REVIEW: Black Grace

Photo Credit: Duncan Cole

New Zealand’s leading contemporary dance company, Black Grace, was in town last evening to perform.  I was lucky enough to be invited by The Ordway to check out the show.

I would hardly consider myself to be an expert in dance, but the talent of the Black Grace ensemble is undeniably world-class.  The choreography is highly athletic and presumably grueling, however, the dancers always appear to be weightless and moving with ease.  It’s as if the laws of gravity and momentum simply were not in effect on that stage.  From start to finish, the dancers never faltered and each move was fluid and precise.  There are a lot of coordinated sequences and everyone was always perfectly inline with the group.  The only hint you get that they are working so hard is the glimmer of sweat you occasionally notice, but that’s rare because the lighting is deliberately moody and dimmed.

The Black Grace performance is an abstract art form.  There’s no clear story, theme or feelings that should be provoked.  Although appearing random in this sense, it’s completely mesmerizing.  I expect it’s a sign of great choreography, lighting and dance talent when you remain engaged for a 2 hour dance performance with no clear story or message.  My favorite part was how they used a sheet of canvas to represent the ocean.  The way they blended it into the sequence with assists and lifts, the dancers appeared to be tossed and carried by the sea. It was remarkable.

Unfortunately, Black Grace was only here for one night in St. Paul.  Click for a list of upcoming Target Dance series performances at The Ordway.