BWW Reviews: Live Arts Presents MADCO Performs MILLS/Works

Live Arts Presents: MADCO Performs MILLS/Works

By Jennifer Fried

Traveling from St. Louis, Modern American Dance Company, or MADCO, performed three works by former company member turned choreographer, Joseph Mills, that blended theatre, dance, and sculpture, creating a diverse and entertaining evening.

The program opened with a physical and theatrical number entitled Selkie's Song. Mills drew inspiration for the piece from Silkier myths of Celtic folklore. The dancers moved with grace and agility, defying gravity as they effortlessly fell to the floor, and then quickly rebounded. The dancers performed as if they were mermaids, swimming across the stage in shimmering aqua colored costumes.

Next was the comical number, Getting Lucky: Secret Moments in the Natural World, inspired by the mating rituals of animals and New Yorkers out on the town. The dancers emerged in zany animal customs, awkwardly and sexually reenacting the reproductive habits of the animals to the background of an animal documentary. The representation was so witty that the audience erupted in laughter. The piece concluded with upper class New Yorkers attempting to find mates at a party, suggesting that sophisticated humans aren't any smarter than our counter parts in the animal kingdom.

After the intermission, Mills himself emerged from a moving sculpture composed of two semi circles fastened together at opposing angles. The piece, Circle Walker, choreographed by Alan Boeding, was certainly fitting as Mills controlled the sculpture, whether in kinetic movement, or in supreme stillness. The abstract piece demonstrated the diversity of the company's repertoire.

The evening concluded with the solemn Reflections in the Well of Solace. Created in the aftermath of 9/11, it allowed Mills and the artists a medium to express their grief, sorrow, and confusion surrounding the horrific event. The piece concluded with a quiet and brief moment of joy-a dancer entered into a shallow pool. Her attitude changed towards troubled contemplation as she immersed herself in the water, suggesting the healing process New Yorkers would eventually embark upon.

MADCO demonstrated their athleticism, artistry and theatricality through four distinct, yet related pieces. The pieces left the audience laughing, gasping for breath, in awe of beauty and in deep contemplation: all any modern Dance Company could hope to achieve in one evening's production.

Photo courtesy of MADCO

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