By BRUCE DENNILL
WGRUV Dance Company: Trilogy Of Notes / Artistic Director: Holly Gruver / Roodepoort Theatre, Roodepoort
Johannesburg-based outfit WGRUV Dance Company continues its tour of South Africa with its latest season of dance works. This show is, as the title suggests, a triple bill (with a solo turn slipped in for extra value) and features the creations of three American choreographers, all of which provide varied and exacting challenges for the seven-strong company – joined for this production by guest artist Marlon Sales of Joburg Ballet.
On stage between and sometimes during dance pieces are live musicians Emmanuel Paul on bass and Darlington Okofu on keys, adding a fresh energy to the show as a whole, showcasing expert musicianship and giving the dancers time to change costumes and catch their collective breath.
Another feature not often seen in contemporary dance and ballet shows and used here is the introduction of each piece – via huge video projection – by its choreographer. For audiences who aren’t well versed in interpreting movement or who appreciate a laying out of the nuances of the vision behind the choreography, this is a wonderful addition. The one potential downside is that painting a clear picture of the idea means there is unavoidable comparison between that brief and what actually plays out on stage – and this through each audience member’s personal filter.
Jessica Lang’s Vivace Motifs, originally commissioned by the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company, is notable for the amount of movement fitted into music by George Frideric Handel and Arcangelo Corelli. The dancers, working mostly in pairs and occasionally as men or women only, are often asked to make precise movements on each subsequent beat in a bar, which requires not only tight artistic and athletic control of their bodies, but also excellent understanding of which colleague will be where as everyone leaps and glides across the stage.
Lex Gruver gives a slick solo interpretation of Michael Trusnovec’s Present (with Okofu on keys) before the full company returns for the highly conceptual Permission To Fall by Brad Beakes, commissioned by WGRUV and develop in collaboration with the dancers. Loosely based on the concept of a travelling performance troupe, it features characters designed to evoke different groups of emotions (‘The Fire’; ‘The Champion’; ‘The Wounded’ and more), with each cast member in a beautifully designed costume, courtesy of Kirsten Bailes, created to support these roles. In this piece, Beakes’ explanation gives strong guidance to the audience: the complexity of the idea might otherwise have been a touch overwhelming.
The closing piece is perhaps the most enjoyable, with Michael Trusnovec’s exuberant The Weight Of A Moment, set to jazzy songs sung by June Christy, supplemented by Paul’s live bass playing (in the middle of the stage, with the dancers interacting with him) and another set of gorgeous costumes and cheeky, chirpy movements raising a smile. The partnership of Ashton Harris and Ruan Galdino in this piece is especially memorable.
Throughout, the style of WGRUV offer a pleasing alternative to more traditional forms of either ballet or contemporary dance, with pointe shoes eschewed for the versatility of supple, foot-hugging options and the choreography – across all of the different choreographers – celebrating imagination and intensity as much as repetition of form.
