Congratulations to RDT on 60 years of dance in Utah! What attracts me to the company is their commitment to presenting historical works and existing as a living archive of dance. I truly treasure the rare opportunity to see such an expansive repertoire season after season.
Legend & Lore presented four works created between 1946 and 2026. The performance also launched LIVING LANDSCAPES which is “a new multi-year artistic initiative inspired by and inclusive of RDT’s decades-long exploration of SENSE OF PLACE.” This initiative highlights the authenticity of Utah and its grandiose landscapes.
The show opened with the 1956 work Castor and Pollux, choreographed by Elizabeth Waters. The sextet of dancers performed seemingly simple yet technically demanding movements, gliding smoothly through the space with a quiet sense of purpose. I appreciated the dancers’ specificity and commitment in their body shapes, gestures, and timing, particularly in the way small shifts and changes in direction seemed carefully placed. The movement felt restrained and deliberate, creating an atmosphere that was both grounded and reverent. This quiet reverence was also reflected in the head coverings worn by the female dancers and the Eastern-inspired music score, which contributed to the work’s ceremonial quality. My experience of the work was confirmed by reading the work description, which states that the choreography was inspired by Pueblo ceremonial dancers.
This was my second time seeing Dark Meadow Suite. The Suite was created in 2016 from the longer work which premiered in 1946 by Martha Graham. The work is inspired by the American Southwest which is clearly observed in the grounded and auditory footwork as dancers dig into the floor, embracing the oneness with the earth. They appear to be enlivened by it, as if the ground propels them through space and the dance. Dark Meadow Suite is an incredibly technical work and the dancers perform it with such strength.
Liquid Interior returned to the stage as the first part of RDT’s LIVING LANDSCAPES initiative. Margaret Jenkins and Ellie Klopp choreographed the work in 1994 to celebrate Utah’s Great Basin. This piece was forever flowing, where each dancer appeared to have their own role or contribution to the dance. Multiple solos were performed simultaneously, with dancers moving in and out of unison. Eventually, dancers came together for lofty lifts and collective movement. It felt that the figures were being pieced together brick by brick, or stream by stream, that they were a kind of liquid architecture. I felt that the choreography truly stands the time, it was well crafted and I wish I could see it performed again. There would be something new for me to see or experience with each viewing.
Penny Saunders world premiere Legend Has It closed the evening. What a wonderful way to close RDT’s first show of the season. The company moved through the space with highly physical movement and a theatrical conversation on the whale sculpture and its lore, which can be viewed at 9th and 9th in Salt Lake City. The dance didn’t seem to stop; dancers moved through the work seamlessly, transitions were well organized, and I felt like I could truly enjoy the journey and narrative of the work. Where dance and theater can often times feel overwhelming to me as an audience member, I found myself finding it easy to settle in and truly be carried away.
Congrats again to RDT and Executive/Artistic Co-Directors Nicholas Cendese and Lynne Larson. I would also be remiss to not welcome both Maile Yoon and Ella Kim to Salt Lake City dance community!
Kara Robertson is a Choreographer, Director, and Writer based in Salt Lake City. She holds an MFA in Modern Dance from the University of Utah. She founded and served as Artistic Director of Karar Dance Company, a 501(c)3 nonprofit professional contemporary dance company, for seven years. She is a 2024 Virginia Commission for the Arts Choreographic Fellow. Her work has been performed throughout the country including at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and at the Ailey Citigroup Theater and Gibney Dance. Kara holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University. When not in the studio or attending performances, you will find Kara working in development, raising funds for programs at the Marriott Library at the University of Utah. Find her at kararchoreo.com and on Instagram @kararchoreo.