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Merián Soto/Performance Practice at Christ Church
Dances with branches
LEWIS WHITTINGTON
Merián Soto’s “States of Gravity and Light #2,” twining bodies and branches as environmental symbols, was in development at last winter’s nEW Festival, and even though it was extremely raw and ponderous at the time, you could easily see that it might take root as a great piece. In its current draft, it’s indeed more fully formed. But this movement meditation still looked sketchy rather than contemplative, even with its many engrossing passages.
The work isn’t helped by the opening piece, “Balancing Acts,” a dance tonal poem performed by Soto that came across as a studio exercise where she was trying to work out how to partner with the branches. Soto faces off with the trance-inducing percussive sound field of Toshi Makihara, who moves around her with his instruments. The minimalism carves potentially ripe terrain but somehow misses fertile grounding. Soto seemed disconnected to what could be a vital interplay between dancer and musician.
No such disconnect occurred during Soto’s evocations of “Gravity.” Soto projected film of idyllic woods and streams that played beautifully off the bodies and shadows of Noemi Segarra and Jumatatu Poe. Poe introduced the themes with modulating slow phrasing that’s reminiscent of Japanese Butoh, grounded in solid modern technique, which made the pace hypnotic instead of boring. Segarra executes a series of backbends and dramatic bowed body poses. The end sequence had the pair in an intricate body-entwined duet, the branches extending the bodylines and framing gorgeously momentary bodyscapes.
Most impressive were the tricky low-to-the-ground positions and Poe dancing with a long branch balanced on his head. Once Soto takes us to this serenity zone, she could consider keeping us a bit longer.
LEWIS WHITTINGTON
Merián Soto’s “States of Gravity and Light #2,” twining bodies and branches as environmental symbols, was in development at last winter’s nEW Festival, and even though it was extremely raw and ponderous at the time, you could easily see that it might take root as a great piece. In its current draft, it’s indeed more fully formed. But this movement meditation still looked sketchy rather than contemplative, even with its many engrossing passages.
The work isn’t helped by the opening piece, “Balancing Acts,” a dance tonal poem performed by Soto that came across as a studio exercise where she was trying to work out how to partner with the branches. Soto faces off with the trance-inducing percussive sound field of Toshi Makihara, who moves around her with his instruments. The minimalism carves potentially ripe terrain but somehow misses fertile grounding. Soto seemed disconnected to what could be a vital interplay between dancer and musician.
No such disconnect occurred during Soto’s evocations of “Gravity.” Soto projected film of idyllic woods and streams that played beautifully off the bodies and shadows of Noemi Segarra and Jumatatu Poe. Poe introduced the themes with modulating slow phrasing that’s reminiscent of Japanese Butoh, grounded in solid modern technique, which made the pace hypnotic instead of boring. Segarra executes a series of backbends and dramatic bowed body poses. The end sequence had the pair in an intricate body-entwined duet, the branches extending the bodylines and framing gorgeously momentary bodyscapes.
Most impressive were the tricky low-to-the-ground positions and Poe dancing with a long branch balanced on his head. Once Soto takes us to this serenity zone, she could consider keeping us a bit longer.
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