THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, March 18, 1996 TAG: 9603180076
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: DANCE REVIEW
SOURCE: BY SUE VANHECKE
STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 52 lines
Despite a wobbly start Saturday evening, the North Carolina Dance Theatre presented a stunning and wide-ranging program of contemporary dance at Chrysler Hall, accompanied by the Virginia Symphony.
Show-opener ``Rodeo'' was uneven. The choreography of Agnes de Mille - who originated the role of the boyish Cowgirl in 1942, delightfully danced Saturday night by Kati Hanlon - is difficult, based on realistic motions that require tremendous control.
Dancers must move as if they are actually astride a bucking bronco or sauntering steed, as if they were indeed at rest on horseback with one leg slung atop the saddle horn.
Easier said than done, the North Carolina troupe proved Saturday night, particularly in full cowboy garb, including boots. There was much bobbling footwork and many trembling legs. The company got back on track, though, as the scene changed from corral to dance hall, turning out rowdy and vigorous movement that included American idioms like tap and square dancing.
The whimsical ``Clowns And Others'' followed, cleverly choreographed by the company's late artistic director Salvatore Aiello. A striking series of vignettes showcasing members' solo talents, the piece had vaudevillian flair, harking the exaggerated but revealing comic movements of Chaplin and Keaton.
Aiello's interpretation of ``The Rite Of Spring,'' a portrayal of ancient pagan rituals celebrating the cyclical death and renewal of the Earth, was equally compelling.
Floorwork was used to great effect: sinuous slithering, savage thrusting and sensual unfurling of limbs suggested the connectedness of man and earth. Frenzied tribal movements - violently rhythmic and culminating with a human sacrifice - reflected the primordial forces of man and nature. ILLUSTRATION: DANCE REVIEW
``Rodeo,'' ``Clowns And
Others'' and ``The Rite Of
Spring''
presented by
North Carolina Dance
Theatre.
Saturday at
Chrysler Hall, Norfolk.
by CNB