Lab., Project Group-USA.

Rarely does a choreographer of contemporary dance manage gracefully to combine the technical precision and elegance of classical ballet with the freedom and innovation of modern art. But Enrico Labayen, director of Lab., Projekt Group-USA succeeds at this task. His collage of short modern dance pieces (Brady Street Dance Center, San Francisco, August 7-10, 1997) presented captivating original works and revived classical stories with an inspired beauty.

The program's most mesmerizing work, Cloth, which was drawn from the Biblical "Song of Songs," evoked the powerful emotions of jealous love and rage. Labayen and Todd Courage performed to perfection, revealing gymnastics skill and a mastery of modern movements. Another variation on the same theme, Othello is an interesting up-date of the Shakespearean tale created by guest choreographer Yannis Adoniou from Lines Contemporary Ballet. In this excerpt, Laura Bernasconi danced the part of Desdemona with exquisite grace. Cold Fish, a premiere, enraptured the audience with a sea of visual imagery. The dancers mimicked deep-sea fish, with uncoventional pairings intimating a range of sexual expression. Although at times the melding of styles was more chaotic than harmonious, the overall impression delighted the audience with a refreshing vision of contemporary dance.