BWW Reviews: David Parsons at the Joyce

The choreography of David Parsons has always been a mystery to me. He has ideas and a vision, yet they never gel. This was apparent to my colleague and me when we attended the David Parsons gala on January 14. While not exclusively dedicated to Mr. Parsons-there were tributes to Paul Taylor in whose company Parsons danced, and Robert Battle, who performed in the Parsons company--we came away feeling that if this is what we have to show for modern dance today, it needs some rejuvenation-and thought. Why are these works being done when there is little that they say?

David Parson's Introduction began the evening. The opening, with a group moving together center stage, offered the promise of an interesting journey. The music by Rubin Kodheli was intoxicating, inviting swaying and fluid movements. After a few minutes, however, it became apparent that the dance vocabulary was not rich enough to keep up with the music, a criticism that has been leveled at Mr. Parson on numerous occasions. Nothing was said in any creative way. Time was spent watching the dance, but little in terms of payment.

Parsons Brothers presented another interesting idea having two men exploring a sibling relationship in which they take turns being dominant or submissive. Yet again, the thought process was not clear. Once the point was made in the first two minutes, there was nothing left to the imagination-just the steady drone of another misfire. Why did Parsons choreograph it in the first place? Was it the Stravinsky music, Concertino for 12 instruments? Was there some sort of affinity between music and the movement? We don't know.

The Parsons piece of the evening that ignited was his familiar Caught. Performed by the bravura dancer, Clifton Brown, the dance moves from one strobe light to another, catching the dancer in some dazzling flights of gravity defying motions. The audience always responds vigorously when the dance concludes. I agree; the piece is energetic, highly theatrical and presents a unique and distinctive vision. Parsons has ignited our imagination as well as our brains. So we sit aroused and wait for more.

Robert Battle, the new director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater was represented by The Hunt. Originally choreographed for a male ensemble of six men, here it was danced by a female quartet. Loud drums, repeated over and over again, are supposed to whip us into a state of ecstatic frenzy, yet I kept wondering what the choreographer was trying to tell us. I appreciated the intensity and theatricality of the piece but, when the curtain came down, all the images presented to us were quickly forgotten. Enjoyable to a degree; easily forgettable.

I've seen Paul Taylor's Cloven Kingdom many times over the years, and as much as we admire it, the juxtaposition of four dancers representing the animal spirit to Baroque music has always seemed more cloying than damning. While there is some representation of an allegory between the human and animal spirits, its exploration into the deep recesses of the mind has the whiff of an Antony Tudor or Jerome Robbins pop psychology dance session. There are better Taylor works; it's too bad one of them wasn't on view.

Parsons Nascimento Novo ended the evening, but not on a note of rejuvenation. A slight piece with dancers joining in what seems to be a Florida night club, it was over before it even had a chance to make its point, which was...what? Yes, it's fun to be in a night club, but not to watch a parade of beautiful bodies endlessly shaking their hips and slithering all over.

David Parsons has now been choreographing for over 25 years. In that time his output has been large, but his imagination routine. I look forward to something original at his next outing at the Joyce.

Photo: Christopher Chambers

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