Lead by artistic director, Ginny Ching-Yin Lo, Identity Performing Arts (Identity) premiered Lo’s first evening-length dance work, “Instinctual.” A series of movement vignettes divided into two acts, the hour-long performance was unfortunately marred by a malfunctioning fog machine which created a haze in the black box Ann Barzel Theatre so dense throughout the entire evening, that it often obscured the dancers from view.
Looking as much as possible beyond the distraction of soupy fog in which the dancers appear mostly in silhouette, Lo’s choreographic movement style lands on a unique voice in its bending of lyrical dance into shapes with detail and surprise. Flicking wrists, sudden jumps that spring from floorwork, and inventive lifts emerge from traditional balletic body lines, giving Lo’s vocabulary a simultaneous familiarity and uniqueness. But dimension was lost in the distraction and darkness, and what might have appeared 3-D in clear air, instead resulted in flat outlines seen by irritated eyes.
“Instinctual” does have shape, and Identity does have committed dancers. Tackling the obvious obstacle, the company of ten (Vanessa Bonilla, Josephine Castillo, Mark Gonzalez, Amelia Harris, Audrey Hartnett, Wilson Hicken, Mollyanne Nunn, Emma Raney, Hanley Simpson, Tiana Thompson) immerse themselves into Lo’s vision of a deep natural world, as earth-bound animals and plants inhabiting a lost dimension. In drab brown shorts and shirts, dancers roll and slide across the floor, then later stand with feet firm allowing only their upper bodies to ripple like underwater flora.
Driving drum beats set the initial tone as a soloist slowly rocks back and forth on the floor, gradually building in speed and intensity. As others enter and share the space, Lo creates a jungle-like place where creatures co-exist, but there is little relationship among them. Like crabs, snakes or insects, the group spends much of the first act on the floor, flowing through a series of short segments. Brief moments of tightly executed unison begin to bind the group, and in the duet section that ends the first act, Hicken and Thompson join together like herons or strange ostriches, ruffling feather fingers and lifting each other in graceful flight.
The most beautiful moment of the evening came after an attempt to air out the space during intermission (which worked only slightly and only temporarily). In the vignette entitled “Metamorphosis”, Castillo appears at the center of a human flower. Fabric-covered dancers surround the lone figure, then one by one unfurl long skirt panels into abstract shapes, opening like blooming giant petals from a bud.
The costume, created by Lo and Pauline Wong, helps bring a tension not previously appearing in the piece. Stretchy brown fabric acts as both a restraint and a protection to Castillo, who longs to grow, gracefully reaching like a slow motion flickering flame, and offering her sternum to the sky. When she does break free, releasing the skirt panels, Lo lets go of the flora and fauna vibes of the first act, imparting a more human presence. Gone is the animalistic floorwork, and movement becomes more linear and elevated.
At times, the vignettes beckon for deeper development of ideas, and Lo has subtitled the sections of dance in ways that don’t seem to connect to the action. In a trio entitled “Cutthroat”, Gonzalez and Hicken pass Nunn overhead in a smooth, exciting sequence that feels more loving than its title implies. And the final section, called “Social Heresy,” depicts the shiny silver and copper-skirted full ensemble in a triangle of impressive, tight unison with very little to nothing going against the grain. “Instinctual” can hold its own as a dance sans subtitles and sans fog.
“Instinctual” by Identity Performing Arts ran October 25-26 at the Ann Barzel Theater, 3121 N Rockwell. For more info, visit the event page by clicking HERE.
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