, Feb. 4, 9:15pm; at the Blue Theater
This article appears in February 2 • 2007.