Dance Festival Provides Ongoing Arts Support
by Heather Connell -- All Photos by Chris Ellis Presented by Pasadena's Lineage Dance, the fourth annual Pasadena Dance Festival 2011 kicked off its three-day event by staying true to its mission to make arts accessible for everyone with a Thursday night performance at the Lineage Performing Arts Center featuring local and national emerging choreographers. A full-length professional concert in the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on Friday provided further inspiration to dance in a full day of classes for all levels on Saturday.  The tangled web we weave in life was explored in Thursday evening's first  offering by INCANdESCENT dANCE. "Woven Perplexity" mixed deliberate movement entwined with physical props making for a playful, curious piece that at times was a little too prop heavy and distracting from the performers. Young dancers from the Los Angeles County High School For The Arts made their presence felt as future professionals in their graceful "All The Blue Changes," a flowing, fluid piece with a hint of melancholy. By contrast, the crowd pleasing, tongue in cheek "to translate," choreographed and danced by the talented Andrew Pearson drew laughs and spirited applause for bold, strong movements and slightly risque themes. The duet of Rebecca Levy and Andre Megerdichian in "Kitchen Sink" was another piece to skillfully blend fluid grace and fun. Andre's dance character's woeful looks of longing while lip syncing Patsy Cline's "I Fall To Pieces" to Levy's practiced air of indifference in response made them engaging to watch as they danced the story of their relationship and its demise.  Megill and Company's hilariously named "8 Piece Legs and Thighs" closed out Thursday night. While not a traditional or technically difficult piece, it more than delighted with its sheer cheekiness. From the over the top 80's workout costumes to an inspired bit about chocolate ice cream, Megill and Company kept the audience engaged and laughing from beginning to end. All the emerging choreographer participants made excellent use of the space at the Lineage Performing Arts Center. The subtle lighting and black box feel allowed the audience to feel like part of the show and experience dance in an intimate way.Lineage's Artistic Director Hilary Thomas stepped it up and set an even larger stage with Friday's professional concert performances showcasing an eclectic blend of styles and sounds at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. The gorgeous, historical 1930's concert hall has played host to a variety of shows through the years and was the perfect venue to capture the simplicity and diverse styles of dance on display. An engaged, receptive audience who braved the unseasonable elements included 300 underprivileged youth whose tickets were made possible by the non-profit Lineage Dance's outreach program. The ten contributing companies that performed offered an impressive array of skill and style in modern, cultural and contemporary dance that did not disappoint. The vastness of the grand stage did leave me wishing that more companies had taken advantage and really gone big with their choreography. Individual or duo pieces had a tendency to be swallowed up by the space when their movements became too restrained.  Paradigm Dance Theatre kicked the evening off with "Living In Private."  Bradley Horwitz, who also performed in the latter half of the show with the wonderfully constructed "Tethered" by Nancy Evans Dance Theatre, stood out with the simultaneous complexity and subtlety of his movements. Spice and sass dominated the Latin salsa/contemporary fusion of Contra-Tiempo with dancers Marina Magalhaes and Cesar Garfiaz clearly relishing every moment of their duet. Thomas' Lineage captured every moment with gorgeous study of motion in "Time Lapse." Set to a rhythmic and hypnotic percussion, the choreography is at once a captivating display of art, athleticism and symmetry. You can hear the audience let out a collective breath at Tara Coker's impressive display of strength and gymnastic ability. Mark Morris Dance Group's humor-laced piece "Three Preludes," performed by Bradon McDonald was charming but tepid at times. While technically solid and witty, the choreography felt too safe and packaged. Gershwin's preludes gave way to a heartfelt  , lyrical performance by special guest Erica Gimpel whose beautiful "Love Will Come Back To Me" was the inspiration for the original choreography behind Lineage Dance's accompanying piece. Hilary Thomas and Teya Wolvington seamlessly blend together in an expressive, emotional piece that conveys both love and longing. Titus Fotso's Spirit Dancer demonstrated his unique and powerful style of choreography combined with a joyous percussion. That power felt too restrained. The music and theme cried for an explosion in movement that never quite reached its pinnacle. It's easy for a single dancer to get lost in the vastness of the Civic Center stage, and I kept waiting for Titus' exuberant spirit to really let loose. Lineage's Wolvington pulled double duty in Benita Bike's DanceArt Company's "Dances In White" using chairs and dramatic, precise movements with fellow performers Tiffany Jones and Trudy Niess-Stevens.  The guys from Chapman University Dance brought the evening to an end with a stylish, masculine celebration of movement in "Interference." With swagger and grace, the all male troupe was a stand out in an evening dominated primarily by exceptional women.The festival closed out on Saturday after a day filled with classes, workshops and a Student Matinee for aspiring dancers of all ages and levels. For the 4th year in a row, Lineage Dance has succeeded in bringing the best dance has to offer to Pasadena in the form of the Pasadena Dance Festival. From their new community hub at the Lineage Performing Arts Center in Old Town Pasadena to their continued mission to raise support and awareness for charitable causes, one can only hope this is a tradition and a mission that will continue for years to come. |
