Alonzo King's Lines Ballet.ALONZO KING'S LINES BALLET YERBA BUENA yerba buena (yĕr`bə bwā`nə), trailing evergreen perennial (Micromeria chamissonis) of the family Labiatae (mint family). It is native to W North America and especially common to woodland areas along the Pacific coast. CENTER FOR THE ARTS THEATER SAN FRANCISCO San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden , CA NOVEMBER 5-14, 2004 Although Alonzo King crafted his Before the Blues at Florida's White Oak Plantation during the most recent hurricane season, this 50-minute essay on the post-Civil War experience of African Americans radiates a serenity and poise that belied its turbulent genesis. Rarely has this choreographer fused sound score, visuals, and structure with such thematic focus, kinetic intensity, and emotional appeal. As usual, the dancing by King's San Francisco-based LINES left you reeling at its heady combination of classical rigor rigor /rig·or/ (rig´er) [L.] chill; rigidity. rigor mor´tis the stiffening of a dead body accompanying depletion of adenosine triphosphate in the muscle fibers. and contemporary bravado. Playing to his stylistic strengths, the choreographer has deployed the ideal number of dancers--eight--and the suitable format--a mosaic of 15 epigrammatic ep·i·gram·mat·ic also ep·i·gram·mat·i·cal adj. 1. Of or having the nature of an epigram. 2. Containing or given to the use of epigrams. episodes--that contrast group forays with solo outings of tremendous resonance. Technique, which in other LINES ventures can mire mire (mer) [Fr.] one of the figures on the arm of an ophthalmometer whose images are reflected on the cornea; measurement of their variations determines the amount of corneal astigmatism. mire n. itself in bedazzlement, here serves meaning. The title alludes to archival, African American field recordings; to these, King has added an original score by jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, a narrative read by Danny Glover, environmental sounds, and additional music by Corelli and Bernice Johnson Reagon Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon (born October 4, 1942) is a singer, composer, scholar, and social activist, who founded the a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock in 1973. . Axel Morgenthaler's lighting and video design and Robert Rosenwasser's production design favor evocative film sequences and extensive use of silhouette. King charges his episodes with meaning; he does not scorn literalism lit·er·al·ism n. 1. Adherence to the explicit sense of a given text or doctrine. 2. Literal portrayal; realism. lit . Brett Conway and John Michael Schert, bare-chested in brown culottes culottes Noun, pl women's flared trousers cut to look like a skirt [French] culottes npl → falda f pantalón culottes npl → , wrestle in an Edenic field before a woman severs their relationship. The cast, gamboling across the stage, suddenly freezes in its tracks and jumps in place robotically, a grim representation of a Southern chain gang. Gregory Dawson travels across the stage with a knapsack; a woman seduces him; her cohorts rob him of his possessions. Only a small, white cone escapes. Prince Credell scoops it up and launches a stunning, direction-changing solo; he is bathed in sunlight and drenched in up-tempo Corelli, an intimation of brighter days in the future, a hint that "we shall overcome." Drew Jacoby led a strong complement of women (they are both tempters and comforters, though this society seems patriarchal), including Lauren Porter, Laurel Keen, and Chiharu Shibata. King's stylistic fingerprints--treacherous pointe work, dramatic extensions, expressive arms, and extreme dynamic range-remain distinctive. Allied to humanitarian ends, they add up to a cultural statement. FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.linesballet.org. |
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