Self-presented at the Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave., NYC, June 5-10.
The spring season at the Joyce usually brings a visit from the Monte/Brown Dance Company—an event one can count on for splendid dancers, tasteful costumes, varied musical scores (melodic or not), and always a very professional performance. The inference here is that the choreography (this time around, anyhow) gave pause for thought. The ensemble pieces, especially the final two—"2Face," choreographed by David Brown, and "Shattered," an Elisa Monte offering—shared the same texture: frantic-paced, full of head (and hair) tossing and an obscured structural thread. Nothing against loose tresses on females (as in Balanchine's "Somnambula"), but when the flying curls draw the focus, they become interruptive rather than dramatic.
Choreography with non-stop tempi and flying steps going every which way, as in the two pieces listed above, seem to be staged with one thought in mind: an outpouring of movement so overwhelming that it will evoke cheers from viewers content to be swayed by high-pitched expenditures of energy.
"Shattered" opened with a loud crash, instant lights up, and the overhead banks of lights and back brick wall of the theatre visible—a stark image that set up an edgy look. The choreography centered on the lovely Nadine Mose running, crawling, clinging like an abandoned child to her partner, Marden Ramos, and forever tossing her hair. Filler choreography was served up (endless head rolls, multiple turns, and grand battements), acting as commas in the surge of activity. Seeking out the theme—"life throws its blows…"—seemed muddied by the endless frenzy.
The duet "Vejle/Border Crossing," a Monte/Brown collaboration for the outstanding Ramos and Bradley Shelver, became an intricate balancing act for two men in some devilishly difficult acrobatic turns. It was a graceful wrestling match set to compelling Puccini music. "SAS," created by Brown, was the gem of the evening, a simple duet for Fabrice Lamego and Caroline Nehr. Nehr is a big-boned, beautifully aligned dancer who combines her strength with a special gift of carefully avoiding any awkward moment; Lemargo proved a lithe, long-limbed contrasting figure, and the two connected as true lovers might. Beneath three swinging overhead lights (a perfect accent) and slower-paced phrasing, their delightful relationship blossomed.