Review: BILL T. JONES/ARNIE ZANE COMPANY at The Joyce Theater

At times hard to decipher, but always fascinating to watch, Bill T. Jones's "Lance: Pretty aka the Escape Artist" tells the story of dancer, rapper, hustler, and addict Lance T. Briggs, aka Pretty. The dual character is also Mr. Jones's nephew, which is revealed through recorded interviews that intercut the dancers' dialogue and serpentine movement throughout the performance.

Lance is played by Talli Jackson, and his alter ego, Pretty, is portrayed by Cain Coleman Jr. with the support of six other dancers dressed in unisex streetwear. In particular, it's hard to take your eyes off Coleman Jr., who sashays across the stage like a diva on demi pointe in socks instead of ballet shoes, in several scenes.

The 80-minute performance feels like a feverish, Molly-induced dream, weaving in and out of Lance's autobiography. What ties the narrative together, even more than when the dancers strike a pose, manipulate the set design and memorably yet too infrequently dance in unison, is the music. A blend of urban radio hits, club bangers, Nick Hallet's ethereal score and original songs written by Briggs all capture the debauchery of the late 80s/early 90s underground club scene in New York City, London, and Paris. Two of Briggs' original highlights include the catchy, RuPaul-reminiscent "Booked It" and the Afrocentric house anthem "Tribalistic."

"Lance: Pretty aka the Escape Artist" is part of the Jones/Zane company's oral history-based work in progress, The Analogy Trilogy. It concludes its two-week run at The Joyce Theater with a dance party on Sunday, November 6 2016 at New York Live Arts, the company's resident home.