Face The Music & Dance. - Review - dance review

Dance Magazine, August, 2000 by Kevin Giordano

FACE THE MUSIC & DANCE SHAPIRO & SMITH DANCE WITH SCOTT KILLIAN MARK DENDY DANCE & THEATER WITH DON BYRON SYMPHONY SPACE NEW YORK, NEW YORK APRIL 27-APRIL 29, 2000

REVIEWED BY KEVIN GIORDANO

Shapiro & Smith Dance is a troupe whose style is rooted in comedy, slapstick and theater. Mark Dendy Dance is a modern dance company that sometimes draws upon theater to enhance its themes. These two companies are essentially different, but this April at Symphony Space they shared an evening titled "Face the Music & Dance," a program that presents premieres of collaborations between choreographers and composers.

(Danial) Shapiro & (Joanie) Smith offered The Routine, a collaborative dance-theater piece with music by Scott Killian and text readings by writer/actor David Greenspan. Killian and his band of vibes, percussion, sax, flute, bass, keyboards and vocalist occupied stage left. A whimsical, dreamy mood was set early when Carol Lipkin crooned over a Latin groove, which was followed by Greenspan's spitfire, fuguelike pontifications on the word "schtick," which was the name of the team's 1999 show. Seated on a stool next to the band, Greenspan repeated this chattering throughout the performance. His poetic and repetitive effusions were equaled by Danial Shapiro. Shapiro purports to be a physical comic, but this evening his comedy fizzled. His performance was doubly unfortunate since he seemed to be playing the protagonist of this convoluted story.

The Routine moved along haphazardly as a series of pleasing vignettes, ranging from a woman seated at a table eating fried chicken to a poker game, all intercut with smart but loose choreography. It was in the actual dance that The Routine excelled. Choreography for the group pieces was carefully wrought, and sometimes just as carefully executed, but the general atmosphere of insouciance made most of the performers appear lazy.

Killian is a longtime collaborator with Shapiro & Smith, having worked on nearly twenty pieces prior to this one. He is a skilled musician and composer of diverse styles of music. But this collaboration seemed more like a dysfunctional relationship.

Mark Dendy let Jam literally emerge from the audience. Saxophonist Don Byron meandered down the aisle rifling on his bass clarinet, followed by the company's dancers, who emerged directly from the audience. This gimmick made for a very slow start, yet the contrast with the soporific opening made the rest of the piece seem like pure thrust.

Dendy's is a testosterone-infused company. The men are nearly identical in height and size and possess strong, muscular physiques. The women, lithe and shapely, were overshadowed. At moments it was a kaleidoscope of dance, erupting in swirls across the stage, simultaneously celebratory and solemn. It was soulful, inspired movement. Dendy's and Byron's was a true collaboration, with Byron's tempered even-keeled jazz percussion and piano blending beautifully with Dendy's movement. The mood created was crystal-clear: dreamlike, succulent, lush, sumptuous, imparted at times with a zeal that was fantastically fresh and invigorating.

What was more appealing was Dendy's keen choreography. Jam's small vignettes were like preludes or etudes, each complete and satisfying in itself. He used excellent dramatic construction, with recapitulations, recurring themes and an overall feel for beginning, middle and end. Added to this were some brilliant

solos, a section of tango and a touch of theatrical drama.