"MOMENTUM 2010," RIRIE-WOODBURY DANCE COMPANY ALUMNI, Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, Aug. 26, additional performances through Aug. 28 (801-355-9225)
Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company alumni have a keen sense for their art.
Producers Jill Voorhees Edwards and Juan Carlos Claudio — both former RWDC dancers themselves — have gathered other alumni to create an emotional and dynamic night of repertoire in "Momentum."
Claudio's "Motmot," inspired by a family of birds that include Kingfishers, is danced by Rosy Goodman and incorporates ritualistic avian movements. It is the perfect kickoff to the evening.
Karin Fenn's challenging and tension-filled work "When Last We Met, Why Can't You... And One More Thing..." is an angst-ridden, physical study of relationships that finds itself tugging, hitting and shoving within rare and tender touches.
Seven local dancers bring Jillian Harris' "ReCoil" to life. Balance, chaos and a blast of voices highlights this ambient and abstract work that focuses on breaking boundaries and finding oneself.
The aerobic and smartly crafted "Edge of Red," choreographed by Edwards, is the uplifting ending to the evening's first half. Sharpness and precision are the themes to this stimulating work.
The three pieces of the second half are arguably the strongest.
The emo-laden "Grim Register," created by Caine Keenan, juxtaposes solo and group movements into a dark, poetic layout that flirts with tragedy.
Stevan Novakovich's "Solo Trilogy" features exquisite slow-motion and real-time running and subtle flicks of fingers and arms that scream with emotion.
The duet "Honestly," choreographed by Jill Patterson, which features Patterson and Jo Blake, is a touching and optimistic look at the strength of healthy relationships that not only features fluid and joyful movement, but also stop-motion poses that add depth to the movement segments.
"Momentum 2010" raises the bar for the next RWDC alumni reunion concert. So, the pressure is on for next year.
e-mail: scott@desnews.com