Review: 2017 FALL FOR DANCE FESTIVAL Debuts at New York City Center

New York City staple Fall for Dance Festival kicked off this year on October 2 with Program A at the famed New York City Center. A true celebration of global dance and all of its many facets and layers, this year attracted the likes of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Dorrance Dance, and Trisha Brown Dance Company... how can any dance lover not be excited about that?

The premiere show kicked off with Miami City Ballet performing Wheeldon's Polyphonia. Paying true homage to George Balanchine with choreography immersed in staccato syncopation, the dancers created exciting shapes as they danced through the space, their shadows casting gorgeous forms in silhouette on the backdrop. With every movement, the dancers adapted to Ligeti's ever-changing score. As the piece continued, there were some timing mishaps and I felt the emotion start to stagnate. But the company is incredibly technically sound, and it was still lovely to watch them.

Up next was the New York premiere of Gula, choreographed and performed by Vincent Mantsoe. With a nervous, tentative energy, Mantsoe danced through a 360-degree evolution, transforming from man to bird, then back to man. With the help of stage props and a skittish movement vocabulary, Mantsoe was convincing as he came to full self-realization and awareness.

Trisha Brown Dance Company followed with You can see us, a lovely duet that explores the relationship between the self and the gaze. With one dancer facing upstage and the other facing downstage, the pair used Rauschenberg's score as a guide to build drama and mystery; it was really exciting to behold.

Dorrance Dance concluded the evening with the world premiere of Myelination. I've been a fan of Dorrance Dance for years, and they certainly didn't disappoint. Their synchronicity is spot-on, but it's their energy that transcends time and space, creating music, art and design with their dancing that creates an imprint on our cultural awareness.

Don't miss out. Catch Fall for Dance while you can! The season runs through October 14th with Programs B. C. D. and E still to come. Please visit https://www.nycitycenter.org/pdps/fall-for-dance/ for more information.

Photo Credit: Miami City Ballet

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