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Friday, December 28, 2001

By Jane Vranish Post-Gazette Dance and Music Critic

More dance than ever hit the local stages, resulting not only in greater numbers, but a vast cultural diversity, a satisfying stylistic variety and a higher standard that made the final selections something to happily ponder. Cultural performances took many of the top spots making for a delicious dance soup to savor.

1. Min Tanaka (The Andy Warhol Museum, Dec. 15) Surprisingly, this recalcitrant leader of the Japanese butoh movement breezed ever so slowly into town relatively unannounced, a habit he picked up over the years in New York City. Clad in overcoat, cap and quasi-military uniform, he gave a site-specific solo improvisation that was as much a political statement as it was art. Tanaka's blazing intensity was undeniable as he gazed at multiple images of Mao Tse-tung, his face a blank slate, his body low-slung and gnarled. He is at the vanguard of the butoh movement, picking up the tempo without losing its original atomic impact.

2. Sreyashi Dey (Kelly-Strayhorn Theater, Oct. 24) A remarkable achievement from a local community dance company. Dey's "Chitranganda" was a timeless Indian epic with a feminist twist -- attaining inner beauty over outer beauty. Dey assembled a cast of devoted dancers and expert musicians who painted a thriving portrait of Indian art.

3. Dance Alloy (Byham Theater, Sept. 13) This was the concert that was supposed to put Dance Alloy on the map. Scheduled for the Northeast Performing Arts Conference, with hundreds of artists and presenters in attendance, the Sept. 11 tragedy caused the conference to be postponed. Forced to go with the Byham date, the Alloy revealed the rich subtext of its brand of modern dance with "Dust," a collaboration between Mark Taylor and Indian choreographer Anita Ratnam, a juicy premiere in Taylor's "Five Little Tragedies" and an old favorite, "Nevertheless."

4. Dance Alloy (Neighborhood Dance Center, Oct. 10) The Alloy quickly turned around and joyously assembled "Soiree," a compilation of previous works in the style of Merce Cunningham's "Event" format. The studio was decked to the rafters, the dancers never looked better and with wine, soft drinks and cheese available, it was a rare arts bargain to boot.

5. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (Benedum Center, Feb. 15) The dynamic combination of Terrence Orr and wife Marianna Tcherkassky joined forces to show Pittsburgh what classical ballet can really be in this production of "Giselle." Orr's talented theatrical touch was evidently apparent and Tcherkassky, a world-class Giselle herself, coached PBT principal dancer Ying Li to new heights, something that was eminently appealing to Pittsburgh audiences.

6. Rennie Harris Puremovement (Byham, Feb. 16) It was a down and dirty, gritty and gripping "Rome and Jewels," the latest take on Will Shakespeare's famous love story. But this production still had a big heart, with poetic phrases that were born in the street and elevated to a new kind of art.

7. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (Benedum, May 10) The company gave the city something to be proud of with its "Pittsburgh Choreographers" night. Of course Paul Taylor is the leading choreographer of his generation and his genteel "Airs" is always a delight to watch. But Glen Tetley's powerful technical approach gave the PBT dancers something to chew on in "Voluntaries" and especially the physically demanding gyrations of "Rite of Spring."

8. Labco (Eddy Theatre, Nov. 3) A stellar concert for this burgeoning group of young women. They commissioned a ferocious finale, "To the Teeth," from Kevin Wynn, and swiveled through Andre Koslowski's "Where are the tears I cried alone last evening." It was definitely an "Evolution ... Revolution."

9. Ron Brown (PDC, Byham, Nov. 30) Brown chose an odd ending for this concert as 50 pounds of dirt rained down on his dancers in "Walking Out the Dark." But the inordinate commitment of their dancing and the spiritual joie de vivre were a force to behold. "High Life" was an extraordinarily touching and revealing interpretation of an African-American journey.

10. Playhouse Dance Company (Playhouse Theater, April 8) PDC is becoming a force to be reckoned with on the local dance scene. This performance started it all, with some internationally known works. It was man vs. mail in David Parsons' "The Letter" and man vs. woman in Robert Battles' "Moon Indigo." The dance students, every year better and better, simply romped through George Balanchine's sunny play piece, "Donizetti Variations."