Twice per season, the Wilma Theater’s resident dance company BalletX establishes a Fall and Spring Series program to showcase work from choreographers near and far. Spring Series 2013 takes place this weekend, and features beautifully eccentric world premieres by Olivier Wevers, Gabrielle Lamb, and Tobin Del Cuore.
If you aren’t familiar with Philly’s premiere contemporary ballet company, let me quickly frame it for you: there are no tutus, no pointe shoes, old school concertos or leotards. The choreography is far from the rigid form of the typical five ballet positions, and the performers compose a refreshingly androgynous ensemble; if you’re searching for a prima ballerina, you won’t find her here.
An ironically energetic performance grappling with the issue of sudden death, Wevers’ dancers spend more time rolling, tucking, climbing and twisting on the floor of the stage (and, impressively, on each other) than they do dancing upright in “Instantly Bound”. The ensemble of six dance to a deep electric bass, falling in and out of a single spotlight.
Del Cuore’s “No Sleep” cites inspiration from Robert Frost’s poem “Acquainted with the Night”. The movement is more dreamlike and fluid, making use of an ultra-minimalistic set and concealing the dancers in long, flowing black jackets.
The quirkiest of the three, Gabrielle Lamb’s “Stations of Mercury” prods the performers through an assembly line of sprightly gestures and movements, often coinciding with one another. Dressed in capri shorts and bright pastels, Lamb’s pas de deux is the most original I’ve ever seen: the typical exhibitions of romance are replaced by a sense of ease and comfortability, and sensuality is shown through awkward playfulness.
The Spring Series 2013 is one of the best ways to get a taste for the influential work BalletX is doing, not just in Philadelphia but throughout the US. Tickets are $35 at full price and $22 for students, so what are you waiting for?
