How does one use dance to respond to the topic of love and its transformative power? The body-positive, gender-welcoming Noumenon Dance Ensemble (NDE) explored that question in “Love Big Enough” at the Edge Theatre on the evening of June 20. In a collection of ten short dances—four works apiece by artistic directors Erin Murphy and Nina-Rose Wardanian, a newly commissioned dance from Chicago-based guest Paula Sousa and a duet created by Valerie Alpert—“Love Big Enough” often evolves away from its initial inspiration, abstracting and blurring the notion and experience of love. Twists, turns and emotional roller coasters mentioned in the program notes do surface occasionally during the evening, but the biggest love present is that of the performers and their passion for movement.
Beyond just a dance company, Murphy and Wardanian have built a community here, through a group of honest and delightful dances that embody NDE’s mission of fostering inclusion. While the small stage space occasionally feels like too tight a container for the energy output, the dozen company members navigate that restriction with ease. Despite a few opening night jitters and over-emotive facial expressions, there is a palpable sense of comfort and trust among the group.
Opening with “All that I Need” choreographed by Murphy, the full company (Ally Paitl, Avery Wilde, Camille Nichols, Deirdre Dillon, Emma Barnhart, Faith Koleczek, Julie Ferrell-Olson, Kara Farmer, Kaylah King, Mash Bandouil, Nadia Cohn, Ryan Dick) appears in a dance battle dressed in either solid black or solid white. Sinewy and tense, the two groups work in opposition oozing and undulating like a malleable chess set, each side trying to cross the other. Little by little the two groups blend, reaching an equilibrium fusion of black and white.
Murphy takes a more narrative approach in “The Search,” presenting a beautiful story of acceptance. Personifying an outcast, Bandouil longs to connect but struggles among family and friends with their own agendas. The ensemble surrounds Bandouil first in a ring of rejection, and later, in a moment of heartfelt transformation, a circle of acceptance. The piece could stand as an illustration of the NDE philosophy.
In “Don’t Let Go,” Wardanian’s first contribution to the evening, Paitl, Farmer, King, Bandouil and Cohn shapeshift through a series of percussive movements, leaving loose-fitting suit jackets trailing behind them. The piece builds as pairs repeatedly run at each other chest to chest with arms extended as if unable to complete an intended hug. Ultimately, the disconnected group disappears, literally leaping into the dark.
Wilde, Nichols and Koleczek dance Murphy’s smooth, ballet-infused “Fuel to Fire.” The three flicker and wave like flames in a furnace. Slithering and arching (Wilde has an arabesque that goes on forever), they walk their fingers across the floor evoking the image of miniature versions of themselves. Grimacing in silent screams, the love seems absent here as one by one, the three try to escape, only to be suppressed by the others.
Wardanian puts two strong dancers through a series of falls, lifts, shifts and counterbalances in her “Once It’s Done.” Barnhart and Dick (for the Friday performance) handle the ebbs, flows and weight-sharing, relying on each other with equal measure. Stakes heighten when Dick is suddenly abandoned, leading to a surprise breath-taking entrance for Barnhart who saves Dick from collapsing just in the nick of time.
Straightforward and simple, seven dancers have a stare down with each other and with the audience in Wardanian’s “Love & Hate.” And unrelated to the topic at hand, Murphy’s, “A Plight of Overcommitment” puts forth a 70s vibe with soloist Koleczek (in the triple cast role) kicking, reaching and grabbing over and over again as the lights fade.
Guests Matthew Kinney and Sunny Park of Alpert’s VADCO have a more released quality than the Noumenon dancers. In Alpert’s “Endgame,” through a series of effortless whirling diagonals, spins and jumps, the two articulate the plucking strings of the soundtrack and gesture like two friends playing a board game.
The most nuanced work on the program comes from guest artist Sousa’s “Push.” In flowing blue and green costumes, Wilde, Dillon, Barnhart, Ferrell-Olson, Farmer, King, Bandouil and Dick create a series of encounters that alter pathways. Sporting fake smiles in contrast to a voiceover suggesting meditation techniques, dancers propel themselves sideways then extend their legs slowly as if pedaling an upside down bicycle. Emerging as a soloist, in one moment, Dick makes sharp lines with their long limbs jutting like a scissors left open, then loosely tosses their body like a rag doll across the floor the next. They lunge, stiffen and twist, then precariously fall seesawing from side to side, caught at the last minute by passers-by.
The evening finds its greatest success when the dancers are given the green light to be themselves. In the title dance, “Love Big Enough,” choreographed by Wardanian, the full company plays, shimmies and jumps with lively individuality. Solo moments appear amidst the group; a clear and confident standout, Kaylah King has a seamless solid presence that’s easy to watch. This piece doesn’t try to answer any big questions about the meaning of love, it’s simply pure joy with the carefree nature of a Saturday night dance party.
Noumenon Dance Ensemble presents “Love Big Enough” Jun 20-22 at The Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway. General Admission $25.00, Student/Industry $15.00 Tickets: https://www.ndedance.com/
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