It's not often that an internationally recognized group of artists comes to UB, holds residencies to teach their craft, and then performs their world-class work. But this is exactly what happened over the last few weeks with the Lim??n Dance Company.
Following in the footsteps of founder Jos?(c) Lim??n, Artistic Director Carla Maxwell has taken the time to spread a unique interpretation of the art of dance.
Friday night, the Lim??n Dance Company concluded the 2002-03 KeyBank Dance series, performing their four-part collection to an anxious crowd at the Center for the Arts Mainstage Theatre.
They began with the original choreography of "The Unsung," a tribute to Native Americans who lost their lives in the defense of their land wherein each of the seven male dancers represented a warrior. Among those famous Native Americans saluted by the performance were Sitting Bull, Black Hawk, Pontiac and Geronimo.
The performance was devoid of any sound other than those of movement and breathing. There was no music other than the rhythmic tapping of the dancers' feet on the stage. The audience remained silent, seemingly mesmerized by the astounding dance taking place. Even without reading the artist's statement in the program, a casual audience member could ascertain the purpose of the piece. The motion was more raw and less graceful than ballet, but more elegant than typical modern dance.
The second piece, "Variations and Conclusion," which is one-third of a larger piece titled "New Dance," was less likely to have audience members holding their breath in anticipation of the next move, but was nonetheless enjoyable. An interesting aspect of "Variations and Conclusion" was that it was the only number that allowed the dancers an obstacle over which to display their abilities: a large set of plywood cubes. The cubes were placed in the center of the stage. In comparison, the performers seemed mere dolls.
"Phantasy Quintet" was the newest piece of the evening, having been performed for the first time in November of 2002. The most romantic piece of the evening, it was the only piece which displayed a one-on-one relationship of any kind. Ryoko Kudo gave the standout performance of the night in "Phantasy Quintet," stealing the stage from her partner with his faultless performance.
The closing piece, "Psalm," has received a lot of attention from the media in recent months. It's a re-creation of one of Lim??n's visions. According to the program, his original choreographic notes stated, "The choreographic treatment as I envision it would be an evocation of the heroic power of the human spirit, triumphant over death itself."
The music for "Psalm" was dramatic, but the movement did not seem to match. It was, overall, the least convincing performance of the evening. As Maxwell told an eager audience in the pre-show discussion, the music for "Psalm" was commissioned and created specifically for the purpose of dance performance. Perhaps writing music is not the company's strongest point.
In addition to concluding the KeyBank Dance Series, Friday night's show also capped a two-week residency the Lim??n Dance Company held at UB.
"It was fun to learn a pure technique from people who have made a career out of studying it," said Liz Osborne, who is enrolled in the intermediate dance course.
The company, which has been asked to perform for U.S. Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton, taught intermediate and advanced dance classes in the dance department, teaching students the intricacies of the Lim??n style. It was a welcome break to the students, some of whom complain about a lack of variety in the dance curriculum.
"You could say that it gets frustrating sometimes," says Melanie Gladstone, a sophomore double majoring in dance and music. "Thanks to Lim??n, though, that frustration was laid to rest for many of the dancers."
