The Out of the Wings Dance Company is a nice canvas for dancers around the community to liven up with their own creations.
Friday night's performance fit in the vision of co-artistic directors, Jim Moreno and Raymond van Mason - it was diverse and dynamic.Rene Daveluy's "Crash" opened the night. With its focus on swing, ballroom and jazz, the work was a fitting opener. But since the fads these days are hitched onto the swing movement, the audience expected more - jumps, throws and acrobatics by the the dancers, Jane Wood and Steven Mueller.
The darker colors in this evening-wide collage came quickly with Marina Harris' "The Couple." The work was an excerpt from her "Hotel Normal," that premiered earlier this year.
A smoky hotel atmosphere seeped onto the stage in slow, rhythmic movements. Jim Moreno and Julie Kane were the couple who gave a heavy performance. Those who weren't familiar with the whole "Hotel Normal" work might have been at a small loss, but the "The Couple" was effective in bringing a darker, moodier feel to the stage.
Lisa LaManna's "Bernadette" was a burst of energy. Kevin Carpenter, Paul Murphey and Javier DeCordoba spun out some flashy jazz/ballet and grabbed the attention of their muse - Erin Leedom.
The piece brought on waves of nostalgia as the men imitated the stagey choreography of Motown singing groups. And, since the music was performed by the Four Tops, it was perfect.
"Ophelia," choreographed by Moreno, brought new dimensions to Hamlet's sister. Chara Huckins' characterization emitted innocence, anger, depression and lost hope. The audience knew how the work was going to end, but were captivated about how Huckins would get there.
Van Mason's pas de deux, "Reverie," flowed well. There were some breathtaking leaps and catches as well as tender lifts that carried the work.
The imaginative "Voyagers," by Lynne Listing and her dancers, brought to mind outerworldly organisms.
Julie Kane's "Bridal, Bridle" was the best audio/visual combination of the evening. Brides Alexandra Fischer and Julie Kane - done up in flowing wedding gowns - scuttled and romped as rag-dolls and puppets to the dreamy grace of Schubert's "Ave Maria."
The title of "Mere Image" was smart. If the two couples weren't close to their marks, choreographer Mueller could have been comfortable with saying the dancers were merely imitating each other. And if they were almost right on, as they were Friday, the became "Mirror Image."
"Duet & See," by Paul Taylor dancer Sandy Stone, was a snappy ending to the evening. It mixed folk dance, ballet and modern into one neat package. And the music, a classical guitar take on Bach's Duet in C, added to the folksy feel.