Site choreographer Leah Stein’s Gate, performed at Eastern State Penitentiary, is not only a riveting movement drama; it’s allegorically stunning.

Gate. Leah Stein Dance Company June 8-17, 2007 at Eastern State Penitentiary. 215) 438-2688 or www.leahsteindance.org.

Moments in lifetimes, lifetimes in moments

LEWIS WHITTINGTON

    For the second time in two years, site choreographer Leah Stein has created conceptually brilliant work on Philadelphia’s cityscapes. Her Bardo in 2005 invoked spirits on a former burial ground (now an empty lot on Broad Street next to the Mission Church). Gate, Stein’s recent installation at the historic Eastern State Penitentiary is not only a riveting movement drama; it’s allegorically stunning.   

    One of the most remarkable things about Gate is that it’s not thematically bloated, considering the gravitas of the locale. The dilapidated prison’s surreal maze is reminiscent of the pillory out of Jean Genet. Those tiny cells, the starburst architecture with scary perspectives and sharp angles make you think you’re in a film by Fritz Lang.  

    These frames allow Stein to create riveting scenarios with eight dancers (plus a supporting cast of guards, singers and musicians) fighting, escaping and suffering regimentation. These and other familiar prison scenes are rendered compelling enough as Stein’s ironic eye steers us through the prison’s physical and aesthetic maze. Then, totally unexpected, come slow-motion scenes of fights, escapes, sickness, camaraderie— all the primal movement of humans.

    One unforgettable moment among many:  75 of us observers standing in the central rotunda with shafts of amber light cutting the room and dancers performing tai chi style movements at each of the penitentiary portals. The communion of prisoners living moments in lifetimes as well as lifetimes in moments is vividly realized in this triumphant work.