‘Director’s Choice’ @ Dallas Black Dance Theatre
Photos by Amitava Sarkar
—Ramona Harper
Two stunning world premieres, an iconic classic, and a compelling piece dedicated to one particular mother: these dance works filled the stage of the Wyly Theatre for “Director’s Choice”—an international, multicultural program celebrating the 47th season of the brilliant Dallas Black Dance Theatre.
With today’s fraying appreciation for the universality of human experience, “Director’s Choice” was a timely presentation of cogent artistic expression that illuminated the oneness of humanity through dance and music.
Instinct 11/1
There’s an absence of sound as the curtain rises on Instinct 11/1. Only a piercing silence and the slow, deliberate, center-stage movement of a shatteringly beautiful solo by longtime DBDT dancer Hana DeLong that expands with the appearance of five superb dancers who join her.
Choreographer Francesca Harper, artistic director of Ailey II, dedicated this tribute to her mother and honors the date of her birth with its title. One might have expected Instinct 11/1 to be a tender expression of maternal love; instead, warrior-like dancers in soft-edged combat, powerful but grounded, strong yet vulnerable, glide through every human emotion in a force field of passionate defiance.
Stomping feet pivot to raised heels and fisted, outstretched arms punch through the air, propelling dancers across the stage in a blur of sassy shoulders and sexy hips. Dancers run in light, ecstatic grace, counterintuitively moving their arms as if carrying a heavy burden—and then face the audience head-on with defiant stares, as if to say, “Yes, I can do this. Just dare me.”
Earth-toned, flowing skirts and a male dressed in silky bottoms by Beth Thomason-Designes Unique provide an interesting counterpoint of softness to movements that are stark and steely. A black background accented only by smoky wafts of air and haunting original lighting by Milton T. Tatum, Jr. creates a spatial environment of mystery and dramatic flair.
The sound of the African Drum finally pierces the atmosphere in the second half of the piece with the percussive elegance of White Chagne, Watusi Warrior Drums. And yet, the movements are so powerful that the work could succeed just as well in muted splendor. Instinct 11/1 is both exciting eye-candy and a testament to the spirit of endurance. What a powerful gift to present in honor of one’s mother.
Reflections in D
Duke Ellington—pianist, composer, bandleader and American jazz master—composed Reflections in D for “The Duke Plays Ellington” album in 1953. Ellington’s musical genius fused with Alvin Ailey’s choreographic brilliance in Ailey’s work of the same name: it premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1962. It’s a short piece, only four minutes, the exact length of Ellington’s hauntingly beautiful composition.
In a post-performance talkback, DBDT artistic director Melissa M. Young shared that Reflections in D was “personally gifted” to the company by Alvin Ailey himself. Dallas Black Dance Theatre is the only company outside of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater permitted to perform the piece.
Sean J. Smith, now dancing his 14th season with the company, performed Reflections in D in a male solo like the masterpiece it is—with slow, controlled movements and lyrical expressiveness projecting serenity and fearless sensitivity. It is unusual to see chorography for a male with this degree of vulnerability. Reflections in D challenges any social perceptions that men are emotionally stunted and out of touch with their deepest feelings. Hats off to Ailey for stretching the boundaries of what it means to be a man.
The piece is purely emotive and highlights Smith’s ability to hold and sustain positions that might be more technically difficult than quick, rapid-fire movement. The carriage of the arms is elongated and sweeping. Leg lifts, defying gravity, are full-fulcrum and held high. Sean J. Smith’s performance seems to perfectly project the intent of its inimitable choreographer, while allowing the dancer’s own persona to break free.
Staged only with a grand piano and the accompaniment of a master in his own right, pianist Erik Barnes, Reflections in D is a classic tribute to Ellington and Ailey. Dallas Black Dance Theatre is preserving the prestige, the unique characterization and the visual beauty of this timeless work.
Critical Mass
Dance has the magical capacity to tell the human story without words. The human journey, with all of its chaos, drama, deconstruction and resurrection, finds solace and healing in the visually arresting movement of Norbert De La Cruz III’s world premiere of Critical Mass.
Dancers move in and out of formation—fast, urgently, furiously—in Critical Mass. They support one another, then retreat to their own solitary experience of pain, joy and healing before returning confidently, yet still needful of the beloved community. The human journey, ultimately traveled alone, collapses into human togetherness. Each of the full company of fourteen dancers expresses the journey on their own terms while stretching themselves to interpret Norbert De La Cruz III’s exciting choreography.
Filipino-born De La Cruz expands the narrative with original music by Ben Waters, adding an electrifying beat to an already-thrilling performance. The entire company performs with exuberance, heart, and palpable love of movement.
The Return:
Nejla Y. Yatkin, a German American of Turkish ancestry (and a world traveler), approaches her creative endeavors with seriousness of purpose but a light-hearted expressiveness. She was in the audience Friday night and graced the stage in the post-performance talkback. Yatkin is paraphrased as saying that she hopes her choreography creates empathy in communities, bridging cultures between peoples through gratitude, love, joy, and celebration.
“Memory, migration, transformation, identity and multiculturism,” in the words of the choreographer, is at the heart of her work as a dancer, choreographer and film maker. She splendidly blends all of those elements in the universal themes of her world premiere of The Return:—a visual montage and mélange of African, Middle Eastern, European and America cultures that moves throughout the African Diaspora but comes home to the urban streets of America.
Music is an essential and integral part of The Return: with the sound of Tunisian composer/musician Anouar Brahem’s elegantly plucked oud (a Middle Eastern instrument and ancestor of the European lute) and Israeli bassist Avishai Cohen’s mesmerizing American jazz harmonics—all melding seamlessly to create an exotic symphony where East meets West.
Dance has infinite ways to convey the depth of the human spirit and its capacity to pulse in universal tones while preserving individualistic artistic expression. In The Return: we see all these elements magnificently woven together, seemingly without physical or mental boundaries.
Could one have imagined that sound and movement projecting Middle Eastern, folkloric snake dancing could easily transition into twerking and Voguing to the sound of American jazz? The Return: fuses both in believable perfection. Cross-cultural communication looks so natural: Turkish folk, Middle Eastern dance, West African and American social and urban street dance boogie-down together in multi-layered, multi-cultural magic. The entire company participates in the festivities of The Return: and pays it forward, affirming a much-needed message of unity.
Dallas Black Dance Theatre is a vision of excellence, athleticism, technical mastery and lyrical expressiveness. In this latest program, every dancer had the chance to shine and project their artistic individualism, a choreographer’s dream. “Director’s Choice” was time well spent, a splendid experience at the Wyly Theatre, caught up in the joy of movement.
THE DANCERS: Carmen Cage, Gillian Clifford, Hana DeLong, Micah Isaiah, Sierra Noelle Jones, Elijah W. Lancaster, Dominiq Luckie, Derick McKoy, Jr, Bianca Melidor, Daniel Palladino, Terrell Rogers, Jr., Nile Ruff, Brianne Sellars, Sean J. Smith
WHEN: November 10-11, 2023
WHERE: Dee & Charles Wyly Theatre, 2400 Flora St., Dallas, TX
WEB: dbdt.com
