LOOKING BACK AT TWENTY YEARS OF DANCE.

LOOKING BACK AT TWENTY YEARS OF DANCE LULA WASHINGTON DANCE THEATRE LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA AUGUST 5, 2000

In a city where maintaining a company more than two decades is nearly miraculous, Lula Washington Dance Theatre's anniversary concert was indeed celebratory. The company's continued existence attests to Washington's commitment to persevering, overcoming and building toward the future. Her efforts have not gone unnoticed by either the state or local dance or African American communities, who share an admiration for Washington. This public stature can work to her disadvantage when choreographic accomplishments are superseded by a more media-friendly image of Lula the community hero.

So it was enlightening to spend an evening dedicated to Washington the choreographer, witnessing old and not-so-old favorites that demonstrated the arc of her interests, as well as her company's technical excellence. After eighteen months of near-constant touring nationally, Washington's troupe is now stronger than ever, able to enliven the choreography with a vivid expressiveness while performing at a level that is often simply jaw-dropping. Washington incorporates a range of movement idioms--acrobatics, African dance, capoeira and social dancing--but always with an eye toward line, height and pinpoint accuracy. She is a rigorous taskmaster, and many of her dances showcase individual prowess or include ensemble sequences of grueling moves, repeated and layered with intricate footwork and a gestural torso. It's an additive strategy that builds rhythmic momentum and reflects Washington's drive to push her dances and her dancers.

For all the bells and whistles (and intriguing physics) of these displays, they are undeniably expressive and in service to the characters that Washington creates. Whether tackling a social issue such as homelessness, as in Women in the Streets, or creating a sense of community, as with the shimmying dance hall regulars of A Duke for the 90s, Washington creates compelling, identifiable characters that only rarely slide to the brink of caricature. At times, the logic of characterization may digress into technical pyrotechnics, as happened in an extended solo in Reggae Suite, a tribute to the music of Bob Marley that followed its endless, rolling beat just a bit too closely.

The lengthy evening (as these events representative of prolific creativity tend to be) was studded with outstanding performances by many company members. Kudos are especially due to guest artist Bernard Gaddis, formerly a principal dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Philadanco, who is capable of suspending his leaps long enough for one to hear him debate whether he wants to come down at all.

But the highlight of the evening was Tamica Washington's breathtaking (literally) performance of Donald McKayle's "Angelitos Negro" from the classic Sons of the Disinherited. This daughter of Lula and Erwin Washington is a dancer of astonishing grace and ability who imbues her dancing with exceptional emotive wisdom. Hands down, this was one of the most profound performances not only of the year, but of a lifetime. This is an artist to continue watching.