This `Beowulf' dances to his own drummer.

Byline: Dance review by Janet Descutner For The Register-Guard

DANCE THEATRE of Oregon put the emphasis on theater in its weekend production in the Hult Center's Silva Concert Hall.

The program's centerpiece was Ceil Forrest and family's "Beowulf," drawn from the epic poem's first 837 lines, compressed into nine scenes. If you hadn't read the original recently, you probably were left guessing at details (and even major plot clues).

Some were provided in college lecture style: an overhead projection of a map of ancient Europe, a red laser pointer indicating the hero's journey.

Others came through the declamation and singing of Nick Forrest, as might have been typical of roving troubadours in the early eighth century. His songs were the invention of brother Mark Forrest, with additional music by Trillian Green, Franz Liszt and Michael Praetorius. At times, Nick Forrest wrestled with pitch and range control, occasionally appearing ill at ease in physical transitions.

Plot machinations also evolved through dance and mime. A trio of ghostly trees provided The Forest, emerging through fog. Ceil Forrest's lyrical paean to their leafy, misty spirits was danced well by Sheri Farnsworth, Pamela Lehan-Siegel and Kristin Wilson, with costumes designed by Lynn Bowers. Don Hunter and Phil McBeth contributed visual effects and lighting design.

Peter Aune and Marc Siegel were warriors to Tim Cowart's King Hrothgar. Brief dances portrayed them in a somewhat cliched fashion, stiff and muscular. The comic visual effect provided by high-top red tennis shoes no doubt reinforced this characterization. Corrie Cowart, as Queen, joined her spouse, Tim, in one short, charming dance, in which Bowers' costumes provided beautiful color and texture.

Other than that, Ceil Forrest's use of the Cowarts was more in the realm of pantomime than dance - not their strong suit, nor, in this instance, hers as choreographer. At the point of battle, the three warriors joined somewhat meager forces with two spearwomen (Britton Anderson, Ashley Slaney) and were led by Beowulf (Wind Kim) against an invisible monster. The monster was seen only after his demise, when a bright green, juicy, oversized, amputated limb, sculpted by Jerry Williams, cranked in, suspended above.

Epic events are popular to depict in the movies, where they can be shown in ghastly and amazing realism. I'm not sure they "play" on today's dance stage when resources are limited and audiences expect both spectacle and spectacular dancing.

"The Raven," a sinister piece by Pamela Lehan-Siegel (co-artistic director with Marc Siegel), opened DTO's program. Its menacing atmosphere, emphasized by a spooky organ and gongs, was well supported by McBeth's lighting, suggesting mystery and suspense. Equally stark, the movement, now hawk-like, later spider-like, was well performed by a septet.

Choreographer and scriptwriter William Gordon's "Necessary Evil" was a chatty exercise emphasizing acting. Its bill-counting wealth-seekers raised laughter from the crowd as one Siegel distributed dollars bill to the audience and then the other took them back. Lyn Burg, Kelly Jo Pierson, and the Siegels performed the animated script with panache.

A duet choreographed by Marc Siegel featured the Siegels in three different "couple personas." In "Banana Split for my Baby," Lehan-Siegel made the most of her stretchability, punning the song title with "Lindy hop" splits. Part 2 had a beatnik flavor; in Part 3, the elegance of her black heels and provocative poses stimulated him to don a red cummerbund and dance body to body.

Janet Descutner is an associate professor emerita of dance at the University of Oregon. She reviews dance for The Register-Guard.