On April 25, I fell in love with dance all over again.
Repertory Dance Theatre closed their 59th season with DEUX, a double bill featuring historic work by José Limón and Zvi Gotheiner. Each piece is introduced by a short film introducing the choreography, rehearsal process, and dialogue about how the work came to be–allowing the audience into the creative process.
José Limón’s The Winged opened the evening. Dancers enter the stage with the pitter patter of feet striking the marley floor, creating a soundscape of vibrant, rapid energy. The figures collect, grow, expand, disperse, and migrate, reflecting the nature of birds. The use of silence is enchanting and builds a world in which the figures inhabit; I feel as though I am in a bird’s environment as opposed to them being in mine. My focus is drawn to each and every movement and shape the performers make and they are successful in convincing me they do possess wings in the motif of rapid hand movements slicing through space. The dancers exhibit incredible control in their moments of stillness and shapes as they carve through space. I was especially impressed by Trung “Daniel” Do in the Eros solo — he finds security and stability in his balances and demonstrates confidence and ease in his movement. While I find unitards to often be outdated, these unitard costumes were unique and flattering. The ombre effect paired with the velvet-like material gave the impression of feathers which helped elevate and communicate the narrative of the work. Although The Winged premiered in 1966, it still felt relevant to me. In the short film introduction, a narrator communicates Limón’s work to represent a human heart evolving, creating transformation and magic. This rings true for me — I felt that the work demonstrated connection and revealed the power of a collective spirit. Magic resulted from the choreographic and design elements, pulling me into the environment in which the work exists. I could watch this work repeatedly and experience something new each time.
Zvi Gotheiner’s Chairs featured excerpts from the original 1991 premiere. I found it rather funny that Gotheiner denied RDT in their initial pursuit of restaging the work for the company but am glad that he eventually relented. Chairs is a reminder that not all choreography needs to demonstrate every possible skill — simplicity is beautiful and repetition reveals something new with each reiteration. The two moments that struck me were the women’s duet, Lindsey Faber and Ursula Perry, and the men’s duet, Jacob Lewis and Alexander Pham. Repetition in both duets created suspense as the bodies rose and fell, crossing over and through one another, elevating in lifts. The inclusion of chairs in each duet grounds the solos, creating connections to the human condition, in daily encounters. I do feel the music left something to be desired; it dated the work and pulls it to a lower register.
Company dancer Lindsey Faber continued to impress me throughout the evening. Her precision and confidence in her movement compelled me. She followed through in each line of her body, extending beyond the shape being made creating a double-direction.
I feel as though I witnessed two choreographic masterpieces at DEUX and recommend that the Salt Lake City community make every effort to attend a Repertory Dance Theatre concert. Congratulations RDT, I look forward to season 60!
Kara Robertson is a Choreographer, Director, and Educator based in Salt Lake City, Utah working towards her MFA in Modern Dance at 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. Find her at kararchoreo.com and on Instagram @kararchoreo.