FALL FOR DANCE Program 3

Review by Celia Ipiotis

To this day, I remember the 1995 opening night of Jam on the Groove in a Greenwich Village theater. Rather than string together one hip hop routine after another, Jam told a gritty urban tale dramatized through hip hop movement and music. Concentrated around 13 major hip hop artists with choreography by Ghetto Original Productions Dance Company–  Steve Clemente (Wiggles) Jorje Pabon (Fabel), Ritchie Colon (Crazy Legs) Kenneth Gabbert (Ken Swift) and Adesola Osakalumi (D’Incredible) — the production was a hit. 
An original member, Osakalumi, reconstructed the piece for Fall For Dance.  However, by excerpting the evening length work, Jam’s overall arc was muted. Still, the social political commentary experienced by NYC hip hop artists remained center stage, as did the enthusiastic choreography,  and commitment of the dancers.

In a very timely stroke, Fall For Dance programmed Kaleoolakaikahikinaokalā, the all male hula troupe performing Hawaiki (The Homeland) choreographed by the company. With the devastation of the recent wildfires on Maui, this dance of ritual and belief felt like a balm by linking movement to nature’s regenerative elements. Unlike the hula dances seen in movies, with lovely ladies undulating softly to music, this band of barefooted men donning verdant head wreaths, dig into the ground, knees pulsating together and apart–like the Charleston on steroids. Bare chested, the men wear colorful loincloth squares that sway mightily with every hip rotation and stomp. In conversation with the musicians on stage, the mesmerizing routines are rooted in the earth and tuned to sharp, rhythmic reflexes.

Houston Ballet  blitzed the audience with a chorus of outstanding male ballet dancers. Choreographed by Stanton Welch, Clear opens on ballet routines frequently executed in dance studios.  As the ballet progresses, the pyrotechnics increase. On display–male virtuosity! This made for a tasty opener.

EYE ON THE ARTS, NY — Celia Ipiotis

*All photos by Christopher Duggan