AMHERST - Many modern dance companies often seem to have an adversarial relationship with music. Their dances seem to be at war with the flow and the rhythm of the music swirling around them. Their movements can be jagged, disjointed and feel like the equivalent of fingernails on a chalkboard.
That’s why it’s often so refreshing to see a dance company like Philandanco! The exclamation point is part of the dance company’s name, which is short for Philadelphia Dance Company. And as the Philadelphia dance company’s marks its 50th anniversary this year, they have more than earned that exclamation point.
Like many of the best works by Mark Morris or Paul Taylor, the dances created by four different choreographers for Philandanco! performed Thursday night at the University of Massachusetts Fine Arts Center reveled in the music, the dancers’ bodies moving seamlessly in time to the music.
That might sound simplistic. But in a gifted choreographer’s hands, a dance featuring dancers moving in time to the music can be a beautiful, profound experience. And in all four, distinct pieces performed Thursday night, that dazzling sense of awe and wonder took center stage throughout the night.
The first piece on the program was “Super 8!” Created by choreographer Ray Mercer and set to original music by Bongi Duma and John Powell, “Super 8!” has a very fluid, athletic feel throughout the piece. All of the movements in this ensemble work seem to flow like water or a steady breeze from one movement to the next.
The next - and best - piece on the program had a completely different feel. Set to an industrial music score by Darryl Hoffmann and Richter and choreographed by Anthony Burrell, “Endangered Species” features six male dancers in work focusing on the plight of unarmed black men in America.
Each of the six dancers in “Endangered Species” has a name on the back of their matching red jumpsuits. The names are the first names of young, unarmed black men who have been shot or killed - often by police - in recent years. Names like Eric, Freddie and Trayvon need no introduction.
And while “Endangered Species” begins in an urgent, aggressive manner, the piece builds towards a climatic conclusion which celebrates an imagined sense of unity between these men. The piece also ends in powerful display of resistance in the face of systematic oppression of young, black men.
After a brief intermission, the dancers in Philandanco! took a more subdued path in “Folded Prism.” Set to the hypnotic music of John Lavis and choreographed by Thang Dao, “Folded Prism” had a very soulful, passionate feel, which was enhanced by the dancers dressed completely in white.
The final piece on the program was “Enemy Behind The Gates.” Choreographed by Christopher Huggins and set to mesmerizing music of Steve Reich, “Enemy Behind The Gates” featured the entire dance company dressed entirely in black.
Like the first piece on the program, the movements in “Enemy Behind The Gates” were fluid and rhythmic. They were also more intricate, more complex. “Enemy Behind The Gates” was a wonderful conclusion to a thrilling night of dance at the UMass Fine Arts Center.
UPCOMING DANCE PERFORMANCES AT UMASS AMHERST
Ashwini Ramaswamy’s Let the Crows Come - April 14 at 7:30 p.m. in Bowker Auditorium
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater - April 28 at 7:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center Concert Hall
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February 08, 2020 at 08:00PM
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Philadanco! dance company delivers dazzling show at UMass Fine Arts Center in Amherst - MassLive.com
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