Sasha Waltz.

SASHA WALTZ NEXT WAVE FESTIVAL BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC, BROOKLYN, NY DECEMBER 6, 8-10, 2005

Entering BAM's Howard Gilman Opera House for Sasha Waltz's Impromptus felt like landing on the moon. The stunning, gargantuan, Richard Serra-like set (designed by Waltz and Thomas Schenk) was made up of a curved, hanging, caramel-colored wooden wall and a heavily raked white floor that sat like an installation on the beautifully lit stage.

The dancers, athletic and earthbound, often entered from behind the wall and seemed to be dangling and dancing on the precipice of this outer-space locale. The raked angle gave the alternately playful and emotional choreography tension and weight, and the smoothly crafted partnering was made of unexpected wrappings, extensions, lifts, and descents. The live piano and vocal renditions of Schubert's impromptus was an undeniable treat. The standout, red-haired singer, Judith Simonis, looked like a hard-living Ophelia, and her jewel-like sound was transportive.

The moment when two dancers disrobed and entered a sunken pool of water was not particularly surprising or interesting, however. The scene was reminiscent of Pina Bausch's work, minus her performers' wit and energy. The same could be said of the section during which the dancers poured and rubbed paint onto the floor--it felt overly familiar. But when two dancers entered the space in water-filled galoshes and gurgled, bubbled, and swished their way through the space, they functioned as a palate-clearing sorbet for the eyes and ears.

For all the high-end production values, idiosyncratic movement, and classically beautiful sound, the evening wrapped up with a feeling of unfulfillment. Waltz's work seems like that of a promising emerging choreographer who possesses an extraordinary budget. It is something to keep seeing, no doubt, but this piece lacks the rewarding structural rigor of a De Keersmaeker or Mark Morris dance. See www.bam.org.