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3 present loving tribute to dance pioneers
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Daily Gazette, The (Schenectady, NY)-June 14, 2010
Author/Byline: WENDY LIBERATORE;
For The Daily Gazette
Edition: Schenectady/Albany; Final
Section: B: Local
Page: B5
Column: DANCE REVIEW
TIVOLI -- In this world obsessed with the here and now, historic
dances are often dismissed as novel oddities, incidents of interest for
the dance scholar, perhaps, but wholly unsuitable for the stage.
Three New York dance muses proved this notion terribly misguided
in their loving tribute to three of modern dance's essential pioneers:
Loie Fuller, Isadora Duncan and Ruth St. Denis. What this living trio --
Jodi Sperling, Jeanne Bresciani and Livia Vanaver -- did at Kaatsbaan
International Dance Center was more than restage the works of these
matriarchs of this American art form. They imbued these groundbreaking,
and often revolutionary, dances with a spirit of the very creators
themselves. And in so doing, these three living dancers furthered Fuller,
Duncan and St. Denis' status as goddesses who are worthy of infinite
worship.
This was especially true of Sperling, depicting Fuller, and
Bresciani, as Duncan, as both of these women have dedicated their entire
careers to these artists. Vanaver has a vast range of artistic wisdom as
a vessel for modern as well as international folk dance and music. But
that makes her no less devoted to recreating, preserving and honoring St.
Denis. Actually, all three of them are sincere in their awe of these
early 20th century artists. And it shows.
In addition, the trio danced works that are not often seen in
historic programs, which made this showcase, "Mystic Immortals" doubly
wonderful.
Of particular interest were the dances by Sperling, artistic
director of Time Lapse Dances. She performed works inspired by Fuller's
billowing dances that used 80 yards of silk and well-placed lighting to
create hypnotic visions. (They are inspired as there is no record of the
choreography that Fuller created/performed.)
In "Dance of the Elements," she unfurled her folds of fabric in
spell-binding snippets that personified earth, water, wind, fire and
ether. Her graceful, but simple manipulation of the silk, which spiraled,
rose and descended around her, created optical illusions that were
astonishing.
Her works were especially welcome as Fuller is often forgotten by
time. More attention is always given to Duncan, who came later, perhaps
because she was a controversial sensation.
By today's standards, Duncan's dances appear tame. No matter,
Bresciani infuses them with a conviction that is startling. She becomes
Duncan -- a young and innocent iconoclast who is yet untainted by a harsh
world that haunted her in the later years. With every breath, Bresciani
invoked Duncan. Their connection is divine and it was obvious in her very
first piece, "Roses from the South," as she sprinkled rose petals at the
feet of her audience.
Vanaver, for her part, took on her role as the colorful and
exotic St. Denis with the precision of an illustrator. A dramatic and
handsome woman, Vanaver's every move, especially with her hands and eyes,
was well-placed and meaningful. She, like the Sperling and Bresciani, was
gorgeous.
All of this beauty was heightened by the readings of actor Arlene
Sterne. She was the voice of Fuller, Duncan and St. Denis, reciting their
words as their once radical dances rolled out like a visual timeline of
modern dance's enduring bedrock.
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